Angels blown up by Boston on Independence Day

The Los Angeles Angels Tyler Heineman #31 plays catcher during an MLB game against The Boston Red Sox on July 4th, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Fourth of July always promises fireworks, especially at a baseball game, but the real missiles were coming off the bats of the Boston Red Sox at the expense of the Los Angeles Angels in their first Independence Day home game since 2021.

>Sam Aldegheri was on the mound for the Angels and while he's shown promise at times, Aldegheri has been inconsistent at best and struggled to keep his pitch count low due to command issues. Those issues, among several other problems, haunted the Italian starter quickly in Saturday's matchup.

>"Control wasn't really there," Aldegheri said. "[I] was trying to pitch on the border too much and trying to be perfect and not attack the zone."

A short night for Aldegheri. He went just four innings and threw 88 pitches and while he only allowed one hit, that hit happened to be a three-run home run by Wilson Contreras

— Jack Haslett (@JackHaslett_13) July 5, 2026He walked two batters in the first inning alone and soon after Wilson Contreras, Boston's leader in home runs and RBIs, stepped up to the plate ready to do damage.

>That's exactly what he did when he got a hold of a changeup that hung in the zone and ripped it 421 feet into the left field seats for a three-run home run.

The Los Angeles Angels Sam Aldegheri #61 pitches during an MLB game against The Boston Red Sox on July 4th, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.Jon Bryan - The Sporting Tribune

class="photoCaption">The Los Angeles Angels Sam Aldegheri #61 pitches during an MLB game against The Boston Red Sox on July 4th, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.

Control Issues"I think free passes in general are tough," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. "Walks, hit-by-pitches, whatever it is... something to work on, something to learn from. Every start he's [Aldegheri] learning from something and then he's working on them to improve."

>Aldegheri was notably sharper after his rocky start to the game, but first innings have been a persistent hiccup for him this season, something he plans to work on with the Angels pitching staff to try and find a better and faster way to get into a routine and avoid those shaky starts.

The Los Angeles Angels Donovan Walton #35 catches the ball during an MLB game against The Boston Red Sox on July 4th, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.Jon Bryan - The Sporting Tribune

class="photoCaption">The Los Angeles Angels Donovan Walton #35 catches the ball during an MLB game against The Boston Red Sox on July 4th, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.

Run-scoring Red SoxContreras' own personal firework ended up being the only hit that Aldegheri allowed in his four innings of work, but that home run paired with Aldegheri's four walks were more than enough to keep the Red Sox ahead while Boston starter Sonny Gray went to work.

>Boston added another four runs in the fifth inning off Angels reliever Samy Natera Jr. between two doubles, a walk and Romy Gonzalez's first home run of the season, a two run blast that improved the Red Sox to a 7-1 lead.

The Boston Red Sox Willson Contreras #40 hits a home run during an MLB game against The Los Angeles Angels on July 4th, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.Jon Bryan - The Sporting Tribune

class="photoCaption">The Boston Red Sox Willson Contreras #40 hits a home run during an MLB game against The Los Angeles Angels on July 4th, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.

Not that they needed it, but the Red Sox added one more run in the top of the eighth to make Boston's lead, and the eventual winning score, 8-1.

Lowe keeps risingmashed for ‘Merica 🫡 pic.twitter.com/L5eATxR2n8

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) July 5, 2026Josh Lowe provided the Angels' only run of the game with a solo hime run in the bottom of the second to center field.

> One of the few bright spots for the Angels as of late has been Lowe and his continued growth since being called back up from Triple-A. With every passing game he looks more and more like the player the Angels were hoping for when they traded for him this past offseason.

>"This guy [Lowe] works hard, he's a great teammate, works his butt off out there," Suzuki said. "To see him get some success, go down there and really use that time to improve and get better says a lot about him."

>