Francona not worried about Pedroia

Dustin Pedroia didn't exactly mince words late Sunday night after going 0-for-5 at the plate to run his ALDS hitless streak to 13 at-bats.

"I’ve got to get on (expletive) base," Pedroia said. "That’s it. I’ve got to help our team win. I didn’t do that, and I haven’t done that all series. I blame this one on me. Everyone else is battling. I am, too, but no results."

Manager Terry Francona said he hadn't read or heard what his second baseman had said, but he said he rarely pays attention to that, anyway. From his perspective, Pedroia is doing just fine.

"I watch him every day -- I watch everybody," Francona said. "When he's in the middle of hitting .400 and he makes an out, he's pissed. That's the way he is. He's mad when he doesn't come through. That's what I see. He's fine. He just gets mad when he doesn't come through."

One of those times was in the 11th inning, two pitches after Coco Crisp stole second to put himself into scoring position with two outs. Pedroia scalded a ground ball toward third base that Chone Figgins scooped out of the dirt and relayed to first for the third out.

"He's hit three, four balls right on the screws," Francona said. "He hit that ball at Figgins yesterday and almost tore his glove off. If he hits that ball by Figgins, the game's over and Pedroia's the hero. There has to be some perspective."

Here's a little more perspective: Pedroia went three or more games without a hit just twice this season. Here's how it broke down:

• April 28-May 1: Three games (all against Toronto), 0-for-12. What happened next: He went 3-for-5 in each of his next two games, both against Tampa Bay.
• June 3-June 8: Five games (three against Tampa Bay and two against Seattle), 0-for-15 with three walks. What happened next: He went 2-for-4 with a double against Baltimore.

And in his career, he's 5-for-12 (.417) against Angels starting pitcher John Lackey.