BOSTON - The numbers didn't just suggest that John Lackey, the ace right-hander for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, has a tough time succeeding at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox.

They scream out at you. Heading into last night's start in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, Lackey was a miserable 1-4 with a 7.46 earned-run average at Fenway.

He had a chance to render those numbers meaningless on the big stage last night. But he failed to do so, croaked for four runs on eight hits over the first three innings, giving Boston's ace right-hander, Josh Beckett, more than enough support in what turned out to be a 4-0 Red Sox win in the opener of the best-of-five series.

Lackey coughed up a solo homer to Kevin Youkilis in the first and a two-run homer to nemesis David Ortiz in the third, an inning in which Mike Lowell later chipped in with a run-scoring single for the four-run cushion.

Lackey, who was 19-9 with a league-leading 3.01 E.R.A, this season, rebounded with three shutout innings before being pulled from the game after six innings and 99 pitches. But the damage was done early, and once again Lackey was a loser in Fenway.

For his part, Lackey wasn't about to finger a Fenway hex for his poor performances at Fenway. Nor did the 6-foot-6, 245-pound right-hander think he pitched all that poorly last night.

"Honestly, I pitched better than the numbers are going to show," quietly insisted Lackey. "In the first inning, I had a pitch run over the plate (for Youkilis's homer). That happens. The only pitch I'd take back was the one to Ortiz. I had the base open (Youkilis was at second with one out) and I wasn't even trying to throw a strike. But I threw a strike (a hanging breaking ball, thigh high, over the middle of the plate)."

Catcher Mike Napoli knew as the pitch was bending its way to the plate in Ortiz's wheelhouse that it was trouble.

"He wasn't trying to give him a pitch to hit but he did, and good hitters hit those pitches," said Napoli.

The Sox were banging hits all around the ballpark over the first three innings, but Lackey did a good enough job of minimizing the damage.

"I'm not worried about how many hits I give up," said Lackey. "I'm more concerned with not giving up hits with runners in scoring position.

"I changed up a few things I was doing and it was a huge difference," said Lackey, who gave up only one hit over his final three innings. "I just missed location tonight with a couple of pitches early."

And he knew that pitching on this night against Beckett, who is likely to eclipse Lackey and Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia in the Cy Young voting, wasn't going to allow him much margin for error.

"With Beckett pitching the way he was (complete-game four-hitter), it's going to be tough. You have to hold their lineup down without getting much from your (own offense). He was just pitching too well," said Lackey.

Lackey just wasn't able to do enough last night, which was as much a statement of Lackey's dominance as it was anything else.

But Lackey did take solace in the fact he was able to blank the Red Sox over his final three innings. And what was it he did differently?

"I'm not going to say," said Lackey. "I may be facing them again."

If so, that would be on Monday, in Game 4, when he'd likely be matched up again with Beckett. But if so, it will be in Anaheim, not at Fenway Park, John Lackey's personal house of horrors.