Of Jason (Bay) and Jacoby

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Like everyone else, Jason Bay noticed how the Angels pitched him during Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series. Angels starter John Lackey struck Bay out twice on curveballs Wednesday, then pounded a poorly located fastball for a game-changing two-run homer.

The moral of the story: Expect more breaking stuff.

"I totally understand the point: You’re going to keep doing something and make a guy prove [himself]," Bay said yesterday while standing at his locker prior to the Sox’ workout. "If he’s not hitting a breaking ball, keep throwing it."

So why did Lackey throw a fastball? Well, for starters, a pitcher can’t throw the same pitch every time. As Bay noted, the problem wasn’t pitch selection as much as execution - "He threw me fastballs in my first two at-bats, he just put them in a [better] spot," Bay said – and Lackey missed location badly.

Still, the proverbial book on Bay is that he is vulnerable to breaking balls on the outer half of the plate because he can get, as he put it, "pull-happy." Bay’s best at-bat Wednesday might actually have come in the eighth inning, when he drove a Scot Shields pitch to the opposite field for a double.

Yes, it was a curve, and it at least planted a seed with the Angels that Bay made the necessary adjustment.

"Especially since I was able to drive it right field," Bay said. "I think it was set up [by the homer] on the at-bat before."

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Since we spent a fair amount of time here recently discussing the adjustments Jacoby Ellsbury has made in handling inside pitches, it is worth noting that hitting coach Dave Magadan’s assessment is quite different. Earlier this year, Ellsbury had a fairly high leg kick that Magadan believes contributed to the youngster’s problems. According to Magadan, Ellsbury’s front foot was four or five inches "off the ground" at some points, and he was starting his swing before his front foot landed.

As a result, Ellsbury could not get to inside pitches because his lower half was not stationary, leading to weaker, off-balance swings that made it far more difficult to get to inside pitches. (Try picking up a bat and swinging it while standing on your back leg.) Ellsbury is now hitting with a much smaller step, which allows hit to get his feet set and start his swing earlier.

With the exception of his bunt single, Ellsbury hit inside fastballs (with some authority) on all four of his other at-bats in Wednesday’s win, collecting three hits.

"That’s been a pitch he’s been getting to the last month of the season," said Magadan, noting the period during which Ellsbury has caught fire. "I know he keeps talking about his hands, but what I look at more than anything is where he’s got his feet. It was a big step. It was a real high kick. That means he’s got to start his swing with his foot in the air. He was using only his upper body to swing."

Not anymore.