ALDS Preview - Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Sports Network | September 30, 2008
These teams also met up in 1986 when Boston rallied back from a three games to one deficit to win a dramatic seventh game, meaning, of course, that the Red Sox have now won nine straight postseason games against the Angels.
However, Boston enters the postseason for the fifth time in the last six years without one of its biggest playoff contributors in recent history in Manny Ramirez, who was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline.
Without Ramirez, Boston's lineup - specifically slugger David Ortiz - was expected to struggle. Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay, who was acquired in the Ramirez deal, more than picked up the slack, though, even with injuries to Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, was never challenged in the AL West this season, as it rode a tremendous pitching staff to its fourth division title in five years with a 100-62 record.
Holding the best record in baseball for the majority of the season, the Angels bolstered their lineup near the trade deadline with the acquisition of first baseman Mark Teixeira.
Mike Scioscia's crew had the division wrapped up for the better part of September and was afforded the luxury of resting their starters the final week of the season.
The Angels became the first 100-game winners in baseball since the 2005 St. Louis Cardinals and the first in the American League since the 2004 New York Yankees. The Angels are also the first team since those Cardinals to win 50 (or more) games at home and on the road.
Unfortunately, the 2005 Cardinals lost to the Houston Astros in the NLCS, while the 2004 Yankees lost to the Red Sox in the ALCS.
LINEUP
Of course Boston enters the postseason with a far less intimidating lineup than it has had in years past, but it is still formidable from 1-through-9, even without the big stick of Ramirez.
With Ramirez out in Hollywood, Kevin Youkilis is David Ortiz's protector. Youkilis batted .312 this season and hit 29 home runs and knocked in a team- high 115 runs, while being one of the best fielding first baseman in the American League.
A lot of Boston's postseason production has come from the formidable tandem of Ortiz and Ramirez. How Youkilis fills that bill here in October could go a long way in determining the Red Sox' fate.
No matter how much his production has tailed off over the last two years, Ortiz is still one of the most feared left-handed hitters in the game in a big spot. He dealt with a wrist injury for most of the year that will probably require offseason surgery, but still belted 23 home runs and drove in 89 runs.
Bay, who will be playing the first meaningful games of his career after spending the last five-plus years in Pittsburgh, hit .293 with the Red Sox, while belting nine home runs with 37 RBI and 39 runs scored in 49 games.
Dustin Pedroia, the AL's Rookie of the Year last year, has been even better in year two and is the spark plug of the balanced Red Sox lineup. Considered by many to be the AL's MVP this season, Pedroia came up just short in his bid for a batting crown, but hit .326 with 17 homers, 83 RBI and scored 118 runs.
If Boston's lineup has any concerns entering the postseason it is the health of Lowell and Drew. Lowell, last season's World Series MVP, has been bothered by a hip injury, while Drew missed the better part of the last month and a half of the season with a sore back.
If Lowell can't play, the Red Sox could move Youkilis to third base with Sean Casey playing first. They have been dealing with Drew's injury for awhile and will slot either Coco Crisp or Mark Kotsay in his place should he be unable to go.
Like Bay, Teixeira will be in the postseason for the first time in his six- year career. A free agent at season's end, Teixeira was brought in for one reason and one reason only - to win a World Series. He offers Vladimir Guerrero the kind of protection the former AL MVP has been longing for since he came to the Angels.
In 54 games with the Halos, Tex hit .358 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI.
Guerrero, meanwhile, has been one of the beneficiaries of the Angels' relatively-easy September, as it gave him a chance to rest his balky knees. Even while playing hurt for most of the season, Guerrero still hit .303 with 27 home runs and 91 RBI.
While his knees limit him in right field these days, you will still be hard- pressed to find someone who is going to run on his rocket arm.
The one player to watch for the Angels could be 36-year-old Garret Anderson, who hit a sizzling .356 in September. Anderson, who had to deal with pink eye in last year's ALDS, hit .293 this season with 15 home runs and 84 RBI.
Los Angeles also has some injury concerns as third baseman and leadoff hitter Chone Figgins bas been bothered with a sore elbow, while second baseman Howie Kendrick is just coming off a hamstring injury.
EDGE: BOSTON
STARTING PITCHING
Boston got some bad news this past weekend when ace right-hander Josh Beckett strained an oblique during a bullpen session. He had been penciled in to start Game One, but will now hopefully go in Game Three.
So, instead of opening this series by throwing the best postseason hurler of this generation, the Red Sox will hand the ball to lefty Jon Lester. Lester was arguably Boston's best pitcher from start-to-finish, going 16-6 with a 3.21 ERA.
Of course, the highlight of Lester's season came on May 19 against Kansas City when he tossed the first no-hitter of his career.
Lester, who started Boston's World Series clincher a year ago, faced the Angels just once this season and did not get a decision. He is 1-1 lifetime against them with a 7.78 ERA in four starts.
Opposing Lester in Game One will be righty John Lackey, who struggled down the stretch. Lackey lost three of his last four decisions and was hammered for 10 runs and 12 hits in just 2 2/3 innings of his final start, but was 12-5 this season with a 3.75 ERA.
Lackey was charged with a loss to the Red Sox in last year's ALDS, but is 2-2 in the postseason with a 3.63 ERA.
Daisuke Matsuzaka will pitch the second game for Boston, while the Angels will send righty Ervin Santana to the hill.
Matsuzaka was bit more consistent for the Red Sox in his second year, but despite some control problems, still finished the year 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA.
Santana, meanwhile, had a career year for the Angels, going 16-7 with a 3.49 ERA.
The key here will be Beckett's health. If he is good to go his postseason pedigree gives the Red Sox a huge advantage.
Beckett, who was 12-10 with a 4.03 ERA this season, won all four of his postseason starts a year ago, including a brilliant four-hit shutout over the Angels in the ALDS.
He is 6-2 all-time in the playoffs with a 1.73 ERA in 10 games (nine starts).
Getting the ball in Game Three for the Angels will be left-hander Joe Saunders, who won a career-high 17 games this season despite trying to pass a kidney stone down the stretch, Saunders is also 4-0 in six starts against the Red Sox, while pitching to a 2.89 ERA.
Should the teams use a fourth starter Boston is expected to throw Paul Byrd, while LA will counter with Jeff Weaver.
EDGE: ANGELS
BULLPEN
LA's Francisco Rodriguez, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the year, set the major league saves record this season, eclipsing Bobby Thigpen's mark of 57 in 1990, with 62, while pitching to a 2.24 ERA.
Los Angeles' bullpen was the least worked of any team in the AL - a credit to its incredible starting pitching. But when it was used, it excelled more times than not.
Right-hander Jose Arredondo was the Halo's breakout star this season, going 10-2 with a 1.62 ERA, while striking out 55 in 61 innings. Should K-Rod walk at the end of the season, he could become the team's closer.
Scott Shields bounced back from a rough finish to the 2007 campaign and was 6-4 with a 2.70 ERA. He also had four saves.
Jon Garland will serve as the long relief guy for the Angels.
Boston, meanwhile, got another terrific season from closer Jonathan Papelbon, who picked up 41 saves of his own with a 2.34 ERA.
He will mainly be set up by Justin Masterson from the right-hand side along with Manny Delcarmen, who struggled midway through the season, but seems to have gotten back on track.
Hideki Okajima hasn't been as good in year two as he was in his fine rookie season. He pitched to a 2.61 ERA and will be called upon to get a lefties out in this series.
Should any of the starters get in trouble, Francona will have Tim Wakefield at his disposal. There have been some injury concerns with him, but the Red Sox will have no problem going to the playoff-tested knuckleballer to get them an out.
EDGE: EVEN
MANAGERS
Scioscia is in his ninth campaign with the Angels and is the all-time leader in wins, guiding the club to 90-plus victories in five of the last seven years. Scioscia, who skippered the club to the 2002 championship, is also the only Angels manager to bring his team to the postseason five times.
Francona, meanwhile, is in his fifth year as skipper of the Red Sox and has taken the team to the postseason in four of those seasons, winning the World Series twice. The Red Sox are so well disciplined and rarely make a mistake in the field and all that is a credit to Francona.
However, for my money Scioscia is the best and most underrated manager in the game.
EDGE: ANGELS
BENCH
A under the radar move that could have huge implications in this series was Boston's waiver-wire pickup of Kotsay from Atlanta. If Drew is not able to go, Kotsay will likely see a lot of action. Especially if Mike Lowell is off the roster as well.
Crisp is probably the best defender of all of Boston's outfielders and will see time late in games, spelling either Ellsbury or Kotsay.
Alex Cora will back up both Pedroia and shortstop Jed Lowrie, while serving as a late-inning base-running option.
Anaheim is going to have to make a decision in left field. The Angels could use all the offense they can get which would make Juan Rivera the logical choice. Gary Matthews Jr., though, is so much better defensively that they may be better off with him out there.
The team is going to miss jack-of-all trades Maicer Izturis, who is done for the year following thumb surgery. With him gone, that job now falls to Erik Aybar and Brandon Wood.
EDGE: BOSTON
PROGNOSIS
This series is simple to figure out. It is great starting pitching against a great lineup. The big question is can Los Angeles' starters do enough to slow down the potent offense of the Red Sox? That has been the case the last two times these two teams have meet in the playoffs and Boston has come out on the winning end both times. As good as their pitching is, Los Angeles is going to have to hit at some point in this series. Outside of the big two (Guerrero, Teixeira), though, I don't see the Angels being able to do enough at the plate. I am not sure how Beckett's injury is going to affect the Sox. That would be a huge blow if he is not able to go. As good as K-Rod was this season, I just have a feeling that Boston is going to get to him at some point this series. The Angels may be the best team from top-to-bottom in the playoffs. Unfortunately they are running into a Red Sox team that just knows how to get it done in October.
Prediction: RED SOX in FOUR
