LA Angels of Anaheim (21-20) at Boston Red Sox (19-22), 7:10 p.m. (ET)
(SportsNetwork.com) - Garrett Richards returns to Fenway Park for the first time since suffering a season-ending knee injury last August as the Los Angeles Angels begin a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox.
Richards was in the midst of a breakout season last year, going 13-4 with a 2.61 earned run average before his left knee gave out while he attempted to cover first base in an Aug. 20 meeting with the hosting Red Sox. He had to be carted off the field and the injury was severe enough that he didn't make his 2015 debut until mid-April.
Richards, though, has been in excellent form since returning and says he has moved past the incident.
"My injury is in the past," Richards told the Angels' website. "I don't even think about it anymore. I just focus on my start every five days. The work in between, the preparation, that's all I'm concerned with right now."
Richards yielded two or fewer runs for a fifth consecutive outing on Sunday, but lost 3-0 in Baltimore. He was charged with two runs on five hits and a walk over a season-high 7 2/3 innings, striking out seven. One of the runs Richards allowed did come on a wild pitch in the fourth inning.
The righty is 3-2 with a 2.29 ERA this season in six starts and has not recorded a decision in six prior meetings with the Red Sox. That includes a pair of starts and he is pitching to a 5.40 ERA against them.
The Angels are set to begin the final leg of a 10-game road trip and are 4-3 on the swing after splitting a four-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays. They lost Thursday's finale 8-4 as Matt Shoemaker yielded eight runs -- seven earned -- over six-plus innings.
Shoemaker has allowed nine homers over his last four starts.
"Early on everything was working. But things tend to fall apart," Shoemaker said. "A couple balls were up. A couple unfortunate bounces. Everything is going bad right now."
David Freese and Marc Krauss hit home runs, with Freese finishing 2-for-4 with three RBI in the loss. Mike Trout also collected two hits and scored twice for the Angels.
Los Angeles' Albert Pujols did not play after getting hit in the left hand by a pitch on Wednesday. However, he had a CT scan that ruled out a fracture and is hoping to return to the lineup as early as tonight.
Rick Porcello looks to extend his unbeaten streak to six straight starts tonight for the Red Sox.
Porcello is 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA over his past five outings, all Boston victories, and is coming off a 4-2 win in Seattle on Saturday over Felix Hernandez. The right-hander yielded a pair of runs on five hits, including two solo homers, and two walks while striking out six in 6 2/3 innings of work.
"He's been on a solid run the last four or five outings for us," Red Sox manager John Farrell said of Porcello.
Now 4-2 on the season with a 4.26 ERA, Porcello is 4-4 with a 6.52 ERA in 11 career meetings with the Angels.
The Red Sox were defeated 3-1 by the Texas Rangers on Thursday. Xander Bogaerts collected two hits and David Ortiz drove in the lone run for the Red Sox, who have struggled with producing runs in dropping four of their last six. They have plated more than two runs just twice over their last nine games.
Clay Buchholz was tagged in the loss for five hits and three runs -- two earned -- over his 7 1/3 innings.
Red Sox right fielder Shan Victorino was a late scratch due to a sore left calf, while third baseman Pablo Sandoval made a pinch-hit appearance after a one- game absence due to a sore left knee. It is unknown if either will return to the starting lineup tonight.
The Angels have won seven of their past nine against the Red Sox and swept a four-game set in Boston from Aug. 18-21 of last year.