The Boston Red Sox handed the Los Angeles Angels a 5-2 defeat on Friday night at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, picking up a road victory to open what figures to be a pivotal holiday-weekend series in Southern California.

Boston controlled the contest from start to finish, building enough of a cushion that the Angels were unable to mount a meaningful comeback. The final margin of three runs told the story of a game in which the Red Sox were the more composed and efficient club throughout the evening.

The Angels, playing in front of their home crowd heading into the Fourth of July weekend, could not generate the offensive production necessary to keep pace. Their two-run output left them chasing Boston for much of the night, and the deficit proved too steep to overcome against a Red Sox club that managed its lead with confidence.

Boston’s pitching staff deserves credit for keeping Anaheim’s lineup in check, limiting the Angels to just a pair of runs while the Red Sox offense did enough damage to make the outcome feel comfortable well before the final out was recorded.

The Red Sox improve with the win and will look to build on this performance as the series continues through the holiday weekend. For the Angels, the loss is a setback at home — a venue where they will need to find answers if they hope to salvage the remaining games of this set against a Boston club that showed it can win on the road.

Both clubs return to action Saturday afternoon as the series continues at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.