Angels were on path to victory until they decided to take a stroll down Buttercup Street

Angels 3 Red Sox 5

What should have been a 3-0 Angels shutout victory, clinching a four-game Red Sox series win, giving the fans in attendance something to smile about as the exited the Big A, turned into a basket full of buttercups.

Really, there is barely any scenario that better defines “buttercup”, in its re-appropriated, Halos Heaven meme usage infamy, than today’s contest. It’s not the biggest, most horrible buttercupping, but its failure, simple yet heart breaking, is a perfect example of what it means when we say “Buttercup”.

The Angels had a 3-0 lead heading into the ninth inning. They had worked hard to get there, largely behind the return of Tyler Skaggs to the Big A. It was exactly two years ago today that he first got some pain in his arm that would eventually turn into TJ surgery and two years mostly on the sidelines. Skaggs looked pretty good, too, hitting 5.1 innings, giving up four hits and striking out eight. It was a great day for Skaggs, especially if you’re looking for some optimism for the future. Skaggs is legit, a fastball that cruises mid-90s no problem, and a deadly curve to boot.

The Angels were going against knuckler Steven Wright, but waited until the 5th inning to put up any runs. It’s not like they didn’t have chances before then...they bungled an embarrassingly easy opportunity in the bottom of the first, bases loaded, came away with nada, so the self-defeating buttercup vibe was in the air from the get go.

But that fifth saw Mike Trout driving in a run on a single, a ground out RBI for Pujols and Jefry Marte got himself an RBI single to make it a trio of runs driven in. The table was set, now it was just up to Huston Street to deliver.

One buttercup delivery, coming right up!

Street had already been letting guys on board in the ninth, playing it dangerously as the Red Sox got their first run on the board via single. But Street had two outs on the board, two men on, and Dustin Pedroia at the dish...shoot, he even had two strikes on him already...but when it came between getting an out and saving the day, or giving up a three-run, go ahead bomb to dead center field. WTF.

To pile on to the buttercupping as it unfolded in the Big A, Xander Bogaerts followed him up with a solo shot and just like that, Huston Street had turned a 3-0 lead in the 9th into a 5-3 deficit. A nice Sunday of Angels action had just been urinated on and then tossed into a pit filled with soiled diapers.

Thanks for the Buttecup memories, Huston Street. They keep getting better and better. /sarcasm X 10000000000