Angels vs. Red Sox live inning-by-inning updates of Game 3

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FINAL SCORE: Angels 7, Red Sox 6

The Angels began this series with a 1-9 record against the Red Sox in playoff games since 2004. Now they are 4-9, victory No. 4 becoming one of the most important in their history. Angels return to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2005. And the Red Sox? Get ready for an angst-ridden week or two on Boston sports talk radio.

BOTTOM OF THE NINTH INNING (Angels 7, Red Sox 6)

Brian Fuentes now pitching for the Angels. Jed Lowrie pinch-hits for Gonzalez and flies out to center. Ellsbury fouls out to the catcher. Incredibly, the Angels are one out away from sweeping the Red Sox out of the playoffs at Fenway Park. Pedroia hits a soft fly ball that Aybar, racing back and to his left, catches. The Angels, after so many tries, finally conquer the Green Monster.

TOP OF THE NINTH INNING (Angels 7, Red Sox 6)

Izturis fouls to the catcher. Gary Matthews pinch-hits for Napoli and flies out to center. Aybar lines an 0-2 pitch to center for a single, bringing Figgins to the plate representing the tying run. Figgins is 0-for-7 in his career against Papelbon. Figgins walks on a full-count pitch. Good speed on the bases with Aybar and Figgins. Abreu pounds the ball off the Green Monster for a double, Aybar scoring and Figgins reaching third. Hunter is walked intentionally to load the bases . . . for Guerrero. It is a move that will be second-guessed by Boston fans for awhile. Guerrero singles to center, scoring both Figgins and Abreu, Hunter stopping at second. Angels, somewhat amazingly, now lead, 7-6. Papelbon, yielding three runs after two outs? The Angels, not shrinking from their history at Fenway? That’s all for Papelbon, as Francona calls on Hideki Okajima. Morales flies to left.

BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH INNING (Red Sox 6, Angels 4)

Kevin Jepsen replaces Bulger as the Angels’ pitcher. Youkilis hits a sharp infield grounder. Aybar sprints over to field it, bobbles it but recovers in time to make a strong throw to first for the out. Bay strikes out. Ortiz singles to center, then gives way to pinch-runner Joey Gathright. Gathright breaks for second, Jepsen pitches out, but Gathright still bets Napoli’s throw. Lowell drills the ball down the right field line, scoring Gathright for an insurance run. Brian Anderson pinch-runs for Lowell. Darren Oliver replaces Jepsen. Drew flies to left.

TOP OF THE EIGHTH INNING (Red Sox 5, Angels 4)

Billy Wagner now pitching for the Red Sox. Abreu chops the ball toward firstman Youkilis. Youkilis gets his glove on it but that’s all. Youkilis knocks the ball into the photographers well next to the Red Sox dugout. Result: Ground-rule double for Abreu. Hunter strikes out looking. Guerrero, with no extra-base hits in this series, walks to bring the tying run to the plate in Morales. Morales, who homered for the Angels’ first run in the fourth inning, hits a hard grounder to second. Pedroia scrambles to knock down the ball and finally grabs it and throws to first for the second out of the inning. Hunter advances to third and Guerrero moves to second. Jonathan Papelbon replaces Wagner. Rivera is up next. Rivera is 0-for-8 in his career against Papelbon. Make it 1-for-9 as Rivera singles to right-center, deep enough to score both Hunter and Guerrero. Suddenly, it’s a one-run game. These Angels, unlike previous teams, aren’t flinching at the thought of playing at Fenway Park. Reggie Willits pinch-runs for Rivera -- and is picked off by Papelbon for the third out of the inning.

BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH INNING (Red Sox 5, Angels 2)

Jason Bulger now pitching for the Angels. Making his postseason debut, Bulger gets Gonzalez to ground to third. Ellsbury grounds to first. Pedroia walks. Martinez strikes out.

TOP OF THE SEVENTH INNING (Red Sox 5, Angels 2)

Napoli leads off by striking out. Aybar grounds to second. Figgins, 0-for-11 for the series, makes it 0-for-12 as he is called out on strikes.

BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH INNING (Red Sox 5, Angels 2)

With one out, Ortiz steps to the plate, which means the Angels take their assigned positions in the Ortiz Shift. Shortstop Aybar, standing on the right side of second base, fields Ortiz’ grounder and throws to first for the out. Lowell walks. Drew grounds to first.

TOP OF THE SIXTH INNING (Red Sox 5, Angels 2)

Down by four runs, the Angels need baserunners. Hunter tries a first-pitch bunt but fouls it off. One pitch later, Hunter swings away -- and lines a double to left. Buchholz is called for balk as he turns in an attempt to pick off Hunter. Hunter is awarded third base. Guerrero up with a runner at third and nobody out. Guerrero enjoys these situations. He hits a hard grounder that third baseman Lowell dives to stop. It should be enough to bring Hunter home, but Hunter hesitates. As the ball bounces to shortstop Gonzalez, Hunter’s mistake becomes more pronounced. Runners at first and third with no outs. Morales walks on four pitches, loading the bases. That’s it for Buchholz. Francona calls for Daniel Bard to get the Red Sox out of the jam. Television graphic shows that the Angels are one of two teams that did not hit a grand slam during the regular season. It doesn’t happen here. Rivera hits a broken-bat grounder to third to start a 5-4-3 double play. Hunter scores and Guerrero takes third on the play. Izturis pops to short.

BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH INNING (Red Sox 5, Angels 1)

Pedroia grounds to short. Martinez flies to right. Youkilis flies to center. Kazmir logs his second 1-2-3 inning of the game.

TOP OF THE FIFTH INNING (Red Sox 5, Angels 1)

Napoli drills a grounder down the left field line for a leadoff double. Aybar and Figgins strike out looking. Abreu hits a routine fly to center and Napoli is left stranded at second.

BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH INNING (Red Sox 5, Angels 1)

Ortiz flies to right. Lowell ricochets the ball high off the left field wall, robbing him of a home run, leaving him at first base with a long single. The Monster giveth, the Monster taketh away. Drew avoids the same fate, driving the ball to deep straight-away center field. Result: Two-run home run. Gonzalez pops to second. Ellsbury hits a broken-bat grounder back to Kazmir for the third out.

TOP OF THE FOURTH INNING (Red Sox 3, Angels 1)

After Guerrero grounds to short, TBS announcers Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez begin talking about how nervous Buchholz must be, making his first postseason start ‘in a do-or-die’ situation. Seconds later, Morales hits a home run to right field. Blame it on postseason nerves. Buchholz settles down quickly as Rivera grounds to third and Izturis pops to short.

BOTTOM OF THE THIRD INNING (Red Sox 3, Angels 0)

J.D. Drew drives the ball to the warning track in left, Rivera is there to make the catch only feet away from the Green Monster. Alex Gonzalez walks to become Boston’s second baserunner of the game. Ellsbury slices an opposite-field grounder through the left side of the infield for a single, Gonzalez stopping at second. Pedroia bangs the ball off the Monster, scoring both Gonzalez and Ellsbury, with Ellsbury just beating Aybar’s throw to the plate. Red Sox lead, 2-0. It’s their second lead of the series. Martinez short-hops the Monster, bouncing the ball off the AL East standings on the left field wall. Pedroia scores and Martinez holds at first. Kazmir finally gets out of the inning by retiring Youkilis (center) and Bay (left) on fly balls.

TOP OF THE THIRD INNING (Angels 0, Red Sox 0)

Figgins, hitless in this series so far, is out on a chopper to second base. Abreu hits a dangerous fly ball into the gap in right-center field, potential for extra bases. Ellsbury, however, races over and dives to pull in the ball. Sensational catch. Hunter flies to left.

BOTTOM OF THE SECOND INNING (Angels 0, Red Sox 0)

Kevin Youkilis hits a long, high fly down the left field line that worries the Angels, before it falls several feet foul. Kazmir then proceeds to strikes Youkilis. Jason Bay walks. Ortiz flies to left. Mike Lowell, 0-for-7 during the first two games of this season, makes it 0-for-8 by flying out to center.

TOP OF THE SECOND INNING (Angels 0, Red Sox 0)

With one out, Juan Rivera singles to center. With Macier Izturis at bat, Rivera steals second as Izturis strikes out. Ellsbury hits Mike Napoli in the hand with a pitch. Catcher Martinez and Red Sox Manager Terry Francona immediately protest, claiming the pitch hit the knob of Napoli’s bat. Their arguments go no where, and Napoli goes to first base. Aybar grounds to second.

BOTTOM OF THE FIRST INNING (Angels 0, Red Sox 0)

Scott Kazmir is new to the Angels-Red Sox rivalry, and good for him. The Angels’ starting pitcher retires the Red Sox in order: Jacoby Ellsbury on a fly to left, Dustin Pedroia on a grounder to third, Victor Martinez on a fly to right.

TOP OF THE FIRST INNING (Angels 0, Red Sox 0)

The Angels take a 2-0 series lead to Boston . . . and veteran Angels watchers can tell you what happened the last time the team took a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five playoff series. Milwaukee. 1982. Younger fans, you don’t want to know what happened next, trust me. Chone Figgins digs in, the first Angel to face the Green Monster and all the other assorted horrors that Fenway Park brings to games involving the Angels. Figgins flies to left. Bobby Abreu singles to center, then takes second on a bad pickoff throw by Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz. There he stays as Torii Hunter flies to center and Vladimir Guerrero grounds to second.

You can catch Diane Pucin’s running commentary of how TBS is handling the broadcast here.