The Angels have lost their best starting pitcher for the game and, it appears, for the season, as Garrett Richards was carted off the field on a stretcher.
Richards was struggling in the second inning with two runners on. A sharp grounder to Albert Pujols at 1B allowed the possibility of a double play and the young starter rushed from the mound to 1B to complete what would have been a 3-6-1 Double Play.
As he raced across the Fenway Park infield dirt, Richards appeared to have caught his cleat in the dirt and went down. Replays showed him grimacing in agony almost immediately. Erick Aybar saw the pitcher down and quickly threw to 3B but failed to get the runner racing back to the bag.
After a more than ten minute delay to get a medical team to attend to him, the injured ace was removed via stretcher. Relief pitcher Cory Rasmus came in from the bullpen and got the final out of the inning.