OC Register: Nick Tropeano, Angels prove no match for sizzling Red Sox

[AngelsWin.com]

• Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout, left, comforts home plate umpire Jerry Layne, who was hit in the arm by a foul tip during the first inning of a baseball game between the Angels and the Boston Red Sox in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. Layne left the game. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 19: Nick Tropeano #35 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches in the first inning during the MLB game against the Boston Red Sox at Angel Stadium on April 19, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

• Boston Red Sox’s Mookie Betts celebrates his home run with Andrew Benintendi, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Anaheim Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Nick Tropeano watches a throw to a Boston Red Sox batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez throws to a Los Angeles Angels batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, runs to first during the second inning of the team’s baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. Ohtani was out at first. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Zack Cozart hits an RBI-single against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Andrelton Simmons scores past Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez on a single by Zack Cozart during the second inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Andrelton Simmons celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a single by Zack Cozart during the second inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers throws to second for the force on Los Angeles Angels’ Ian Kinsler on a ball hit by Mike Trout, who was safe at first during the third inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, reacts after a strike during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 19: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim reacts after a swing and a miss on a pitch during the fourth inning of the MLB game against the Boston Red Sox at Angel Stadium on April 19, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, leaves the batter’s box after striking out against the Boston Red Sox during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Boston Red Sox’s Hanley Ramirez, left, scores past Los Angeles Angels catcher Martin Maldonado on a double by J.D. Martinez during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Boston Red Sox’s Hanley Ramirez celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a double by J.D. Martinez during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout breaks his bat and grounds out against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Chris Young celebrates after his home run against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani of Japan, reacts after striking out to end the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers fields a ball hit by Los Angeles Angels’ Ian Kinsler during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. Kinsler was thrown out at first. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Boston Red Sox’s J.D. Martinez doubles against the Los Angeles Angels during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Boston Red Sox’s Rafael Devers, left, is forced out at second by Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons while trying to advance on a ball hit by Eduardo Nunez during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

• Boston Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly celebrates the team’s 8-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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ANAHEIM — Right-hander Nick Tropeano made his first start at Angel Stadium since July 18, 2016 on Thursday, exactly one week after ending a 633-day layoff because of Tommy John surgery. His first pitch, a fastball, sailed wide of the plate a few minutes past 7 p.m.

Tropeano’s second pitch missed the mark, too.

His third pitch sailed over the left-field fence for a home run.

And so it went for him and for the Angels during an 8-2 loss to the Red Sox, a defeat that extended their first losing streak to three consecutive games and extended Boston’s sizzling start to the season. The Red Sox are a major league-leading 16-2, the best start in the franchise’s 118-year history.

By the end of Boston’s first sweep of the Angels at the Big A since July 2010, the Red Sox had outscored the Angels 27-3 and out-homered them 11-1. A victory would have given the Angels a 14-5 record, equaling the 1982 team’s mark for the franchise’s best start through 19 games.

Tropeano, like Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday and Tyler Skaggs on Wednesday, could not contain the Red Sox. Mookie Betts homered on the third pitch Tropeano threw him to start Thursday’s game, and the Angels were off to another rocky start.

No question, Tropeano had his moments. He simply didn’t have enough of them. He gave up five runs and seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 5-1/3 innings, falling to 1-1 after making a triumphant return to the majors with 6-2/3 shutout innings in a victory last week in Kansas City.

Tropeano lasted longer than plate umpire Jerry Layne, who departed after taking a foul tip off the right elbow from Mike Trout with one out in the first inning. Greg Gibson moved behind the plate from first base to replace Layne and, after an extended delay, the game continued with three umpires.

In the end, umpiring wasn’t an issue. The red hot Red Sox were the Angels’ problem.

Tropeano got through the second and third innings unscathed, but gave up a run-scoring double to J.D. Martinez and an RBI single to Rafael Devers that broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth. After a scoreless fifth, Tropeano ran into trouble again in the sixth, with Andrew Benintendi homering.

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Manager Mike Scioscia replaced Tropeano after Martinez’s one-out single. Jose Alvarez then gave up a double to Mitch Moreland and a run-scoring single to Devers that made it 5-2. Jim Johnson replaced Alvarez and got out of further trouble thanks to Andrelton Simmons’ fielding wizardry.

Simmons made a diving stop of Eduardo Nunez’s hard-hit grounder up the middle, then flipped the ball from his glove to second baseman Ian Kinsler to start an inning-ending double play. It prevented the Angels’ three-run deficit from growing as Moreland would have scored easily from third.

Ohtani returned to the lineup, serving as DH, and batted sixth in their order against Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0). Ohtani went 0 for 3 against Rodriguez, who fed him a steady diet of off-speed pitches and struck him out in the fourth and sixth innings.

Chris Young started in place of Kole Calhoun in right field and hit his first homer with the Angels, on a 3-and-2 pitch from Rodriguez to start the fifth. Young’s homer cut the Angels’ deficit to 3-2, but that was as close as they would get to the Red Sox.

More to come on this story.

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