BOSTON — Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez has a keen eye when it comes to the strike zone, and he doesn’t argue that often about calls at the plate. When he does, it’s a safe bet he’s probably right.

But he has questioned a number of calls so far this season, and that happened again yesterday. He was ejected from the game in the bottom of the second inning by home-plate umpire Paul Emmel after being called out on strikes. As he left the batter’s box he said something to Emmel. Put it this way, you don’t have to be a good lip reader to figure out what Ramirez said. It’s the fourth time in his career he’s been tossed. Joe Thurston took his spot in the lineup and left field.

“I think there may have been something said there,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who came out to talk with Emmel, to no avail. “Maybe they were balls. Manny doesn’t usually say much unless he’s got a pretty valid point. He knows that strike zone pretty well. We all agree with that.”

His ejection almost proved crucial in the eighth inning, but his teammates came through.

The Red Sox were in the midst of a comeback and were down a run when the fourth spot in the order came up, which is almost always Ramirez’s spot. Thurston was 0-for-2 and was hit by a pitch in Ramirez’s place and was scheduled to come up with two outs in the eighth. Francona elected to give Dustin Pedroia, who was originally given the day off, an opportunity to pinch-hit.

Fortunately for the Sox, the second baseman drilled a double to drive in the game-tying run and he later scored the eventual game-winning run in the 6-5 win.

Ramirez was originally scheduled to have today off — if Coco Crisp (hamstring) is able to play — since he’s played in all 20 games so far this season. Because of the ejection, Francona said he didn’t know if Ramirez would be back in the lineup today.

The Rangers will start lefty Kason Gabbard, which makes the decision a little tougher. Plus, Ramirez is locked in like crazy right now.

Beware of the flu

A nasty flu bug is making its way through the Red Sox clubhouse right now, so when PawSox pitcher David Pauley was a last-minute scratch from his start yesterday at McCoy Stadium, there was some thought he might be on his way to Boston to start for Clay Buchholz today against the Rangers. That’s not the case. In fact, the team sent Buchholz home very early yesterday, so he wouldn’t be hanging around with the possibility of getting sick. Pauley is on call just in case any of the starters contract the bug.

Catcher Jason Varitek is so sick he needed someone to pick him up at home yesterday and bring him to the ballpark. He received treatment and was sent home.

“Tek looked awful,” said Francona. “He looked bad. The bug is working its way around, like it always does. Hopefully, it’ll stay away from the manager.”

The team even sent some of the training staff home in order to keep the damage in the clubhouse to a minimum.

Plenty of strikes

Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield picked up his second win of the season yesterday. The knuckleballer worked a season-high eight innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with no walks and five strikeouts. He threw 86 pitches and 68 of them were strikes. Wakefield did surrender two home runs, a leadoff shot by the Rangers’ Ian Kinsler in the first inning and a three-run blast by Milton Bradley in the sixth.

“That’s the most strikes I’ve ever seen him throw,” said Francona. “He was throwing strike after strike and the ball had movement and that’s a good formula.”

The Red Sox offense scored a total of six runs in the seventh and eighth inning to give the veteran the victory.

“I was hoping for a comeback, obviously,” said Wakefield.

That time again

It’s that time of year again when the certain counties in Massachusetts celebrate Patriots Day. The Boston Marathon takes place today, and the Red Sox will play their annual 11 a.m. game. Francona actually enjoys this day for a number of reasons. His last major-league at-bat came on Patriots Day in 1990, when he was playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, who beat the Red Sox, 18-0. Francona played in one more game after that before he was sent to the minors, where his career ended.

Now as a manager, he enjoys this day.

“I wouldn’t want to do it every day,” he said about playing in the morning. “But I think it’s kind of a neat day with all the stuff that goes on. The atmosphere and the game is part of that, so for one day it’s OK. For the coaches it’s no big deal because we’re here, anyway. I think getting your engine revved up as players can be a little different.”

The Red Sox are 64-48 all-time on Patriots Day. The club has been scheduled to play on this day every year since 1959.

A slight mixup

Francona mistakenly thought Red Sox pitcher Bartolo Colon would take yesterday off from playing catch, but the veteran right-hander, who has been dealing with a sore oblique, was in right field tossing the ball around with trainer Mike Reinold. Francona said he got the days mixed up. Colon will take today off and begin his throwing program at 90 to 120 feet tomorrow.

jmcdonal@projo.com