Washburn Might Be Back on Short Rest

Angel right-hander John Lackey is scheduled to pitch a potential Game 4 Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park, but Manager Mike Scioscia said Wednesday there remained a possibility Jarrod Washburn would return on three days’ rest.

Washburn threw only 79 pitches in 3 1/3 innings Tuesday. The consensus among Angel coaches was Washburn pitched decently and got worse than he deserved.

Lackey was 0-2 with an 8.68 earned-run average in two starts against the Red Sox this season and in six career starts is 0-4 with a 6.89 ERA against them. In his only start in Boston this season, he gave up six runs in 3 1/3 innings.

“We have a lot of confidence in John; we have a lot of confidence in Washburn,” Scioscia said. “We’ll see how it goes.”

Red Sox Manager Terry Francona would not commit to his Game 3 starter in the hours before Game 2, though it is presumed to be right-hander Bronson Arroyo, who was 10-9 in the regular season.

A possible reason for Francona’s hesitance: Arroyo’s ERA against the Angels was 9.72, his worst against any team. Something for Francona to consider: Derek Lowe, relegated to the bullpen after an inconsistent season in the rotation, has a career 3.17 ERA against the Angels.

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For months, Scioscia went to great lengths to deny that Jose Molina had become Bartolo Colon’s personal catcher, even though Jose -- and not starting catcher Bengie Molina -- caught 10 of Colon’s victories during the Angel right-hander’s 12-4 run to end the regular season.

Scioscia even had Bengie catch Colon three times in September in preparation for Colon’s working with the team’s starting catcher during the postseason. But it was Jose who was behind the plate for Game 2 on Wednesday night, and Scioscia finally admitted that Jose had become Colon’s personal catcher.

“We feel Bengie and [No. 3 catcher] Josh Paul would all be great catching Bartolo, but this is an extraordinary situation where I think Jose went a long way to get Bartolo back on track,” Scioscia said.

“Their comfort level with each other is very, very high, and that’s something we want to take advantage of. Those guys have done well down the stretch in a lot of key games, and we’re going to stay with it.”

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Bengie Molina squats a lot, which apparently has taken the spring from his legs -- which was discussed early in Game 1 by Boston right fielder Gabe Kapler and first baseman Kevin Millar.

It was in the sixth inning Tuesday when Molina lashed a single to right field and started up the line, only to find himself straining to reach first base ahead of Kapler’s throw.

Two years ago, playing right field for the Colorado Rockies, Kapler threw out Arizona Diamondback pitcher John Patterson on an apparent single. These things happen to pitchers occasionally. But a position player?

Kapler’s throw was over Millar’s head and Molina had his hard-earned single, but it appears he’ll have to work for any line drives to right field in this series.

“If he hits me in the chest with that throw,” Millar said, “it’d have been very close.”

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The Red Sox were scheduled to fly all night from Southern California to Boston after Wednesday’s game, but the Angels chose to keep their sleep patterns intact by treating today as if it was an off day during the regular season.

The Angels were scheduled to depart today about 10 a.m. and arrive in Boston by the early evening, and they will not work out tonight in preparation for Game 3 Friday.

“I think the breakfasts are a little better on the planes, so we want to take advantage of that, as opposed to flying late at night,” Scioscia joked.

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Dave Roberts has his dream World Series -- his Red Sox against the Dodgers.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said the Boston reserve outfielder, who joined the Red Sox in a trade from the Dodgers on July 31. “Except the Red Sox win. Reverse the Curse.”

Being dealt initially stung Roberts, who maintains a home in Carlsbad.

“Those guys were not only my teammates, they were great friends,” said Roberts, who was traded for outfielder Henri Stanley. “It took a while but the people in Boston welcomed me with open arms, they made the transition that much easier.”

With Boston, Roberts batted .256 in 45 games, three points higher than he did in 68 games with the Dodgers. He stole 33 bases with the Dodgers, only five with the Red Sox.

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After his MVP-like performance in Game 1 of the American League division series, Manny Ramirez was handing out compliments to the Angels’ Vladimir Guerrero, a likely rival for the regular-season AL MVP award, before Game 2.

“Vladi is one of the best kids out there,” Ramirez said. “Everybody’s talking about A-Rod, but I think the best hitter in the league is Vladi. He’s such a nice guy that he deserves the kind of season that he’s having right now.”

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Former Angel Jim Abbott threw out the ceremonial first pitch Wednesday. Abbott lives in Newport Beach, where he and wife Dana are raising two daughters. He also assists with the Angels’ community relations department.