Red Sox, Angels Fuel Tension With Pre-Game Spat Between Players, Coaches

The Red Sox struggled to protect their home field this week after welcoming the LA Angels and dropping the first two games of their three-game series.

Wednesday's Game 3 kicked off with an unusual flare-up as Halos pitcher Tyler Anderson started barking at Boston Red Sox first base coach Jose Flores.

Both men were going at it during live batting practice, and even Angels pitching coach Barry Enright stepped in to join Anderson's side.

All three men exchanged F-bombs, which, keep in mind, was before any action kicked off. 

The oddest twist in the spat was that Anderson had already pitched for the Angels this series, leading Monday's 7-6 win. Game 2 went into extra innings, and the Angels pulled off a narrow 4-3 win.

According to MLB Insider Mike Rodriguez, "the problem that arose during today's practice was due to the fact that, apparently, Flores, the first base coach for Boston, was stealing the signals from pitcher Tyler Anderson.

"During the game on Monday, Anderson allowed 5 runs. Today, when Anderson saw Flores at practice, he decided to address the situation and communicated some concerns related to these signals."

Jose Soriano was on the bump for LA in Game 3, but Boston ultimately got the last laugh, winning on Wednesday, 11-9. 

The Angels have been a strange case all season — first ripping off an eight-game winning streak in May to reach .500, only to lose seven of their eight games after that run, and then rip off 20 runs in their series against Boston. In Game 2, the Halos also became the first team ever at Fenway Park to hit three home runs in the first inning.

It's possible the Red Sox may have another AL rival after this heated series with LA.

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