Matt Palmer goes the distance in Angels’ victory over Red Sox

The Angels have discovered a foolproof method for preventing their relievers from fouling things up in the later innings: Take them out of the equation.

Matt Palmer, a 30-year-old right-hander who nearly quit baseball three years ago, threw the team’s third complete game in seven days, retiring the last 19 batters in a row, to lead the Angels to an 8-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

In his seventh big league start, Palmer gave up four runs and three hits in the first two innings but blanked Boston on one hit over the next seven innings to improve to 4-0 on the season.

Mike Napoli keyed a five-run third inning with a three-run home run, and Torii Hunter added a solo shot in the fourth, but it was Palmer who stole the spotlight in Angel Stadium.

“It’s amazing,� said Palmer, who played seven seasons in the minors before reaching the big leagues last August with San Francisco. “To do it against Boston is even better. I loved pitching in New York, but this is an amazing stadium, too. I love the park, the fans. It was a great feeling.�

Palmer gave up two runs and five hits over 11 2/3 innings of his previous two starts, wins over the Yankees and Royals, but it looked like he might not make it out of the second inning Wednesday.

Jason Bay crushed a two-run home run in the first, and a pair of walks set the table for Boston’s two-run second, which featured Nick Green’s run-scoring double and Jacoby Ellsbury’s RBI groundout that made it 4-0.

But shortstop Erick Aybar made a nice bare-handed grab and throw to first on Julio Lugo’s grounder to end the second, stranding Green at third, and Palmer was virtually untouchable from that point on.

Bay singled with one out in the third but was rubbed out on Mike Lowell’s double-play grounder. Palmer did not allow another baserunner, completing the game with 109 pitches, 73 of them strikes, including a sidearm curve that whiffed Lowell to end the game.

“He went a little Laredo on him,� Manager Mike Scioscia said of Palmer’s last pitch. “He changed some arm angles, gave hitters different looks. After the first two innings, he settled in, made the adjustments. Matt made a statement today. His stuff stayed strong.�

Palmer’s adjustments, Scioscia said, were in pitch selection and location. He pitched away early but then started throwing inside, “moving some feet,� Palmer said. He began throwing his breaking ball for first-pitch strikes.

“He’s not a guy who’s going to pound one area, one zone -- he got a little locked in on trying to do one thing,� Scioscia said. “Once he started using both sides of the plate and mixing in his breaking ball, he got better results.�

Palmer’s gem, which followed complete games by Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders on the homestand, looked good from center field.

“I saw everything,� Hunter said. “He was working his cutter inside, going back-door on some guys, hard in with the sinker. He had guys off-balance.

“His curve was breaking so much. He spent seven years in the minor leagues, but he’s up here now, fulfilling his dream, pitching his butt off.�

Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield, who fell to 4-2 after being rocked for seven runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings, would probably be happy if he never set foot in Angel Stadium again.

The knuckleball-throwing right-hander may have subdued every other team he has faced this season, but his only two losses have come in Anaheim, and he is 0-6 with a 9.30 earned-run average in his last six starts in Angel Stadium dating back to 2004.

Wakefield wiggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second but was roughed up in the third, an inning that began with Reggie Willits’ single and Bobby Abreu’s walk.

Hunter singled to left for a run, Kendry Morales singled to right for a run, and Napoli blasted a three-run homer to center, his sixth of the season, for a 5-4 Angels lead.

The Angels tacked on runs with Hunter’s solo shot to left, his ninth of the season, in the fourth inning, Willits’ RBI single in the fifth and Juan Rivera’s sacrifice fly off hard-throwing reliever Daniel Bard in the sixth.

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