MIKE SCIOSCIA didn’t have much to smile about as the Angels were swept by the Red Sox (Flickr/Keith Allison).

By Pete Zarustica

Maybe the best way to look at this is that they’re back to opening day. Clean slate, tabula rasa.

Except that in this case – after a sixth straight loss – the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (now 41-41) are 13.5 games out of first place in the American League West and in a rickety fourth place in the American League West. In Boston the Red Sox swept the six-game season series with the Orange County team with the 4-2 win on Thursday.

“We will get through this, for sure. We’re going to get better and play better baseball. We really believe that,” said manager Mike Scioscia.

The Angels went ahead 1-0 in the fourth on a home run by Andrelton Simmons (his fifth of the season), but the Bosox tied it with a home run in the fifth by Rafael Devers (13).

Boston took the lead in the sixth with a run, and then Jackie Bradley Jr. homered to right (his sixth) to drive in two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Albert Pujols drove in a run in the top of the eighth with a single, but that was all the offense the Halos could muster.

Jaime Barria (5-4) had a decent start for the visitors, pitching 5.1 innings and giving up four hits and two runs. He struck out four and walked two. Five pitchers for the home team held the Halos to five hits and the Boston effort was assisted by several outstanding defensive plays.

In their bid to stop their skid, the Angels will be in Baltimore on Friday to start a three-game set against the Orioles. Felix Pena (0-0) will start for the Halos and David Hess (2-4) for the home team.