It was a tough loss early this morning for the Boston Red Sox in the first game of their ALDS against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. A couple of blown calls by the umpires along with one bad pitch by Jon Lester to Torii Hunter was the difference in the game.
While we as Red Sox fans want to blame the crappy umpiring job by first base C.B. Bucknor and home plate umpire Joe West, we need to be realistic here. Angels starter John Lackey threw a whale of a game.
Lackey used to be the Red Sox’s bitch in the playoffs but not last night. Lackey’s stuff was nasty as he was on the mound for the first time in eleven days. He was able to keep the Red Sox hitters off balance and pitched in the 8th inning as he picked up his first win in the playoffs since his rookie season in 2002.
Lester, on all accounts, wasn’t that bad either. He matched Lackey pitch for pitch early on. But things changed for Lester in the 4th when West called a definite strike a ball. Although Lester rebounded in the inning, it really seemed to unnerve him a little in the 5th.
He allowed leadoff double to Erick Aybar, who went to third on a Chone Figgins sac bunt. After a walk to Abreu, Hunter took a fastball out over the plate and planted it in the rock pile in center. After that, Lackey settled in as he worked out of a jam in the 6th. Lackey allowed just four singles and Darren Oliver came in and finished the Red Sox off.
This was the first time since 2002 that the Red Sox had been shutout during a playoff game.
While every game is a must win game during the playoffs, tonight’s game with Josh Beckett on the mound is an important one. A win tonight would not only tie the series up but it would give the Red Sox the next two games at Fenway Park, a place where they hold a tremendous advantage over their opponents. A loss would put a lot of weight on young Clay Buchholz’ shoulders on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Sox bats will need to wake up against Jered Weaver as we saw four hits was just not enough on Thursday night. Hopefully Jacoby Ellsbury can get things going and be the tablesetter in the first inning as he has done for most of the season.
Postgame quotes from Lester [ESPN Boston]
Martinez, not ‘Tek, catching Beckett in Game 2 [Amy K. Nelson – ESPN Boston]
The new Buckner is Bucknor [Extra Bases]
Downer detritus [Clubhouse Insider]
Despite loss, Sox aren’t panicking [RedSox.com]
Ump’s calls upset Sox, Halos [RedSox.com]
Youkilis leaves it all out on the field [RedSox.com]
Francona on the Indigestion of a Game 1 Loss [Full Count]
Bard gets his feet wet [Full Count]
Bucknor comes under fire [Full Count]
A pretty good night for the Angels [Full Count]
Lester Reluctantly Tips His Cap in Defeat [Full Count]
Pedroia, Sox Frustrated in Game One [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]
Five Things We Learned: Sox Left Feeling Queasy In Defeat [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
Betting the Franchise on Beckett: Big-Game Pitcher Again in the Spotlight [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
Beckett, Red Sox Don’t Need Sentimentality, They Need Wins [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.
And if you must see what the enemy papers are saying you can check out the LA Times, Orange County Register and LA Daily News websites.
