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Angels 7, Red Sox 3

Red Sox blow a three-run lead in sloppy setback

Hanley Ramirez lost his helmet while taking a swing during the third inning.Chris Carlson/Associated press

ANAHEIM, Calif. — David Price had a three-run lead after two innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night. The Red Sox lefthander was in control against a team he has pitched well against over his career, particularly in recent seasons. Price had even handled the great Mike Trout with aplomb in their encounters.

A few hours later, Price was at his locker with a dour expression after the Angels came back to beat the Sox, 7-3.

“If I get three runs as early as we did tonight, that should be enough,” Price said. “That wasn’t the case.”

It wasn’t just blowing a three-run lead. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts committed two errors, the Sox had only two hits after the second inning, and manager John Farrell was ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

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They also struck out nine times and allowed 37-year-old Albert Pujols to limp 180 feet to score a run.

The Sox are 2-3 against the out-of-contention Angels this season. The series ends Sunday with Rick Porcello facing rookie Parker Birdwell.

With the Rays and Yankees losing, the Sox maintained a 3½-game lead in the American League East.

David Price flips the resin bag as he gets ready to throw a pitch after giving up a two-run home run to Andrelton Simmons in the fourth inning.Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Price (5-3) didn’t get much help from his defense but was responsible for putting 11 men on base over five innings. Six of them scored. Andrelton Simmons homered and drove in three runs for the Angels.

The first two innings resembled Friday’s 6-2 victory as the Sox built an early lead. Andrew Benintendi and Dustin Pedroia drew walks off Angels starter JC Ramirez in the first inning. Hanley Ramirez singled to right field, scoring Benintendi. Mookie Betts had a two-out RBI double in the second inning then scored on a single by Benintendi.

By the time the inning ended, the Angels starter was up to 42 pitches. But the righthander retired 12 in a row, six by strikeout.

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Ramirez (9-8) went six innings and did not allow another run. Farrell was ejected in the fifth inning after Pedroia took a low pitch for a called third strike. When Pedroia complained to umpire Phil Cuzzi, Farrell came out of the dugout and within a few seconds was tossed.

“Any time you make a comment about balls and strikes, that’s probably what it’s going to get you,” Farrell said. “Thought there was some called strike threes that were certainly not in our favor.”

John Farrell was ejected in the fifth after arguing balls and strikes following a Dustin Pedroia at-bat.Chris Carlson/AP

Down 6-3, the Sox put two runners on with two outs in the sixth inning. Christian Vazquez lined a ball to the gap in right but Trout raced over to make the catch.

Price allowed four runs in the third inning, a good start quickly turning bad. With a runner on first and one out, he walked Trout after a nine-pitch at-bat. Trout to that point was 3 of 20 with 10 strikeouts against Price.

“You want to be able to get him out right there. That was a big out,” Price said.

Pujols followed with an RBI double to left field, the carom off the wall getting away from Benintendi. With two outs, Simmons pulled a low pitch into the stands in left for his 10th home run.

The Angels opened the fifth inning with singles by Pujols and C.J. Cron. When Simmons singled to right field, Pujols gimped around third to score. Ramirez, starting at first base for the third time in five games, had a play at the plate but elected to chase down Simmons going to second. The Sox ended up with an out at third base on the play.

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“It looked like [Ramirez] got the relay throw in time . . . That was an in-game decision in the moment,” Farrell said.

After Price hit Kole Calhoun, Martin Maldonado grounded to shortstop for what should have been a double play. But Bogaerts’s flip to Pedroia was low and skipped away, allowing a run to score.

Kole Calhoun was safe at second after a poor flip from Xander Bogaerts to Dustin Pedroia.Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

“Those are plays that typically he has made routinely,” Farrell said.

Bogaerts has 11 errors, one fewer than all last season.

Price allowed six runs, five earned, on seven hits. He walked three and struck out five. In his prior four starts against Los Angeles, Price had allowed six earned runs over 29⅔ innings.

Heath Hembree gave up a run on two hits in the sixth inning. Rookie Ben Taylor and his handlebar mustache went two scoreless innings.


Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.