Angels will keep an eye on Anderson

BOSTON -- To see or not to see. That is the question.

Looking Thursday at Garret Anderson’s right eye, still swollen half-shut because of an infection he has had since last weekend, logic tells you the Angels left fielder’s vision is less than 100%.

Anderson seemed to imply as much when, after Wednesday night’s 4-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the American League division series, he told The Times’ T.J. Simers, “I can see -- it’s just not as crisp. You really have to make an effort to focus.”

This was news to Manager Mike Scioscia.

“That’s not the word he gave to us, unless something changed during the game,” Scioscia said Thursday before the team’s workout in preparation for Game 2 tonight in Fenway Park. “He told us that his vision is fine.”

There’s some gray area here, one Anderson did little to eliminate in his first two at-bats Wednesday, when he struck out twice on off-speed pitches out of the strike zone against Red Sox ace Josh Beckett, who threw a four-hit shutout.

But Anderson, after popping to third in his third at-bat, drove a pitch with authority to the warning track in center field to end the game, an out that gave Anderson a little confidence entering Game 2, right?

“No,” Anderson said. “The guy pitched well. He didn’t make many mistakes over the plate. My last at-bat was the only pitch he actually threw me over the plate. Everything else was hitting the corners. It doesn’t matter how many eyes you’ve got, a guy pitching to the corners is going to be pretty tough.”

Whether Anderson’s vision is somewhat impaired, this much seems clear: The cleanup batter will start tonight, and he and his teammates must do a better job of pressuring pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka than they did Beckett. Otherwise, they’ll have virtually no hope of winning the best-of-five series.

“They’re all must-win games in the playoffs,” Anderson said. “You don’t get many opportunities. There are only so many games you play, and you can’t afford to give anything away.”

Angels right-hander Kelvim Escobar will have his hands full with a Red Sox lineup that packs a middle-of-the-order wallop in David Ortiz, who hit a two-run home run in Game 1, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell, who had 120 runs batted in this season.

The challenge for the Angels will be solving a right-hander with an unorthodox delivery and a variety of breaking balls and off-speed pitches that they’ll be seeing for the first time.

The Angels have struggled against pitchers they’ve never faced before, most of whom don’t have the pedigree of Matsuzaka, who went 15-12 with a 4.40 earned-run average, striking out 201 in 204 2/3 innings, and was the winning pitcher in Japan’s World Baseball Classic championship-game victory over Cuba in 2006.

In the 16 games Matsuzaka faced teams for the first time this season, he was 9-6 with a 3.15 ERA.

“You can watch videotape all you want and look at tendencies and some charts -- that will give you a little piece of the puzzle,” Scioscia said. “But you have to get in the batter’s box and experience it. We have to make a quick study. I don’t think there’s a general rule you’re not going to have success against a guy you’ve never seen, but certainly, there is a little edge that will go toward a pitcher.”

If the Angels get on base and get their running game going, they think they might be able to rattle Matsuzaka, who will be feeling pressure in his first playoff start. Whether it was fatigue or the rest of the league figuring him out, Matsuzaka went 5-6 with a 5.19 ERA in 14 games after the All-Star break after going 10-6 with a 3.84 ERA in the first half.

“When we put runners on base, we can make things happen,” leadoff batter Chone Figgins said. “It doesn’t matter who’s pitching for me, I’m going to run either way.”

The Angels aren’t known for their power, but they’ll probably throw a little more muscle at the Red Sox than they did in Game 1.

Vladimir Guerrero, relegated to designated hitter since Sept. 5 because of an elbow injury, threw from right field to third base in practice Thursday and said through an interpreter that “the pain is gone.”

Guerrero is expected to start in right field tonight, and Figgins probably will move from right to center, replacing Reggie Willits. That will enable Scioscia to get Kendry Morales or Juan Rivera into the lineup as DH.

Or, he could use Willits, who provides more patience than power and can be disruptive on the bases, as DH.

“I think we’re looking for offense, obviously,” Scioscia said. “There’s a couple of different things we’re looking at.”

He’ll also keep a close eye on Anderson, who had 65 RBIs in 68 games after the All-Star break and needs to be a threat to prevent the Red Sox from pitching around Guerrero.

“He’s a guy who’s been swinging the bat as well as anybody in baseball for the last 200 to 300 at-bats; we need him to contribute,” Scioscia said. “Obviously, if his eye is not where it needs to be, it’s something to consider, but we’re not at that point. He’s told us he’d be honest with us, and we certainly believe him.”

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

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Baseball playoffs

Scores and upcoming games of the best-of-five division series:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

ANGELS VS. BOSTON

Red Sox lead series, 1-0

Game 2: Today, Angels (Escobar, 18-7) at Boston (Matsuzaka, 15-12), 5:30 p.m. PDT, TBS

Game 3: Sunday, Boston (Schilling, 9-8) at Angels (Weaver, 13-7), Noon, TBS

NEW YORK VS. CLEVELAND

Game 1: Cleveland 12, New York 3 (Indians lead series, 1-0)

* Lofton knocks in four runs, Sabathia settles down and the Indians hit four home runs. D11

Game 2: Today, New York (Pettitte, 15-9) at Cleveland (Carmona, 19-8), 2 p.m. PDT, TBS

NATIONAL LEAGUE

CHICAGO VS. ARIZONA

Game 2: Arizona 8, Chicago 4 (Diamondbacks lead series, 2-0)

* Lilly has a short night for Cubs, and Drew’s two-run triple is the key hit for Diamondbacks. D10

Game 3: Saturday, Arizona (Hernandez, 11-11) at Chicago (Hill, 11-8), 3 p.m., TBS

COLORADO VS. PHILADELPHIA

Game 2: Colorado 10, Philadelphia 5 (Rockies lead series, 2-0)

* Matsui’s grand slam in the fourth inning gives the Rockies the lead for good in a slugfest. D10

Game 3: Saturday, Philadelphia (Moyer, 14-12) at Colorado (Jimenez, 4-4), 6:30 p.m., TBS

Los Angeles Times