Juan Rivera’s non-catch gets assessed
The consensus among numerous television commentators was that Juan Rivera should have caught Jeremy Hermida’s eighth-inning, opposite-field fly ball to left field Tuesday night.
The ball bounced about a foot in front of the Green Monster in Fenway Park for a tie-breaking three-run double that led the Boston Red Sox to a 5-1 victory over the Angels.
Manager Mike Scioscia said before Wednesday night’s game that he still hadn’t watched a replay of Hermida’s hit, but Ron Roenicke, the bench coach who handles the outfielders, did.
And what was the verdict? It was a hung jury in the mind of Roenicke, who said Rivera could have caught the ball, but he wasn’t sure he should have caught it.
Rivera was shaded toward the gap, and he sprinted about 90 feet into the corner before turning his back to the plate at the last second in anticipation of the ball caroming off the wall.
“I think he was trying to figure out where the ball was going to be, and the route he took wasn’t at the ball,” Roenicke said. “Trying to go back into that corner with the high [outfield] wall and the brick wall [in foul territory] can be difficult.
“If he got his angle perfect, he would have caught the ball. When you’re running and looking at that high wall, you’re thinking, if the ball goes off the wall there is no one backing me up, and I’m going to be in trouble. I think it was a tough play. I think Juan runs good routes. He just didn’t run the perfect route for that ball.”
Rivera did not start Wednesday night’s game, but Scioscia said that was because he wanted to get the switch-hitting Maicer Izturis in the lineup against Boston right-hander John Lackey.
Because Izturis’ sore shoulder is limiting his ability to play infield, he started at designated hitter. Hideki Matsui started in left field for the second time in three nights.
Friend and foe
Lackey did his best to downplay the significance of facing his old team for the first time Wednesday night, but once the Boston Red Sox right-hander got to the Fenway Park mound, he admitted it wasn’t simply business as usual.
“Honestly, it was different facing the jersey,” said Lackey, the former Angels ace who signed a five-year, $82.5-million deal with the Red Sox last winter.
“But I guess there aren’t a whole lot of guys in that lineup that I’ve played with before for an extended period of time. There are more pitchers and coaches I know than the guys swinging.”
The Angels apparently tried to rattle Lackey.
“I heard the dugout chirping a little bit,” Lackey said. “It was probably [Jered] Weaver messing with me.”
Lackey was unfazed. He allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking two, to earn the win in Boston’s 3-1 victory.
“He pitched pretty well,” Angels center fielder Torii Hunter said. “He had his cutter working, he hit his spots. He definitely threw a lot harder than I remember. He was probably a little pumped up going against us.”
The Angels’ only real threat against Lackey (3-1) came in the second, when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Lackey struck out Brandon Wood to end the inning.
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