Byron Buxton collects two hits in return

Neto took Red Sox lefty starter Jake Bennett deep a couple pitches after having a called third strike overturned on a challenge in the third inning. It was his 25th round-tripper of the season. The 25-year-old shortstop has looked like a completely different player since the Angels opted not to move him at last month’s trade deadline, hitting .301 (37-for-123) with six homers, 25 RBI and five steals over his last 30 games.

Anthony took Angels starter Ryan Johnson deep in the fifth inning for his third round-tripper in 11 games since returning from the injured list on August 30. He struck out in three of his other four plate appearances. He’s provided some stability atop Boston’s lineup and should give them a quality top-of-the-order table-setter for the postseason.

Johnson’s velocity was up a couple ticks across the board on his entire arsenal as he managed to cruise in the early stages of this one, carrying a shutout into the fifth inning before Roman Anthony took him deep for a two-run blast. He also surrendered a solo shot to Wilyer Abreu in the ensuing frame. He finished with five strikeouts and only issued one walk. He’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his last seven starts dating back to August 6. He draws a favorable home matchup against the Mariners his next time out on Tuesday.

Bennett was burned by the long ball in this one, serving up three round-trippers, which included a three-run blast to Zach Neto in the third inning. He finished with only two strikeouts and issued one walk. He gave up nine hits and allowed three earned runs or more for the eighth time in his last nine starts. Not ideal. The 25-year-old rookie has been outstanding for the Red Sox after coming over from the Nationals in an offseason challenge trade, but he appears to be hitting a bit of a metaphorical wall down the home stretch. He’ll attempt to rebound with a road matchup against the Rangers next Wednesday.

Baty appeared to tweak his left knee while coming out of the box on an RBI single in the second inning. He was replaced by Christopher Morel at first base. He’ll undergo further evaluation, and possibly an MRI, to determine the severity of the issue.

Davitt heads to San Francisco after being acquired from the White Sox in the Joey Bart trade last month. The 26-year-old righty made a pair of relief appearances for Chicago earlier this year.

Bivens loses his spot on San Francisco’s 40-man roster with the club claiming Duncan Davitt off waivers from Atlanta. He allowed 10 runs over five innings of work for the Giants earlier this season.

It was a monstrous performance by Merrill, who tripled home two runs in the bottom of the third. He then delivered a two-run homer in the fifth that put San Diego up 7-2, before smacking a solo shot in the seventh. To cap it off, he drove in Xander Bogaerts in the eighth. Merrill has been a different hitter in the second half, and his 14 homers since the All-Star break are the fifth-most in MLB. He’s up to 24 homers and 25 steals for the season, though he’s hitting just .245 with roughly a league-average wRC+. He doesn’t turn 24 until next April.

Buehler struck out four and walked two. He struck out the side in the first and looked to be in control, but began coming apart in the third, prompting manager Craig Stammen to pull him. Buehler had pitched five or more innings in each of his past five starts, and he wasn’t happy to exit this one. He draws a difficult matchup at Coors Field in his next start.