BOSTON REINS IN ANGELS LACKEY, BULLPEN HIT HARD BY RED SOX.

Byline: DOUG PADILLA 

Staff Writer

BOSTON -- Before the rains arrive, the Boston Red Sox provided the flood.

A deluge of runs from the fifth inning on, including six in the eighth inning, overwhelmed the Angels in a 10-1 Red Sox victory in front of 35,946 at Fenway Park.

Now comes the weather watch, with Sunday and Monday of particular concern.

After three days under the roof at Milwaukee while facing the Cleveland Indians, the Angels were exposed in the elements of Boston. They now have lost four of five games after a 5-1 start.

Angels starter John Lackey had been nearly invincible in his first two outings, entering Friday's game with an 0.75 ERA. His dominance continued for the first four innings, but the Red Sox showed signs of life with a single in each inning.

The Angels looked to be on their way in the fourth inning when a walk and steal by Orlando Cabrera was followed by an opposite-field RBI single from Vladimir Guerrero.

But once Lackey's breaking ball went from nasty to inconsistent, the Red Sox runs started to come.

"I had a good breaking ball for about the first four innings and then lost the feel for it in the last couple," Lackey said. "I threw a couple of changeups in the last couple of innings. I wasn't locating my fastball in to righties quite as good as I need to."

The Red Sox erased the Angels' lead on a solo home run from No. 8 hitter Doug Mirabelli and a two-out RBI single from David Ortiz. Mirabelli added a two-out RBI single in the sixth inning. When No. 9 hitter Dustin Pedroia snapped an 0-for-14 streak with a single in the sixth, Lackey's day was done.

The bullpen only made things worse as Chris Bootcheck gave up a run, Darren Oliver allowed four and Greg Jones gave up two after being recalled earlier in the day.

Through it all, the Angels trailed just 4-1 in the eighth inning and had two runners on base before the Red Sox went to closer Jonathan Papelbon an inning early. Vladimir Guerrero, representing the tying run, struck out on a 97 mph fastball. Garret Anderson then lined out to left to end the threat.

The defeat dropped the Angels to 8-15 at Fenway Park since 2002.

"I'm sure it's a lot of things combined," Lackey said on the Angels' struggles at Fenway Park. "They have a good team obviously and ... I don't know ... there are a lot of issues around here."

Another kind of issue might be brewing with an old friend. The Angels got their first chance to face Brendan Donnelly, who was traded to Boston in the offseason, and the right-hander hit Orlando Cabrera with a pitch in the left elbow moments after Gary Matthews Jr. grounded out.

A visibly upset and uncomfortable Cabrera, who received treatment in the trainer's room after the game, stormed out of the clubhouse without speaking reporters. When asked how his elbow was feeling, he replied with a muffled "I don't know."

Cabrera had been coming to life at the plate, but he might not be able to play today.

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Photo:

Boston's Doug Mirabelli, center, is greeted by Dustin Pedroia after a solo homer Friday.

Winslow Townson/Associated Press