Team sends strong signal

BOSTON -- Mike Scioscia downplayed the significance of the Angels’ recent dominance over the Boston Red Sox, saying “nothing that happens during the regular season is going to affect what happens later on,” but it’s getting impossible to ignore.

The Angels are 8-1 against Boston this season after shredding Red Sox ace Josh Beckett for eight runs -- seven earned -- and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings Wednesday night.

Though the Angels were swept by Boston in the 2004 and 2007 division series, they have outscored the Red Sox, 42-17, in home and road sweeps this season, becoming the first Angels team to accomplish the feat.

“Any time you sweep a team like this, it’s a huge confidence-builder,” said pitcher Joe Saunders, who improved to 4-0 with a 2.89 earned-run average in six career starts against Boston and 3-0 with a 2.75 ERA in four Fenway Park starts. “You have to be impressed with the way we swung the bats.”

They racked up 16 hits Wednesday and are batting .289 and averaging 6.2 runs per game this month after hitting .242 and averaging 3.7 runs in May and June. They have 33 homers in 24 games in July.

“It means a lot to sweep these guys twice,” center fielder Torii Hunter said. “I’m glad to be part of history.”

New kid off the block

Mark Teixeira went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his Angels debut, but still called it “a great night -- not for me, personally, but we swung the bats very well against a very good pitcher.”

Traded from struggling Atlanta to the first-place Angels, Teixeira said he feels like he has stepped into something special.

“This is a great team with a good lineup,” Teixeira said. “I just want to be a small piece of it.”

But for how long? Teixeira, who will live temporarily in agent Scott Boras’ guest house, will be a free agent this winter and will command a sizable contract. The next two months will be used, in part, to determine whether he wants to remain in Anaheim.

“It will be in the back of my mind,” said Teixeira, who has never reached the playoffs, “but I hope you guys believe me when I say my No. 1 goal is to win here. If I do my job on the field, contracts will take care of themselves.”

Boras said Teixeira is focused on winning a championship.

“He has an opportunity to be on a playoff team and a very strong possibility of playing in the World Series,” Boras said. “As far as the future . . . that won’t be a discussion until long into the off-season.”

Short hops

With four hits and four runs batted in Wednesday, Garret Anderson is batting .358 (29 for 81) with five homers and 22 RBIs in July. . . . Angels prospect Tommy Mendoza, who is 4-12 with a 4.73 ERA at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, received a 50-game suspension for testing positive for amphetamines.

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Staff writer Bill Shaikin contributed to this report.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com