Boston’s Manny Ramirez hits the ground after making a diving catch of a sinking liner by Toronto’s Reed Johnson in the first inning yesterday.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach Bob Breidenbach

BOSTON — The chorus was loud, emanating from the seats in Fenway Park to couches and lounge chairs all around TV rooms in New England.

Where is Jason Varitek? Why is Doug Mirabelli batting in a 2-1 game in the ninth inning?

Mouths had to be open in disbelief at what they were witnessing, either in person or on the screen — Mirabelli, stepping into the batter’s box, his .188 batting average lit up for all to see on the scoreboard, while Varitek, whose 400-plus-foot homer the previous night sparked a Boston victory, was standing in the dugout with a bat in his hands.

Disbelief no doubt turned to irritation when Mirabelli made the second out of the inning on a shattered-bat grounder to short against Toronto closer Jeremy Accardo.

Sure, Accardo, a right-hander, has been tougher on left-handed hitters (.125 coming in) than right-handers (.284), and Varitek, being a switch-hitter, would have been batting left-handed. Mirabelli is a right-handed hitter.

But who would you rather see at the plate in that situation — Varitek or Mirabelli?

Well, here’s why manager Terry Francona didn’t call on Varitek to bat in the ninth. The catcher was hurting. Francona was asked how much thought he had given to pinch-hitting Varitek.

“None. That didn’t need to happen. He was pretty banged up [from Saturday night’s game],” said Francona, noting Varitek had a bruised right thumb on his right hand because he was crossed up by a Daisuke Matsuzaka pitch.

Francona also didn’t have the option of using J.D. Drew, who seemingly was unavailable because of his tight right hamstring.

For the record, after the groundout by Mirabelli, who had a double in four at-bats, Julio Lugo flied out, ending the game but not the second-guessing.

Sacrifice bunt fails

The inning was full of possibilities for the Red Sox. The situation offered multiple possibilities.

They had speed on the bases — Lugo at second and Coco Crisp at first. They had a guy at the plate (Alex Cora) who knows how to handle the bat.

Boston was trailing, 2-0, and it was the third inning.

Should Francona put on the sacrifice bunt sign, confident Cora could move them over with hot-hitting David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez to follow? Or should they try a hit-and-run?

Cora showed bunt on the first pitch from Toronto starter Jesse Litsch and took it for a ball.

He stepped out of the box and looked down to third-base coach DeMarlo Hale, who was flashing several signs. Try a hit and run now?

Nope. Another sacrifice-bunt attempt from Cora, who already had five for the season.

Everything seemed to go right. Cora dropped a decent bunt toward the mound. Lugo had a decent lead off second base and took off for third when Cora made contact.

But sometimes the opposition deserves credit. Litsch was quick off the mound and, showing great fundamentals, was planting his feet and pivoting to make a throw to third as he fielded the ball. His strong throw to Troy Glaus at third nipped Lugo for a deflating forceout.

The promising inning fizzled when Ortiz chopped the first pitch he saw right back to Litsch, who started an inning-ending double play.

Ramirez: Good play, bad play

Ever the showman, Ramirez, the Sox’ left fielder, took away a leadoff hit in the first inning with a diving backhand catch and then made a modified “snow angel” on the Fenway Park turf.

Ramirez stole a single from Reed Johnson because he plays so shallow, snatching the ball just before it hit the grass. His momentum caused him to tumble over two times before he landed on his back and polished off the flashy play with his personalized summertime baseball version of the snow angel, flailing his legs a couple of times before getting up and throwing the ball in.

Ramirez, though, had a devil of a time trying to track Jason Phillips’ high fly ball deep down the line, leading off the fifth. The ball was over his head. Ramirez went back to the corner, but the ball twisted in the wind and Ramirez misjudged it. It landed behind him on the warning track. Phillips was credited with a double.

Two bounces for Lugo

Lugo played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for four seasons, so he must be accustomed to playing on the artificial turf there.

How else to explain his throw to first after fielding Alex Rios’ bouncer up the middle?

Lugo fielded the ball going hard to his left. He was able to twist his body enough to allow himself to be able to make a throw to first, but he didn’t even try to throw it in the air. He bounced it, as he would do on turf.

The net result was the same. The ball bounced twice on the infield dirt before it got to first baseman Kevin Youkilis, who made the pickup for the out.

Jays skipper lets them hit

The Blue Jays’ offensive philosophy does not include the sacrifice bunt. They had only 14 through their first 90 games.

So, leading by 2-0, Toronto manager John Gibbons did not call for leadoff batter Reed Johnson to drop down a bunt after Phillips had led off the inning with a double against Boston starter Josh Beckett.

Even though Johnson was followed in the order by Rios, an All-Star who was 3-for-7 (.429, with a homer) against Beckett heading into yesterday’s game, and Vernon Wells (.444, 8-for-18, 4 homers) was next, there was no bunt.

The Jays didn’t score. Johnson bounced out to third, freezing Phillips at second. Rios popped up to short, and after a four-pitch walk to Wells — with Beckett clearly wanting no part of the Jays’ center fielder — Matt Stairs struck out, ending the inning.

In the ninth, with Toronto clinging to a 2-1 lead, Royce Clayton led off with a single to center. Still Gibbons refused to put on the sacrifice bunt with his number-nine hitter, Phillips, at the plate.

Instead, he tried the hit-and-run on the first pitch. Phillips waved and missed the down-and-away breaking ball from Mike Timlin and catcher Mirabelli threw out Clayton at second base, defusing a rally before it had a chance to get going.

skrasner@projo.com