Fister starts for Red Sox against team that waived him

BOSTON -- Doug Fister has a golden opportunity on Sunday to show the Los Angeles Angels what they are missing.

Fister, claimed by the Boston Red Sox on Friday after being waived by the Angels, makes his season debut as Boston hosts Los Angeles in the finale of a three-game series at Fenway Park.

The 33-year-old veteran right-hander signed with the Angels in May but failed to crack the starting rotation and opted for free agency last Wednesday.

Before joining Boston (41-33), Fister went 1-0 with a 4.02 ERA in three starts with Triple-A Salt Lake this season.

"What I saw (of Fister in Triple-A) made me think he's going to be a tough guy to beat on Sunday," Angels reliever Huston Street, who recently rehabbed with Salt Lake, told the Providence Journal.

"He looked very sharp, in command. He and I had a lot of discussions about what his plan was going to be, and he was ready to be activated to pitch somewhere. Obviously, he made the right decision."

Parker Bridwell (1-0, 3.07 ERA) is slated to make his second start in place of injured Matt Shoemaker for Los Angeles (39-39).

Shoemaker, on the disabled list with a right forearm extensor strain, has resumed throwing but is likely to miss his scheduled start next Friday.

Bridwell, a 25-year-old right-hander who the Angels elected to keep in the rotation over Fister, is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA in two prior starts this season.

His most recent came against the Yankees in New York last Tuesday, holding the Bronx Bombers to two runs, two hits and five walks with three strikeouts in five innings in his first career road start.

Bridwell did not factor into the decision, but the Angels went on to win the game 8-3.

He has never pitched at Fenway or faced the Red Sox or any of the team's active hitters.

Fister, meanwhile, is 3-3 with a 2.78 ERA in 12 career starts against the Angels. At Fenway, he is 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA in four prior starts.

"I'm definitely blessed to be here," Fister told the Orange County Register. "I'm looking forward to this opportunity."

Fister was 12-13 with a 4.64 ERA in 32 starts for the Houston Astros last season. Before that, he had a multiyear stint with the Detroit Tigers from 2011 to 2013.

Dave Dombrowski's familiarity with Fister made it an easy decision for the Red Sox's president of baseball operations to take a flyer on him.

"It gives us an established, winning pitcher who's been through postseason play, been through a pennant race," said Dombrowski, who served as Tigers president and general manager from 2002 until 2015.

Fister is 77-76 with a 3.60 ERA in 212 career games (199 starts) in eight seasons.

Albert Pujols (3-for-15, 2 RBI) and Kole Calhoun (2-for-6, one RBI) each have one home run against Fister in their careers. Ben Revere is 9-for-28 (.321) lifetime versus Fister.

Los Angeles bounced back from Friday's series-opening 9-4 loss at Fenway for a 6-3 victory on Saturday, paced by six innings of one-run ball from starter JC Ramirez.