The Red Sox prevented John Lackey from throwing a no-hitter with two outs to go last night. The good news stopped there. The bad news kept coming.
In the aftermath of a 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, the Red Sox were as sullen as they were disappointed with themselves. The Sox recognized the cold reality that they had just played an inferior brand of baseball in front of a superior team that earlier in the day probably got substantially better by trading for Mark Teixeira. Getting un-whupped is going to take some work for a team that has lost seven in a row to Los Angeles, and has lost the first two series of a homestand in which they have won one game in five tries against the New York Yankees and an Angels team with the best record in baseball.
Manny Ramirez did his already suffering popularity ratings no favors in the seventh inning when he reminded nobody of U.S. Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay after hitting a high chopper to Angels third baseman Chone Figgins. The long throw from Figgins was high and first baseman Robb Quinlan was forced to leap off the bag to snare it. Ramirez, however, had not quite reached the bag, so Quinlan had time to come down for the out. It could be that the tendinitis Ramirez has in either his right or left knee, or both, slowed him down some, but the boos from the crowd did not sound real sympathetic to such a theory.
Clay Buchholz (2-6) was unable to keep up with Lackey (9-2) as the Angels right-hander approached the Sox starter’s magical no-hit night at Fenway less than a year ago. Buchholz gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Nation Notes: David Aardsma, who has been on the disabled list since July 20 (retroactive to July 19) with a right groin strain, threw a side session yesterday at 85-90 percent, and is scheduled to throw another Friday. Julio Lugo is unlikely to go on the upcoming trip to Kansas City and Chicago, likely staying in Boston. Lugo has been rehabilitating in water to focus on non-weight-bearing activities. His left quadriceps tear is not ready for baseball activities.
