(My Sportsbook) -- Coming off an uplifting win on a very emotional night, the Los Angeles Angels continue their roller-coaster first week of the season with this afternoon's matchup with the Boston Red Sox from Angel Stadium.

The Angels emerged victorious in their first game since the sudden and shocking death of pitcher Nick Adenhart on Friday, as Howie Kendrick and Jeff Mathis each knocked in two runs to back 6 2/3 outstanding innings from Jered Weaver in a 6-3 decision over the Red Sox in the opener of this three-game series.

Adenhart was one of three passengers killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver early Thursday morning, just hours after the 22-year-old rookie tossed six shutout innings in a 6-4 Angels loss to Oakland.

Prior to the game, the Angels paid tribute to their fallen teammate and the two victims with a moment of silence and a pregame ceremony. The team also played with a 24-man roster and wore black encircled patches with Adenhart's number above the heart of its uniforms, in addition to displaying his picture on the center-field wall.

Weaver honored Adenhart's memory with an excellent performance on the mound, as the right-hander held the struggling Red Sox to one unearned run on four hits and struck out eight batters before exiting. Scot Shields closed out the much-needed win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his first save of the season.

Boston starter Tim Wakefield was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs on six hits over six innings of work.

Jacoby Ellsbury went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored for the Red Sox, who have lost three in a row since an Opening Day win over Tampa Bay on Monday. Kevin Youkilis also finished with two hits, including an RBI single, and is batting .625 (10-for-16) through the season's first four games.

These teams were meeting for the first time since the Red Sox defeated Anaheim in four games in last year's American League Division Series. The Angels got the upper hand with Boston during the 2008 regular season, taking eight of the nine matchups in the series and winning all three games played between the clubs in Anaheim.

The still-grieving Angels will send Joe Saunders to the mound in today's tilt. The 2008 All-Star delivered a gem in his first start of 2009, limiting Oakland to just three hits over 6 2/3 innings to lead Anaheim to a 3-0 Opening Day victory on Monday.

Saunders, a 17-game winner for the Angels during last year's march to the AL West title, has enjoyed great success against the Red Sox during his five-year career. The left-hander boasts a 4-0 record with a 2.89 earned run average over six career outings versus Boston and beat the Red Sox twice in three regular-season starts last year.

The 27-year-old did struggle in an encounter with Boston during last October's ALDS, however, permitting four runs on five hits and walking four batters in a 4 2/3-inning no decision.

Boston counters with offseason addition Brad Penny, who is seeking a return to the form that earned him back-to-back All-Star honors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006 and 2007.

Penny's final season with the Dodgers was marred by a shoulder injury that limited him to 19 games and 17 starts in 2008. The burly right-hander was often ineffective when on the mound, as he struggled to a 6-9 record with a career-worst 6.27 ERA after winning 16 games in each of the previous two seasons.

The 30-year-old signed a one-year, incentive-laden contract with Boston in January and performed well during the spring, recording a 3.75 ERA in three Grapefruit League starts and issuing just one walk in 12 innings.

Penny faced the Angels five times while with the crosstown-rival Dodgers but went just 1-3 in those games, while pitching to a 4.99 ERA.