ALDS Preview: Angels vs. Red Sox

Game 1: Wed., Oct. 1 at Los Angeles    
Jon Lester (16-6, 3.21) vs. John Lackey (12-5, 3.75)

Game 2: Fri., Oct. 3 at Los Angeles   
Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3, 2.90) vs Ervin Santana (16-7, 3.49)

Game 3: Sun., Oct. 5 at Boston    
Josh Beckett (12-10, 4.03) vs Joe Saunders (17-7, 3.41)

Game 4: Mon., Oct. 6 at Boston       
TBA vs. TBA 

Game 5: Wed., Oct. 8 at Los Angeles       
TBA vs. TBA

Preview

Since winning the World Series in 2002, the Angels have met the Red Sox twice in the postseason — both ending in three-game sweeps at the hands of the Sox. Will 2008 be different? After all the Angels took eight of nine from Boston during the season, including three-game sweeps in both parks in July. And that was when Manny Ramirez still called Boston home and before the Angels acquired Mark Teixeira. But does that tilt the scales further towards L.A. or back Boston’s way? The Angels come into the series much healthier than the Sox. It’s a shame that this is not the ALCS and a 7-game series. Arguably — with apologies to Tampa Bay — these are the two best teams in the American League if not all of baseball. Both teams have solid, deep rotations and superb bullpens. Any lead going into the ninth inning for either team is safe. Both teams can score runs, but the Red Sox feature more power while the Angels tend to manufacture runs, playing more close games than do the Red Sox.

How the Angels Can Win

The Angels must keep their edge — or rekindle their edge. They haven’t played a meaningful game in about a month. That’s one downside of wrapping up a division title so soon. But the Angels must play their game and not get caught up in the hype over losing two series to the Red Sox in years past. Manager Mike Scioscia has done a masterful job building this team and teaching them to win. More than any team in baseball, the Angels do all the little things to win. They move runners. They take extra bases. They don’t give extra bases. The Angels aren’t as potent as the Red Sox, so they must play relatively mistake free, which they usually do.

How the Red Sox Can Win

Getting leads early is the best way to take the Angels out of their game. Once the Angels start playing for big innings, they’re in trouble. There’s nothing like a Big Papi three-run homer in the first inning to put the Halos on their heels. If Ortiz comes up with the bases empty too often, the Angels will pitch around him. Dustin Pedroia will need to make sure that doesn’t happen too many times. Expect Pedroia and Ortiz to come up big. The question is whether that will be enough. To ensure success, Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay will have to provide some big hits. It is critical that Jon Lester and Dice-K maintain poise and stick to their game plan. They must recognize that the Angels will dent the scoreboard, and that they must manage innings to limit damage.

Players to Watch

By the end of this series, every baseball fan in America will know the names of middle relievers on both teams. Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo for the Angels will be in the limelight and asked to get key outs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Both managers will manage these games as if they were six innings….In the Red Sox bullpen, Terry Francona will use Manny Delcarmen frequently, and perhaps for more than one inning. Hideki Okajima and Javier Lopez are tough against lefties. It will be interesting to see how much Francona calls on rookie Justin Masterson who has terrific stuff, but is inexperienced in the postseason. Veteran Mike Timlin doesn’t intimidate hitters, but he has been through the postseason wars since closing out the World Series for Toronto in 1992.

Athlon Sports Says…

This is the toughest series to call. Both teams could win the World Series. We like the Angels in five games because most of their 100 wins were close games when every at-bat really matters. The Red Sox will miss their postseason warrior Manny Ramirez.