Sox on brink

ANAHEIM, Calif. – With Jered Weaver picking up right where John Lackey left off for the Los Angeles Angels, not even Josh Beckett could keep the Boston Red Sox from the brink of playoff elimination.

Weaver yielded two hits while dominating Boston into the eighth inning, and Maicer Izturis drove home the tiebreaking run in Los Angeles’ 4-1 victory over the Red Sox on Friday night, extending the Angels’ American League Division Series lead to 2-0.

Game 3 is early Sunday at Fenway Park, with Boston’s Clay Buchholz facing Angels newcomer Scott Kazmir.

Erick Aybar followed Izturis’ RBI single with a two-run triple during the Angels’ two-out rally in the seventh to break up a stellar pitching duel between Weaver and Beckett, Boston’s ace and most reliable playoff performer.

“These two guys were matching each other pitch for pitch,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “I thought we did a really good job of staying focused, settling down. … The only way we’re going to beat good pitching is to pitch with them, and we were able to do that the first couple of nights.”

Aybar’s hit chased Beckett, who yielded five hits and four runs in 62/3 innings during his first playoff loss in a Red Sox uniform. It was his first defeat in nine postseason starts since Game 3 of the 2003 World Series with Florida.

The Red Sox eliminated the Angels in three of the past five postseasons, but they’ve mustered just one run and eight hits in the series’ first two games.

“We’ve had a tough time these last two games swinging the bat, that’s an understatement,” Boston manager Terry Francona said.

After Lackey and Darren Oliver combined to blank the Red Sox 5-0 in the series opener, Weaver was better than Beckett, the former World Series MVP, in just his second postseason start.

Although the Red Sox scored their only run of the series in the fourth on Victor Martinez’s RBI single, Weaver limited wild-card Boston to just four baserunners before leaving in the eighth with a flourish, raising his cap to the cheering Orange County crowd.

“It’s always nice going up against a lineup like that,” Weaver said. “You know that if you make any mistakes, they’re going to hurt you. …

“Hopefully, these two (wins) will carry us into Boston with some positive momentum.”

His Los Angeles teammates backed him up at the plate and out of the bullpen – albeit just barely.

Boston got the tying run to the plate in the ninth when Kevin Youkilis doubled off Kevin Jepsen and Jason Bay drew a two-out walk from Angels closer Brian Fuentes.

Although Red Sox fans might have conjured visions of Dave Henderson’s memorable ninth-inning homer for the Red Sox in Anaheim in Game 5 of the 1986 A.L. Championship Series, Fuentes retired Mike Lowell on a fly to center for the save.

Boston’s sixth playoff run in seven seasons is in serious trouble against the Angels, who had lost 12 of their past 13 playoff games against the Red Sox before taking the first two at Angel Stadium, where they had lost six straight playoff games.

Weaver just completed his best pro season, going 16-8 with a 3.75 ERA as the Angels’ most dependable starter.