Francona would like to come back with Lester in Game 4

By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff  |  October 10, 2009

ANAHEIM, Calif. - After the Red Sox dropped Game 1 to the Angels Thursday night, Jon Lester, who was tagged with the loss, said he couldn’t wait to get back on the mound. He might get that chance sooner than anticipated.

As the Sox had hinted when they made the decision to pick Lester over Josh Beckett for the first game of the series, the team is focused on bringing back Lester for a potential Game 4 Monday in Boston. That would mean Lester pitching on three days’ rest. Lester has pitched on short rest only once in his career, allowing four runs (including two homers) over five innings last season.

“Once we get through tonight, he may throw a side tomorrow [at Fenway],’’ manager Terry Francona said last night before the Angels took Game 2 with a 4-1 win. “There’s a decent chance. He threw 100 pitches. I think we’d like to bring him back.

“Again, getting ahead of myself, but that would allow Beckett to pitch Game 5. That’s what we’re hoping to do. If not, we’ll throw Daisuke [Matsuzaka].

“That was kind of the thinking all along, but we have to leave it open for some flexibility to make sure everyone can do it.’’

As he was in Game 1, Matsuzaka was available out of the bullpen last night. Matsuzaka went 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts since coming off the disabled list in September.

With Beckett going last night, he could come back in Game 5 on regular rest. Clay Buchholz is slated to start tomorrow’s Game 3 at Fenway.

Lester allowed three runs, all on a Torii Hunter homer, over six innings in Game 1.

“I’m thinking toward my next start,’’ Lester said afterward. “Hopefully get back up on the hill as soon as possible. Whenever that is, Tito will let me know. We’ll prepare and get going. I’d like another shot at them, and hopefully Josh and Clay can pick me up and I can have another shot.’’

In the middle of the game-deciding seventh inning, following Maicer Izturis’s go-ahead single, Beckett hit Mike Napoli with a curveball on the back of the shoulder. The hit-by-pitch opened the door for Erick Aybar’s two-run triple that broke the game open.

After the pitch to Napoli, Beckett barked at home plate umpire CB Bucknor.

“It was a curveball,’’ Beckett said. “I didn’t feel like it was going to hit him unless he leaned into it. . . . Doesn’t really matter when the umpire doesn’t even listen to you.’’

The way Mike Lowell has been playing defense over the first two games, it appears that he has forgotten about his surgically repair hip. Lowell has reverted to his old self defensively, appearing a step quicker, his reactions sharpened.

“My hip feels better than its ever been,’’ Lowell said. “I don’t know if it’s the weather here or whatever, I feel like have a more explosive first step than I’ve been used to. That feels good. I can’t complain about that.’’

Lowell made an outstanding stab of a Hunter line drive in the fourth inning on an excellent reaction pick. He made another nice play on a ball hit by Juan Rivera in the seventh.

“I thought he broke my hand for a second,’’ Lowell said. “I just wanted to get in front of it. It worked out good, but yeah those routine two-hoppers, I kind of welcome those a little bit more. They can slow down a little bit.’’

Lowell, never one to turn down an opportunity to mockingly boast about himself, said of the Hunter play, “I’m kind of an elite athlete. No, that’s a step and a dive, and you hope it falls in. It’s a really good feeling when it does.’’

Lowell was shaking his hand on the Rivera play. He said he thought he just popped a blood vessel in his fingers. It was a little swollen, but he said it wasn’t anything significant.

Victor Martinez got the start last night behind the plate, as the Sox went with the same lineup for the second straight day. Despite the fact that Beckett has been clear he is more comfortable with Jason Varitek as his catcher, the Sox went with the offensive production of Lowell over Varitek. Francona said that because Lowell came in 5 for 16 (.313) against Jered Weaver, they hadn’t considered playing Varitek. As Francona said, “Didn’t think that makes us a better team.’’

Francona said Varitek approached him at the end of the regular season. “You know, it was actually more from his side of it,’’ said Francona. “He was kind of telling me not to tiptoe around it. Maybe I was. He goes, ‘Hey, just tell me. I’m a big boy.’ I think that really helped me. He’s been terrific. He tries to do anything in his power to help us win.

“He’s got a ‘C’ on his chest. He earned that and he hasn’t unearned it. Just, he’s not playing as much for various reasons. We’re always trying to do what we think is right, but that doesn’t take away anything that he has brought to our team.’’

“Jason is our captain, man,’’ said David Ortiz. “Jason’s been here for years. It’s kind of weird [not to] see him behind the plate. But we’ve got Victor coming in, doing a good job, making our lineup better. So, you know, it’s a tough situation for Tek, Victor, Terry, the team. I don’t know. But it looks different when he’s not out there playing like I’ve been watching in the past seven, eight years.’’

Francona, who missed the introductions before Game 1 because of food poisoning, was feeling better yesterday, though he had a headache before the game. He had been able to eat only a banana and some saltine crackers. “I feel better. I don’t feel like jogging,’’ he said. Francona blamed his illness on a combination of Del Taco and sushi, menu choices he clearly paid for. “I was kind of telling myself I was OK, and I wasn’t,’’ he said. “I was going down fast. I was really sick. I was like violently sick. Guys out in the clubhouse could hear it. It was awful. Just couldn’t stop getting sick.’’ Francona sent bench coach Brad Mills to meet with the umpires before the game, and laid down in his office until the final minute . . . Ortiz was asked about Francona telling him earlier in the year not to look at his batting average. Did he take that advice? “No, I didn’t,’’ Ortiz said, laughing. “It’s on the board every day. No way you’re going to stop looking at it.’’ He added later, “This might be one of the seasons that I learned the most about the game. I’m the kind of guy that I take things with me and analyze it in the offseason, and go through it and try to get the best benefit out of it. I still don’t know what happened the first two months. But I figured things out at one point. It wasn’t even that I was trying to do something different, because I try everything. I was about to start hitting righthanded, just to see if things change.’’ Ortiz finished the regular season with 28 homers and 99 RBIs, though he hit just .238, his lowest batting average since he hit .234 in 2001 in limited duty with the Twins.

Because of tomorrow’s BAA Half Marathon, the area around Fenway Park will be affected. Game 3 is set for 12:07 p.m., with the race slated to begin at 8 a.m. With the race’s start and finish (Roberto Clemente Field) close to the park, there will be road closures and parking restrictions . . . The San Diego Padres have expressed interest in Sox assistant general manager Jed Hoyer for their GM opening. While Hoyer issued a “no comment,’’ a source close to the situation said Hoyer would have interest. It is not known how far along the Padres are with their search, or how far along Hoyer might be in the process . . . The Sox were scheduled to fly to Boston immediately after last night’s game. The plan is to not have a workout at Fenway today, with a few players heading to the park for media access. Lester could be the only player working out, if he does indeed throw a side session . . . Francona was asked about the Sox’ defense in Game 1, in which they made an uncharacteristic three errors. “It was a weird game,’’ Francona said. “Because, you looked on the scoreboard, there were some errors. [Alex Gonzalez’s] play was a great play. CB [Bucknor] made an error.’’

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.