ALDS1: Angels 5, Red Sox 0

Red Sox - 000 000 000 - 0  4  3
Angels  - 000 030 20x - 5  7  1

Torii Hunter's three run home run in the fifth was all Jon Lackey (7.1-4-0-1-4, 114) and the Angels needed in Game 1.

Boston could get nothing going with the bats. Lackey retired the first eight before a single by Alex Gonzalez and an error on catcher's interference with Jacoby Ellsbury put runners at first and second. But Dustin Pedroia flew out to right to end the inning.

A leadoff single by Jason Bay in the fifth was immediately wiped out by a double play grounder from Mike Lowell. With two outs in the sixth, Pedroia singled and Victor Martinez walked. Lackey fell behind Kevin Youkilis 3-0, but battled back and got out of trouble with a fielder's choice grounder. J.D. Drew began the eighth with a single and went to second on a wild pitch, but Gonzalez, Ellsbury and Pedroia could not move him any farther.

The Angels scored twice in the seventh off Ramon Ramirez and Takashi Saito. It was a strange inning that featured Juan Rivera grounding into a double play, but reaching first safely. The bases were loaded and the play went 5-2-5. The inning ended when Drew threw out Kendry Morales at the plate.

The game was also marked by horrible umpiring. CB Bucknor blew two obvious calls at first base -- one with the runner 4-5 feet from the bag -- both against the Red Sox with Howie Kendrick running, though they both happened in innings in which Los Angeles did not score. The Angels also got burned a few times, including the second out of that 5-2-5 DP. The catcher's interference call by Joe West was also strange.

Lineups:

Red Sox                 Angels
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF     Chone Figgins, 3B
Dustin Pedroia, 2B      Bobby Abreu, RF
Victor Martinez, C      Torii Hunter, CF
Kevin Youkilis, 1B      Vladimir Guerrero, DH
David Ortiz, DH         Juan Rivera, LF
Jason Bay, LF           Kendry Morales, 1B
Mike Lowell, 3B         Howie Kendrick, 2B
J.D. Drew, RF           Jeff Mathis, C
Alex Gonzalez, SS       Erick Aybar, SS

Jon Lester (3.41, 139 ERA+) / John Lackey (3.83, 119 ERA+)

Here we go!

While it's great to hear another team deal with endless questions about a seeming inability to beat a certain opponent -- Torii Hunter: "There ain't no team in my head" -- the fact that the Red Sox have beaten the Angels in nine of their last 10 LDS games means little to the series that begins tonight.

Lester thinks there may be an "added confidence. I wouldn't say that in an arrogant way, but we know we've played this team well, and they play us tough."

With Rocco Baldelli "feeling minimally better" yesterday, it seems likely that Brian Anderson will take his spot as an extra outfielder. If so [Update: it's so], this is the Red Sox roster:

Pitchers                Lineup/Bench
Jon Lester              Victor Martinez
Josh Beckett            Kevin Youkilis
Clay Buchholz           Dustin Pedroia
Daisuke Matsuzaka       Alex Gonzalez
                        Mike Lowell
Jonathan Papelbon       Jason Bay
Hideki Okajima          Jacoby Ellsbury
Daniel Bard             J.D. Drew
Ramon Ramirez           David Ortiz
Billy Wagner            
Takashi Saito           Jason Varitek
Paul Byrd               Jed Lowrie
                        Casey Kotchman
                        Joey Gathright
                        Brian Anderson

Theo Epstein:

I'm filled with a lot of anticipation, more than anything else. There's not a lot we can do at this point. ... [W]e're watching the fates unwind.

Joy of Sox poll:

Also tonight: the Whine-A-Thon Begins!

P.S.:

Rockies (0)/Phillies (1) - Game 2 at 2:30
Cardinals (0)/Dodgers (1) - Game 2 at 6:00