John Lackey pitched well for the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night, but ended up taking the loss in Game 2 of the World Series.

Lackey pitched 6.1 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing three runs. He struck out six and walked two. As usual, Jarrod Saltalamacchia was his catcher.

Saltamacchia caught 22 of Lackey's 29 starts this season -- Ryan Lavarnway caught five, David Ross caught two. Lackey had a 3.06 ERA and a 3.9 K/BB ratio with Saltalamacchia behind the plate in 2013.

"He's definitely calling the game," Lackey said of his catcher after Game 2. "But I guess I'm approving, I guess. Salty has been great for me all year. We all really studied these guys. We go over reports together. And he's been great to work with and makes it easy on me."