Tough Loss to Take for Terry Francona Against the Angels

The Red Sox were on the verge of demoralizing the Angels and finishing their homestand with a perfect 8-0 record. But the feisty Halos battled back to overcome a two-run deficit late in the game to avoid being swept by the Red Sox.

Josh Beckett gave a strong effort in the 4-3 loss to the Angels, but he was unable to hold a late lead and was saddled with a no-decision in the series finale.

With the tying run on first with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and Angels lefty Brian Fuentes on the mound, Terry Francona had the option of using the hobbled Kevin Youkilis or giving Rocco Baldelli a shot at being the hero. Francona chose Baldelli and he gave his reasons why — along with analysis of Beckett’s performance — in Thursday’s postgame press conference.