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Kotchman, Matthews power Angels over Red Sox

Apr 24, 2008 - 4:49 AM By Mike Petraglia PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Injuries and illness finally caught up to the Boston Red Sox.

Gary Matthews Jr. homered twice, including career No. 100, and Casey Kotchman delivered the go-ahead run with a solo homer as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim beat the Red Sox, 6-4, on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.

The loss snapped Boston's six-game winning streak.

"I think it's a good game for us," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "The way we got it, too. The bullpen got some big outs for us."

One night after Josh Beckett had to miss his start with a stiff neck, Daisuke Matsuzaka was the second Red Sox starter to be scratched in as many nights.

"Daisuke alerted us that he was feeling it and it rapidly got worse, which has been happening," Red Sox manager Terry Francona explained. "That start wasn't happening. He saw the doctor and (he) sent him home with medication."

Thursday's scheduled starter, Jon Lester, was moved up one game as an emergency starter. Jason Varitek (flu), Kevin Youkilis (back) and Manny Delcarmen (sick) also were unavailable for the game.

Lester was tagged for one run and two hits in each of the first three innings as the Angels jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Matthews opened up his big night with a solo shot off Lester in the first, cracking a 1-1 pitch well over the "Green Monster" and out of the park.

The Red Sox scored single runs in the second and the third on an RBI single by Julio Lugo and Dustin Pedroia's sacrifice fly, cutting the lead to 3-2.

But Lester yielded another run in the fifth when Matthews connected for his second solo homer of the night and fourth of the season, putting Los Angeles up, 4-2.

Lester allowed nine hits and four runs over five innings, walking two and striking out one.

"He stepped up and we made sure he knew that," Francona said. "I don't think he was happy with the results because we didn't win but he gave us five innings. When he left it's 4-4 and we had a chance."

David Ortiz quickly pulled Boston even, lining the first pitch he saw from Jon Garland in the fifth into the first row of grandstand seats with Pedroia aboard to knot the game at 4-4.

Garland (3-2) recovered to pitch a scoreless sixth before giving way to the Angels bullpen. The righthander allowed eight hits and four runs over six innings, walking two and striking out one.

Craig Hansen (0-1), called up from Class AAA Pawtucket earlier in the day to deepen a pitching staff ravaged by a flu-like bug running through the clubhouse, started impressively by quickly retiring the first two batters of the sixth.

But Kotchman connected for a long home run into the Red Sox bullpen in right-center.

"If you look at Kotchman and our two catchers and (Erick) Aybar really are perfect examples," Matthews said. " It's kind of contagious and it's created a pretty competitive atmosphere for the younger players."

The first baseman's second homer in as many nights put the Angels up, 5-4.

"Once I let it go I knew I was guiding it," added Hansen. "And when you guide stuff, that's when you get hurt."

Hansen was optioned back to Pawtucket following the game to make room for Justin Masterson, who will make his major league debut Thursday afternoon, filling the slot originally held by Lester.

"It felt like I had a debut all over again," Hansen said. "It was great to go back out there and great to be back in Boston, at least for the day anyway. I enjoyed every minute of it."

Justin Speier pitched a scoreless seventh and Scot Shields worked out of a first-and-second jam in the eighth when Jed Lowrie hit into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play.

"I got a pitch out over the plate," Lowrie said. "I got around it a little bit and hit it right at him. It's one of those pitches if I had back I'd probably try to stay a little bit more up the middle, maybe go the other way with. I hit it hard and sometimes those are the breaks of the game, right at the guy and they turn two."

Francisco Rodriguez pitched a scoreless ninth for his eighth save.

"Our bullpen's always picking us up," Matthews said. "It's rare if those guys let us down. It seems like if we can get to that seventh inning we can usually get the job done. Sometimes we make it interesting but it still gets done and tonight was business as usual."