Ohtani carries Angels past Red Sox, ending their 14-game skid

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani pitched seven stellar innings and hit a two-run homer, and the Los Angeles Angels snapped their 14-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night.

Andrew Velazquez added a three-run homer in the sixth, but the Angels ended the longest skid in franchise history squarely on the shoulders of their matchless AL MVP, both on the mound and at the plate.

Ohtani (4-4) yielded four hits and a run while striking out six in a performance befitting an ace. He also had two hits, and he put the Angels ahead for the first time by crushing his 12th homer of the season off Nick Pivetta (5-5) in the fifth inning.

Los Angeles won for the first time since May 24 and for the first time under interim manager Phil Nevin, who replaced the fired Joe Maddon after Monday's series-opening loss. The Halos won for only the fourth time in 22 games since May 15, when they were 24-13 and in first place in the AL West.

Alex Verdugo had an RBI single in the eighth for the Red Sox, whose seven-game winning streak ended with their first loss in the first two stops of their 10-game West Coast road trip. Boston has still won 16 of 22 overall.

Pivetta struck out 11 to match the most by a Boston pitcher this season while yielding six hits and two walks.

Ohtani was sharp on the mound after struggling in his two previous starts, notably ending the third inning by striking out Rafael Devers with a 101-mph fastball — the third-fastest pitch of his career and his fastest strikeout pitch ever. He induced 18 swings and misses after getting just three in his previous start against the Yankees last week.

The Angels had a lead after the sixth inning for the seventh time in the past 15 games, but their