A playoff spot is well out of reach, but Tyler Skaggs provided another glimmer of hope for 2017 with his second superb start since returning from elbow surgery, giving up four hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out eight and walking two in the Angels’ 5-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Mixing a fastball that sat between 92-94 mph and changing speeds with a sharp curve, Skaggs stifled an offense that leads the major leagues with 574 runs and an .827 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
The left-hander’s only real trouble came in the fifth inning, when Bryce Brentz and Mookie Betts singled with one out.