BOSTON _ For the afternoon, the Los Angeles Angels' decision was proved accurate. They picked Parker Bridwell over Doug Fister to start Sunday against Boston at Fenway Park. The Red Sox picked up Fister off waivers and started him.
Bridwell outpitched Fister and led the Angels to a 4-2 victory.
Making his first start of the season, Fister threw hard early, but also could not evade the Angels' bats. He threw 10 pitches to Kole Calhoun, five of which were fouled off, before the Angels' right fielder flied out to center. Up next, Albert Pujols hit Fister's next pitch out of the stadium _ foul. On the third pitch of his at-bat, Pujols, too, flied out.
Andrelton Simmons knocked the Angels' first hit of the afternoon in the second inning, and Ben Revere singled him to third. When Danny Espinosa beat out a subsequent double-play ball by a millisecond, the Angels had their first run. They had two more after Kaleb Cowart doubled and Juan Graterol singled.
The Angels next notched a hit in the sixth inning, when Calhoun slapped a single up the middle. With two outs, Luis Valbuena snuck a single past second baseman Dustin Pedroia, and Simmons batted with runners on the corners. He grounded out.
Fister finished his day with those three runs surrendered in six innings of a solid, unspectacular start.
Facing Bridwell, Boston struck back for one run in their half of the second inning on a Mitch Moreland home run. After a hit-by-pitch and a single, Bridwell struck out Deven Marrero on three pitches to end the threat, his worst inning of the day. He retired the Red Sox in order in the third and fourth, helped in the latter inning by two superb defensive plays from Cowart, who finished with two RBIs and a run scored on the day, and Calhoun.
Jackie Bradley Jr. led off the fifth with a solo shot to center, but Bridwell worked around a single in that inning and the next to finish six innings with just 63 pitches on his ledger, 45 of them strikes.
Hanley Ramirez began the seventh inning with a single into center. After Bradley lined out, Bridwell induced a key flyout from Christian Vazquez with a 3-and-1 fastball. At that, Angels manager Mike Scioscia came for him.
In jogged Blake Parker, who struck out pinch-hitter Sam Travis to end the threat. The night before, he had struck out another Red Sox pinch hitter to end the game.
Right-hander Yusmeiro Petit handled the eighth, and, after the Angels added an insurance run on two singles, the ninth, for a rare two-inning save. It was Petit's third save of his career, the same number Parker logged on Saturday.
The Angels (40-39) have not won three consecutive games in more than a month. They will be playing to reset that at Dodger Stadium on Monday.
