The Red Sox’ Jacoby Ellsbury attempts to steal second base in the seventh inning of last night’s game, but his foot went off the back of the bag and Angels shortstop Erick Aybar tagged him out.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

BOSTON — The day of Game Three in the ALDS between the Red Sox and Angels began yesterday the same way most days do for Terry Francona and Dustin Pedroia.

The Sox manager and second baseman played cribbage before beginning their baseball duties. And, if Francona is to be believed, the manager won, as usual.

“He stunk,” Francona said.

A short time later, when Francona met with the beat writers who cover the team all season (that is before he does the mass interview required by Major League Baseball), a good chunk of the discussion was about Pedroia. It started with a question about whether the manager was worried because Pedroia, after going hitless in his first three at-bats last night, is 0-for-11 in the series, the only Sox regular without a hit.

Francona all but laughed it off.

“We’ve played two games. That’s a pretty small sample size,” he said. “Pedey hasn’t gotten any hits, but nobody seems to be panicking there.”

The manager went over Pedroia’s first three at-bats in Game Two.

“That two-strike pitch to him (by Ervin Santana) was an 87-mph cutter that was unhittable (Pedroia struck out). Then he hits a ball that has a chance to go out, then he hits a liner on the nose to the second baseman,” Francona pointed out. “In the playoffs, you see a different type of pitching. There’s a reason Santana had the kind of year he had. He has ace-type stuff. You’re not going to knock the cover off the ball. If you get a mistake, you better hit it, because you’re not going to see it again.”

Francona made it clear that he has no concerns about the emotional Pedroia.

“That’s why he’s good. He’s always all charged up,” the manager said. “That’s the way he is. If you’re asking me, do I think he knows how to play the game and his responsibilities. He just doesn’t want to make outs.”

Pedroia hit .283 with two home runs and 10 RBI in Boston’s 14 postseason games last season, including going 2-for-13 against the Angels in the ALDS. He told the Projo’s Joe McDonald Saturday that he is not concerned.

“It’s all about winning right now,” he said. “That’s all that counts. I’ll go 0-for-5 any day of the week for a win. I got enough hits (213) on the year. I hit the ball good,” he said of the first two games. “That stuff happens. It happened to me last year in the first couple of games. It’s tough because for me it’s about getting into a rhythm. You play a game and then have a day off. I need to see pitches.”

Someone said it looked as if Pedroia was trying to hit a home run every time up.

“He always does that,” Francona shot back.

Francona said teams pitch Pedroia differently because he had such a great year.

“He’s a known threat. Teams have to treat him like that,” the manager said. “He’s one of the best players in the game.”

Pedroia was 7-for-18 against Joe Saunders, last night’s Angels starter, but it didn’t help. After being hit by a Saunders pitch in the first inning, he hit into an inning-ending fielder’s choice in the second and then fouled out to the catcher in the fifth. In the seventh, against right-hander Jose Arrendondo, he flied out to center.

pkenyon@projo.com