Red Sox vs. Angels: Inning-by-inning recap

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FINAL SCORE: Angels 4, Red Sox 1

The Angels take a 2-0 lead back to their personal house of horrors, Fenway Park. Worth noting: Last season, the Angels yielded 11 runs and 22 hits in their first two games against Boston in the ALDS. This year, in the first two games, they’ve allowed the Red Sox one run on eight hits.

TOP OF THE NINTH INNING (Angels 4, Red Sox 1)

Scioscia elects to let Jepsen start the ninth inning. Jepsen retires Martinez on a fly ball to center, then yields a left-center double to Youkilis. Runner on second with one out. Also known as: Brian Fuentes time. It’s Fuentes versus Ortiz. Fuentes wins this matchup, with Ortiz hitting an easy fly ball to left. Bay walks on a full-count pitch, bringing Lowell to the plate representing the tying run. Lowell flies to center and the Angels take a 2-0 series lead.

BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH INNING (Angels 4, Red Sox 1)

Abreu leads off with a single to left, prompting Red Sox Manager Terry Francona to use the bullpen again, replacing replaces Wagner with Jonathan Papelbon. Not a save situation, but Francona apparently figures Papelbon needs the work. Hunter flies to center. Angels, 2-for-2 in steal attempts tonight, go to the well again, but the Red Sox pitch out and Abreu is out at second base. Kendrick strikes out, and the Angels are three Boston out away from taking a 2-0 series lead.

TOP OF THE EIGHTH INNING (Angels 4, Red Sox 1)

Weaver strikes out Drew, Weaver`s seventh -- and last -- strikeout of the game. Jed Lowrie is announced a pinch-hitter for Gonzalez and Scioscia turns to the bullpen, summoning Darren Oliver for the second time in two games. In Game 1, Oliver retired all five hitters he faced. Here, he gets a quick strikeout of Lowrie but Ellsbury singles to deep short. Scioscia brings on another reliever, Kevin Jepsen. Pedroia grounds out to Jepsen.

BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH INNING (Angels 4, Red Sox 1)

Guerrero walks and Angel Manager Mike Scioscia has a decision to make: Leave Guerrero at first and keep his bat in the lineup or send in a pinch-runner. He opts for the latter and Howie Kendrick jogs to first to run for Guerrero. Morales lines to left. Kendrick steals second with a head-first slide. Rivera hits a sharp grounder to third for the second out. Izturis singles to center, Hendrick scores and credit Scioscia for pushing the right button.

Izturis steals second. Napoli is hit in the shoulder with a pitch. Aybar drives a pitch to deep center, landing over Ellsbury’s head and bouncing against the fence. Izturis scores and when Ellsbury has trouble tracking down the bouncing ball, Napoli scores too. Triple for Aybar and that’s all for Beckett. Billy Wagner comes in to pitch. Figgins strikes out swinging.

TOP OF THE SEVENTH INNING (Angels 1, Red Sox 1)

After Youkilis grounds to first to remain hitless in the series, Ortiz splinters his bat on a ground out to second. On a full-count pitch, Bay walks. Lowell flies to center.

BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH INNING (Angels 1, Red Sox 1)

Figgins, hitless in his first six at-bats this series, makes it 0-for-7 with a strikeout here. Abreu grounds to first. Hunter flies out to right, and Beckett completes his fourth perfect inning.

TOP OF THE SIXTH INNING (Angels 1, Red Sox 1)

Ellsbury leads off by striking out. Pedroia hits back to Weaver, who makes an soft underhand toss to Morales for the out. Martinez strikes out, and Weaver completes his fourth perfect inning.

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

Izturis is called out on strikes. Napoli flies to center. Aybar grounds to second. If Beckett has a bad back, it isn’t evident tonight.

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

Bay hits a high ball that seems no problem at first, but then it carries . . . and carries . . . and sends Hunter crashing into the fence to make the catch. TBS’ camera catches Weaver’s reaction of the play, the pitcher puffing out his cheeks in relief as Hunter finally chases the ball down. Lowell hits a less dramatic fly ball to left. Drew walks. Gonzalez strikes out.

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

Abreu opens the inning with a grounder through the left side of the infield for a single. Hunter, the home-run hero of Game 1, lines a hard drive down the left field line, sends third baseman Lowell sprawling for a quick-reflex grab that denies Hunter of more extra bases. The Angels play hit-and-run with Guerrero at-bat. They execute the play in textbook form: Guerrero grounds a single through the right side of the infield, Abreu advances to third. Morales flies to deep right, Abreu tags and scores the tying run. Rivera is retired on a ground ball to deep short.

TOP OF THE FOURTH INNING (Red Sox 1, Angels 0)

Ellsbury becomes the Red Sox’ first baserunner, driving the ball to deep center, just beyond the reach of Hunter. Ellsbury sprints into third for a stand-up triple. Pedroia hits a sharp grounder to third, Figgins holds the runner and throws across for the out. Martinez singles to center, driving in Ellsbury with the game’s first run. This news is accompanied by cheers from the crowd. It’s an oddity the Angels have learned to live with -- lots of East Coast transplants and bandwagon frontrunners in the Anaheim crowd. Youkilis hits a high fly to left-center field. With three Angels converging on it, it looks like trouble. At the last instant, Hunter moves in to make the catch. Weaver strikes out Ortiz on a high fastball to end the inning.

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

Beckett gets two more quick outs: Maicier Izturis on a fly to left and Mike Napoli on a fly to right. Erick Aybar, the Angels` No. 9 hitter, becomes the game’s first baserunner, slicing an opposite-field single to left. Graphic shows that baserunners went 15-for-18 in steal attempts against Beckett this season. Evidently, Aybar knows this. He breaks toward second as Figgins swings . . . and sends a routine fly ball to left.

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

After Mike Lowell pops to second, Weaver gets J.D. Drew to send a little roller to the right side of the mound. Weaver scoops up the ball, runs toward first base and makes the tag himself. Alex Gonzalez flies to center. Weaver couldn’t be better: Nine up, nine down.

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

Vladimir Guerrero, with just an infield single in Game 1, hits a lazy fly ball to center. Kendry Morales grounds to first. Juan Rivera strikes out. Two innings done, no baserunners yet.

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

TBS analyst Bob Brenly says body language in the postseason is crucial, and declares that Weaver looks confident by his body language. His pitching arm has the look, at least. Three more quick outs: Kevin Youkilis flies to center, David Ortiz flies to left and Jason Bay strikes out.

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

Josh Beckett,takes the mound for the Red Sox. Where he takes it, who can say? He doesn’t take long to return to the dugout, getting three quick ground-outs: Chone Figgins to short, Bobby Abreu to second (nice diving stop by Pedroia) and Torii Hunter to third.

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

One thing about TBS broadcasting all four first-round playoff games: The games tend to overlap, requiring TNT to carry the opening pitches of the later game. It happened again Friday, forcing the viewer to toggle over from TBS to TNT. If you’re watching all the playoff games, this at least qualifies as exercise. Jered Weaver is the Angels starter pitcher. He and brother Jeff, the Dodger, are on teams that are a combined 3-0 in this postseason. Weaver starts strong -- striking out Jacoby Ellsbury, getting Dustin Pedroia to ground to third and getting Victor Martinez to fly to center.

You can follow Diane Pucin’s running commentary on how TV is handling the telecast by clicking here. And you can follow the in-game box score here.