Well here is old highland celebrating a 2-0 lead going to Fenway for Game 3 on Sunday. I'm back on the job to give my completely biased unbiased player reviews for Game 2 in the old-school sports journalism style.

Please have a crack at me if you want to, that's what this is all about, would love to see your comments/corrections. After all, these are only my player ratings and until Scottnak devises some evil genius method of doing post-game player reviews, I'm afraid you're stuck with this ancient form of journalistic review.

Let's finish this on Sunday! Ratings below the jump ...

BOSTON RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF: Again one of the BoSox best players on the night, but did a hell of an impression of a flounder chasing Aybar's triple. Got screwed on a bad call in the 6th on a check-swing K, but forced Scioscia's hand with an infield hit in the 8th. Player rating: 6

Dustin Pedroia, 2B: Easy work against the rat-face tonight. Made a great diving defensive stop but tapped out weakly to the mound in the 6th against Weaver. Rats spread the plague? If this is the kind of plague this Rat, this Angels nemesis, is spreading, let's have more of it. Player rating: 4

Victor Martinez, C: At least this guy is putting in some effort for the 'Roids Nation. Behind the plate he was pretty damn good, calling a good game with a cocky SOB of a pitcher on the hill and made a great throw on the pitchout to nail Abreu stealing in the 8th. Player rating: 6

Kevin Youkilis, 1B: How can somebody so tough and mean-looking pop out like a wussy so often? No factor whatsoever. Player rating: 2

David Ortiz, DH: Where have you gone, Joe Needle-in-my-ass-imaggio? Second straight terrible and ineffective game. Shadow of former self. Player rating: 1

Jason Bay, LF: This guy tries to be good and wants to be good, but Weaver whiffed him on a ball in the dirt in the 2nd. Got hold of a high fastball from Weav a couple innings later but it ended up in Torii Hunter's sure-handed glove. Player rating: 4

Mike Lowell, 3B: Hell, he tries hard. Made a great play on Hunter's line drive. Could have been a game-changer but did not come through in the 5th. Player rating: 5

JD Drew, RF: Had several weak cuts against Weaver and looked thoroughly dominated and confused. Victim of strikeout No. 7 by Dream Weaver before getting pulled. Player rating: 4

Alex Gonzalez, SS: Well when you get a shortstop from the Reds, what can you expect? Davey Concepcion? No, Alex Gonzalez, which means a decent defensive game. But was blown away by two high fastballs with the count in his favour in the 5th with a runner on base. Player rating: 3


Pitching:
Josh Beckett: Love him or hate him, he's a hell of a pitcher. Made us work for everything we got. Great two-seam fastball and though he is a painfully slow pitcher and a cocky gum-chomping SOB, he's damn good. Tough gritty effort for Beckett, who still managed to whine like a baby after hitting Napoli with a pitch. Lost focus and control in the 7th. I hate him, but I would rather have him in Angels red rather than facing him. Player rating: 7
Billy Wagner: Is this guy still alive? Or is it Honus I'm thinking about. Thanks for the meatball to Abreu. Rating: 5
Jonathan Papelbon: A cameo in a losing cause. No rating.

Subs:
Jed Lowrie: No rating

Management:

Terry Francona: Beaten by Mike Scioscia in every move in this game. Management rating: 4

-------------------------
LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
Chone Figgins, 3B: No factor again in this game for the Angels offensive sparkplug, and his flashy glove was not really called upon. Basically was invisible. Except for looking lame striking out on a Beckett four-seamer in the 6th. Danger factor is always there, so highlandhalo's mancrush makes him a 5 instead of a 4. Player rating: 5

Bobby Abreu, RF: Is this guy old? Is he any good? Clutch hit starts the 5th and typical brilliant plate patience, forcing Beckett and Wagner to throw too many pitches. Solid D but not challenged. You are a superb human being and you must be loved more, Chupa.  Player rating: 8

Torii Hunter, CF: Well you can't expect him to work miracles every day. Should have made the catch on the triple by Jacoby Ellsbury. Positioned wrong? Got robbed of a hit by Lowell but popped out weakly in the 6th. Player rating: 6

Vladimir Guerrero, DH: A weak popup against Beckett in the 2nd ... but had a great shot through the hole on the hit-and-run play in the 4th to help give Weaver a run. Also took a walk ... A WALK? Intimidation factor still works. Against Beckett in the 7th. Player rating: 6

Kendry Morales, 1B: Sacrifice fly in the 7th inning was huge. Those kind of plays win playoff ballgames. Made a great play with the glove on Jepsen's poor throw to end the 8th. Is this guy under-rated? He might be the definition of just that ... but let's ask Acuda. Player rating: 7

Juan Rivera, LF: Punched out looking by Beckett in the 2nd and killed the 5th inning with an infield-practice ground out to SS. Had a big chance in the 7th with Kendrick running on 2nd, but hit a seeing-eye shot to Lowell. Player rating: 4

Maicer Izturis, 2B: What more can be said about the Boy King? The smallest player on the team played a huge role, running up Beckett's pitch counts and playing solid D. Comes through with the huge hit to give the Angels the lead. And after driving in the go-ahead run and stealing second base, managed to give Pedroia a sneaky shot to the nutsack (anyone else see that?) 'Twas a thing of beauty, a perfectly executed "dirty" play". Love you Maicer. Player rating: 8

Mike Napoli, C: Weird seeing the Strongest Man in OC batting 8th, but did a better job of impersonating Jeff Mathis with intelligent pitch-calling. Kept Weaver in check. Once again, Mike Scioscia knows something about catching that we don't. Player rating: 7

Erick Aybar, SS: This guy continues to amaze. Rips a nice opposite-field hit in the 3rd to let Beckett know he is human, then the 2-run triple for a 4-1 was absolutely huge. We love you, Erick Aybar. Player rating: 9

Pitching:
Jered Weaver: Why don't we stop calling him Weaver the Younger instead of Weaver the Better? Outstanding mature performance, beautiful location most of the night, controlled the counts and the Boston at-bats. Gave a nice hat-tip after whiffing Drew before the Soth went to the bullpen. Even a more ace-like performance than Lackey yesterday. Superb. Player rating: 9

Darren Oliver: Pitching like a man on crack. Rating: 8
Kevin Jepsen: Ballsy effort for a rookie in his first post-season game. Morales bailed him out with a good dig on the bad throw in the 8th. Rating: 7
Brian Fuentes: Nobody has any faith in the 48-save man but he did what he was supposed to do and retired Big Papi easily. A K-Rod style walk to keep things interesting but GOT the job done. Player rating: 7

Subs:
Howard Kendrick: Great jump and great stolen base. Whiffed by Papelbon but will have better AB's this series, we reckon. Player rating: 7

Management:
Mike Scioscia: Lucky or brilliant? Every move our lasagna-loving boss  made seemed to work out for him, from starting Izturis at 2B, bringing on Kendrick to PR for Vlad and putting on the running game to rile a tiring Beckett late on. Management rating: 9