The capacity crowd had come to the ballpark expecting to see Daisuke Matsuzaka on the mound. Instead they got Lester a day early, and perhaps the feeling that a surgical mask might be of more help around Fenway than a glove to catch a foul ball.
"We're going to have to weather this," manager Terry Francona said. "We have some issues the next few days for sure. We're just trying to get hold of this. Getting on a plane [today, to Tampa] is not going to be the best thing for our team. They're not going to let us not do that. We'll just continue to do the best we can.
"We're kind of fighting this as it comes, I mean, it seems to grab somebody different every day. Doctors are doing what they can. Everybody's trying to heed the best advice and also win a game at the same time."
After everything that has transpired recently - from Mike Lowell and Alex Cora going on the disabled list to the illnesses of Jason Varitek and Josh Beckett and Matsuzaka to the back twinge that kept Kevin Youkilis out of last night's game - the Sox had still won six straight. Most of them in the late innings.
Over the last four games, the Sox had scored the winning run in the eighth inning three times. Last night, with the Sox trailing, 5-4, in the eighth, Sean Casey stroked a one-out single to left. Julio Lugo then reached on an infield single when Angels shortstop Erick Aybar couldn't connect with second baseman Maicer Izturis in trying to erase the lead runner.
There were two on and one out. But Jed Lowrie grounded to second, resulting in a double play and ending the Sox' last threat. The Angels tacked on another run in the top of the ninth, making it a two-run game, and Francisco Rodriguez wiped out the Sox in the ninth in 10 pitches.
Craig Hansen, making his first major league appearance since 2006, gave up a go-ahead solo home run to Casey Kotchman in the sixth on an arrow-straight fastball that was supposed to be inside. Hansen was optioned back to Pawtucket after the game to make room for today's starter, Justin Masterson, called up from Double A Portland to make his big league debut.
