ANAHEIM -- For the second time in the past couple of weeks, right-handed reliever Noe Ramirez was added Saturday to the Red Sox bullpen.
The Sox optioned Travis Shaw back to Pawtucket to make room for Ramirez.
Ramirez was 4-0 with a 2.15 ERA in 18 appearances with Pawtucket -- all but one of them as a reliever. He's held right-handers to a .204 batting average against and a slugging percentage of .278.
The Angels lineup is dominated by right-handed bats [Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, David Fresse] and Ramirez could be used as a matchup righty in the
middle of an inning.
"It's a contrast of styles,'' said John Farrell. "The arm slot is unique [compared] to the other guys in the bullpen. And there's a fit, particularly when you get into the more heavily right-handed lineups. And we have that here in this series. We're looking for a righthander to help spread out the workload and he's a candidate for this.''
In 29 innings at Pawtucket, Ramirez fanned 27 hitters, though he isn't considered overpowering, with a fastball in the low 90s.
Ramirez made one appearance in his first call-up. He was brought in to pitch the 10th inning with the score tied against Houston when the Sox didn't have Junichi Tazawa available to him after the latter missed some time with a fartigued shoulder.
Ramirez allowed four runs -- two earned -- and three hits and a hit batsman in a 12-8 loss.
This callup is an opportunity for family and friends to watch him pitch in the big leagues. He grew up in Southern California and attended Cal State Fullerton, just a few miles from Angel Stadium.
The Sox bullpen is thin, with only Junichi Tazawa, and to a lesser extent, Alexi Ogando, earning Farrell's trust in late-inning, high-leverage spots.
That lack of bullpen depth probably paid a role in Farrell's decision to brining in closer Junichi Tazawa in the ninth inning of Friday's scoreless game. That move backfired when Mike Trout homered off Uehara with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 1-0 walk-off win.