Jon Lester is not looking to mess around tonight. First pitch: 96 mph ball. Second pitch: 96 mph heater on the hands of Chone Figgins, resulting in a weak grounder to second. Lester’s increase in strength over the course of the season has been remarkable, a testament to both his exceptional work ethic, to the growing distance from the time when his recovering body could not allow him to take on weight, and to the normal physical maturation of a 24-year-old. That part almost gets lost sometimes, I think, in the Lester story: forgetting everything else about his remarkable story, he’s accomplished quite a bit at a very young age. To wit: Lester this year became just the sixth southpaw this decade to win 16 or more games before turning 24. 

Lester made second batter Garret Anderson look bad  on swing-and-miss curveballs, getting his first punchout of the night, then made quick work of three-hole hitter Mark Teixeira, blistering a few high-90s fastballs that resulted in an easy groundout to second. It took Lester all of nine pitches to get out of the first, obviously a promising sign for the Sox given the substantial workload assumed last night by their pitchers.

John Lackey, too, looked sharp in the first, needing just 10 pitches to get through the Sox in a 1-2-3 first. Lackey was just 24 when he won a World Series clincher for the Angels in Game 7 of the 2002 Fall Classic. Between these two teams, you have Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, who won World Series clinchers as 23-year-olds, and Lackey, who did the deed at 24.

It’s like making Citizen Kane with your first movie: where do you go from there? In the case of Orson Welles, I guess the answer is that you become grotesquely obese.

Beckett, however, has already produced an impressive sequel. Tonight, Lester and Lackey are wrestling for the right to do the same.

Red Sox relievers absorbed seven innings of labor in the Game 3 marathon, while their Halos counterparts produced a colossal 22 outs. It seems safe to suggest that both bullpens will have that not-so-fresh feeling today. 

Sox manager Terry Francona said that he expects everyone in his bullpen to be available. This is, after all, October, when pitchers are asked to assume a larger burden than is the case in the regular season. But clearly, some of the Sox relievers would be traveling in relatively uncharted waters if they end up pitching tonight.

Here is a breakdown of the performances by Sox relievers when pitching on back-to-back days in the regular season:

Manny Delcarmen: He pitched on back-to-back days 12 times in the regular season. Delcarmen had a 4.97 ERA in the second game, as compared to a 3.27 ERA overall. He threw 25 pitches in Game 3 of the ALDS, just shy of his season high of 30. He once pitched the day after throwing 26 pitches in a game. 

Javy Lopez: Had zero days of rest in 19 games this year, forging a 3.95 ERA (compared a 2.43 overall mark) in those games. He threw 20 pitches on Sunday. His season high for pitches was 37, and he once returned to the mound the day after throwing 25 pitches. 

Justin Masterson: Following his mid-year conversion to the bullpen, he pitched on back-to-back days just twice, and had a 5.40 ERA (compared to a 2.36 mark as a reliever). He threw just 16 pitches in Game 3, less than half of his season high as a reliever (34). He once pitched the day after throwing 12 pitches in a game. 

Hideki Okajima: He pitched in back-to-back games a dozen times, and thrived when doing so. He had a perfect 0.00 when getting zero days of rest, as compared to an overall 2.61 mark. He threw 17 pitches in Game 3, less than half of his single-game high of 35 this year. He once pitched the day after throwing 23 pitches. 

Jonathan Papelbon: The Sox closer threw without rest in 17 games this year, posting a 2.00 ERA that was slightly better than his overall 2.34 mark. He threw 31 pitches over two innings in Game 3, nearly matching his season high of 33 pitches. He once pitched the day after throwing 23 pitches this year.

The American League Division Series between the Red Sox and Angels has already featured one twist. In 2008, unlike 2004 and 2007, the Angels have actually won a game, taking Game 3 to bring the series to a 2-to-1 advantage for the Sox. Now, the question is whether another script will be followed or broken. 

Since 2003, the Sox have been in nine postseason series. All have ended either in sweeps (5) or gone the distance (4):

2003 ALDS vs. Oakland: Sox win in five
2003 ALCS vs. Yankees: Yankees win in seven
2004 ALDS vs. Angels: Sox sweep in three
2004 ALCS vs. Yankees: Sox win in seven
2004 WS vs. Cardinals: Sox sweep in four
2005 ALDS vs. White Sox: White Sox sweep in three 
2007 ALDS vs. Angels: Sox sweep in three
2007 ALCS vs. Indians: Sox win in seven
2007 WS vs. Rockies: Sox sweep in four

2008 DS vs. Angels: ???

The blank will be filled in tonight.

Click HERE for the recap. 

PAPELBON A “QUESTION MARK” FOR GAME 4

Jonathan Papelbon typically is The Answer. His presence at the end of games—especially in October, when he has pitched 19.2 scoreless innings—represents a virtual lock for the Red Sox.

But in Game 4 today, he represents an uncertainty. In Game 3, Papelbon was brilliant in firing shutout innings in both the 10^th and 11^th innings. To do so, however, he needed to throw 31 pitches, just two shy of the season high that he achieved on Sept. 28.

How does the closer feel about the idea of pitching on Monday?

“Question mark…I’m going to come to the field (Monday) to find out. We’ll see,” said Papelbon, who then asked reporters whether he had chocolate ice cream on his face.—->

“Playoffs are a whole different animal when it comes to having to be able to go in and pitch day in and day out. I feel fine. I’ll wake up in the morning and see how I feel.”

Papelbon has only pitched once before on consecutive days in the postseason. In the World Series last year, he logged 1.1 innings in Game 3 (15 pitches) and then tossed 1.2 innings (23 pitches) the following night to close out the Rockies. He made it through those outings, but he was in a state of total exhaustion afterwards.

Papelbon was merely part of a succession of zeroes put up by the Sox pen. Manny Delcarmen threw a scoreless sixth and seventh, Hideki Okajima and Justin Masterson followed with a scoreless inning each and Papelbon threw two scoreless frames of his own. Though Javy Lopez took the loss while allowing a run on three hits in the 12^th, he executed the pitches he wanted, and proved chiefly unlucky, as the Angels scored their run on a bloop hit by Erick Aybar.

“I feel like I made a good pitch. I thought the whole inning, I got groundballs like I needed to. A few got through,” said Lopez. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m excited about it. Obviously it’s frustrating. You never want to be that guy, but today I am. That’s the way it is.”

“I don’t think we could have thrown any better. (Expletive) happens. Bloop hit—(Lopez) made the pitch he wanted to,” said Papelbon. “It could have gone either way.”

The Angels bullpen was also severely taxed. Starter Joe Saunders, making his postseason debut, lasted 4.2 innings. It was the shortest start by an Angels starter since Kelvim Escobar logged just 3.1 innings in Game 2 of the 2004 ALDS. 

Jose Arredondo (28 pitches, 2 innings), Scot Shields (28 pitches, 2.1 innings) and closer Francisco Rodriguez (33 pitches, 1 inning) all experienced heavy workloads. Los Angeles recorded 7.1 shutout innings of relief. 

NAPOLI-ONIC VICTORY

Mike Napoli became the 32^nd player in Division Series history to hit multiple homers in a game, the 19^th in ALDS history. He went deep against Beckett in both the third inning, when his two-run blast erased a 3-1 deficit, and again with a solo blast in the top of the fifth.

“That was big,” said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. “Hopefully about a month from now we’ll talk about that 3-2 breaking ball that Nap hit off one of the toughest pitchers ever in a playoff environment.”

Beckett hung a full-count hook in the first homer, and then failed to get his fastball in when Napoli took him deep for the second time. Napoli’s ability to deposit both pitches above the Wall was no great surprise: he hit 20 homers in 227 at-bats this year, with his 11.4 at-bats per homer easily the best ratio in the majors.

“He’s been like that all year,” said Red Sox skipper Terry Francona. “He’s been so dangerous. So many of his hits have been home runs…Neither pitch was quite where it needed to be.”

Napoli also yanked a single through the left side of the infield to start the 12^th against Lopez. He came around to score the winning run.

LOWELL HURTING

Mike Lowell appeared almost completely immobile due to his hip labrum tear after last night’s game. In his return to the lineup, he was 0-for-4, and is now 0-for-8 on the series. He walked and was lifted for a pinch-runner in the 10^th.

Though Lowell has typically made clear that he would be available, he was far less certain after last night’s game. He had some plays that put obvious stress on his injury, most notably a diving play to his left in the eighth and a check swing in the tenth. His ability to play in Game 4 is an obvious question.

“I don’t know. We’ll see (Monday),” he said. “If my name is in the lineup tomorrow, that means yeah.”

GAME FOUR STARTERS

John Lackey returns to Fenway Park for the first time since he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning in late July. He was excellent in a Game 1 loss, allowing two runs in 6.2 innings and making but one notable mistake, a hanging fastball that Jason Bay crushed for a two-run homer.

“Honestly, I’m not planning on making too many adjustments,” said John Lackey. “I felt pretty good last time out there. I’m just out there trying to execute pitches and trying to minimize a mistake or two.”

Lackey will once again be matched up against Jon Lester, who permitted just one run in seven frames in Game 1. Lester is tuning out the fact that the Sox bullpen was heavily taxed in Game 3.

“I can’t worry about us going back to L.A. or the bullpen situation,” he said. “I just have to worry about going out and executing my pitches. That’s all I can worry about. You can’t worry about stuff you can’t control.”

Even so, the Sox would certainly like to close out the series on Monday so that they can minimize their travel and have their pitching optimally aligned in the event that they reach the Championship Series.

“Hopefully we can end it today and not take a trip over to California,” said Lowell. “I don’t think we want that.”

Javy Lopez entered the game, and let’s just say that the sidewinding southpaw has not been at his best against the Halos. The Sons of Scioscia have hit .438/.550/.688/1.238 against him this year, and Lopez’ 13.50 ERA against the Angels is his worst against any club this year. 

Mike Napoli led off and continued his monster night, grounding a single to left. The result wasn’t all that startling, particularly since Lopez permitted righties to hit .311/.365/.453/.818 against him. When Howie Kendrick followed with a sac bunt, it seemed odd not to see a pinch-runner for the sluggish catcher. (Napoli had scored after reaching first by either walk, hit or HBP just 18.2 percent of the time this year–less than half the frequency with which Jacoby Ellsbury did so.)

Yet the absence of a pinch-runner became irrelevant when Erick Aybar (another right-hander) dunked an 0-2 changeup into very shallow center for a single. The ball was hit so softly and was so far in front of centerfielder Coco Crisp that Napoli had no problem scoring. 

Lopez came back to strike out Chone Figgins (lefties hit just .182 with a .587 OPS against Lopez this year) before Garret Anderson grounded a soft single to right. Mark Teixeira then followed with a forceout, but the damage (of the dink-and-dunk sort) had been done. Lopez, it might be noted, now has a 13.50 ERA in four postseason appearances. 

David Ortiz started the bottom of the 12th for the Sox. Jered Weaver does not like Ortiz, both for the fact that the slugger once pimped after a longball he blasted against Weaver last August, and because Ortiz has made a pinata of the Angels pitcher. His line: 7-for-15, .467/.556/.933/1.489. All in the park were shocked, shocked! to see Weaver pitch around Ortiz, issuing the slugger’s third walk of the night. 

Another Weaver nemesis, Kevin Youkilis, was up next. Youkilis is a career .294 hitter with a 1.015 OPS and two homers against the side-winding Angel in the regular season. But the Romanian God of, I don’t know, Moneyball or something, flied harmlessly to mid-center, bringing Jason Bay to the dish.

Bay had never before faced Weaver, and seemed to have trouble picking up the ball against the right-hander with an uber-funky delivery. No shame in that: Weaver has held righties to a .242 average and .662 OPS in his career. 

Alex Cora nearly became a hero, but his smash down the third-base line was plucked by Chone Figgins, who threw to first for the final out. 

Angels 5, Red Sox 4. 

There will be a Game 4.

Jonathan Papelbon is still in, and still strong. His fastball remains in the high-90s, and he’s complementing that with a swing-and-miss split. He fanned Garret Anderson to start the inning, matching his postseason high (achieved in Game 1 of the ALDS) with three strikeouts in an appearance. 

Even so, in the Anderson at-bat, he needed to labor a bit more, having worked to a full count, and then doing the same against Mark Teixeira before walking the Angels’ best hitter. Vlad Guerrero then pounded a four-hopper straight up the middle, a shining example of the ideology of “Wee” Willie Keeler. “Hit ‘em Where They Ain’t!” 

That put runners on first and second, and left Papelbon to continue elevating his pitch count. He got Torii Hunter to fly to right, and then blew a 96 mph fastball past Gary Matthews to end the inning, but he needed 32 pitches to get through his two-inning stint. Papelbon threw no more than 33 pitches in an outing in the regular season, and so if this series does get extended to a fourth game, it will be interesting to see whether Papelbon is available. 

This is, incidentally, the 15th time this year that Papelbon has worked with backup catcher Kevin Cash, who entered the game after Jason Varitek was lifted for a pinch-hitter. Opponents hit .236 with Cash behind the dish, versus .220 in 54 games with Varitek calling signals: a statistically insignificant distinction, considering the sample sizes.

Jonathan Papelbon was brought on to steer the Sox into their first extra-inning postseason contest since Game 2 of last year’s ALCS. This year, the Sox were an impressive 8-3 in extra-inning games, while the Angels were 3-5. 

Use the heater, Ricky!

Papelbon’s fastball appears atomic. He’s been pouring 97-98 mph gas on the Angels, and blitzed through a tenth inning in which he needed just 10 pitches to record a first-pitch groundout and a pair of strikeouts against Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins. 

Just as was the case in Game 2, it is now a mano-a-mano between the two teams’ closers, as Francisco Rodriguez has entered for the bottom of the tenth. As we mentioned about four hours ago, Rodriguez has been little short of kindling against the Red Sox. Rodriguez pitched twice in extras this year, recording shutout innings both times. 

K-Rod, who appears to be taking an off-speed heavy approach through his first few pitches, dispatched Dustin Pedroia with four pitches, finishing the Red Sox spark plug with a changeup. 

David Ortiz followed, as unwelcome a sight as one can imagine in a walk-off situation. There have been 103 walk-off hits in playoff history, and Ortiz is the only man with three of them. Rodriguez pitches accordingly, living on the edges of the plate, refusing to give in and ultimately permitting Ortiz an eight-pitch walk. 

Kevin Youkilis then followed by lining a single to center, in front of Angels centerfielder Torii Hunter, who was playing at a no-doubles depth. That put runners on first and second for Jason Bay.

The moment was, of course, reminiscent of a year ago, when Rodriguez faced Manny Ramirez with two on in the ninth inning of ALDS Game 2 at Fenway Park. Ramirez went all Roy Hobbs on the baseball. Now, the man who replaced him had an opportunity to do the same. 

Things didn’t quite work out in that scripted fashion: Bay struck out on a slider. That brought the immobile Mike Lowell to the plate.

Rodriguez elevated the first pitch of the at-bat, and mid-90s fastball that prompted Lowell to check his swing with a grimace. As Lowell has pointed out, while swinging feels fine, the effort of checking his swing has not been a problem. Rodriguez missed with his next pitch, falling behind 2-0, before pouring in a slider for a strike. The Angels closer then missed with a curve to fall behind 3-1.

Rodriguez kept throwing junk, throwing a slider to Lowell for a check-swing that was called a strike (even though replays suggested otherwise). the count full, Lowell fouled off another slider. But Rodriguez just missed with a full-count fastball, loading the bases for Jed Lowrie.

Rodriguez, exasperated (he threw his arms up at the sky in disbelief after the Lowell walk), lost the strike zone for a moment, and fell behind Lowrie 2-0. But he came back with a 92 mph fastball for a called strike, and Lowrie then lined the next pitch to right for the third out of the season.

Rodriguez threw 33 pitches in the inning, his highest total of 2008. With Jered Weaver warming, it seems like the Angels closer might be done for the game, and, perhaps as a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim…