Series schedule
- Game 1: at Los Angeles, Thursday, Oct. 8, 9:37 p.m.
- Game 2: at Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 9, 9:37 p.m.
- Game 3: at Boston, Sunday, Oct. 11, TBA
- Game 4: (if necessary) at Boston, Monday, Oct. 12, TBA
- Game 5: (if necessary) at Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 14, TBA
Angels projected lineup
- 3B Chone Figgins (.298, 5 HR, 54 RBI, 42 SB, .395 OBP)
- RF Bobby Abreu (.293, 16 HR, 103 RBI, 30 SB)
- CF Torii Hunter (.299, 22 HR, 90 RBI, 18 SB)
- DH Vladimir Guerrero (.295, 15 HR, 50 RBI)
- 1B Kendry Morales (.306, 34 HR, 108 RBI)
- LF Juan Rivera (.287, 25 HR, 88 RBI)
- 2B Howie Kendrick (.291, 10 HR, 61 RBI)
- C Mike Napoli (.272, 20 HR, 56 RBI)
- SS Erick Aybar (.312, 5 HR, 58 RBI)
Red Sox projected lineup
- CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.301, 8 HR, 60 RBI, 70 SB)
- 2B Dustin Pedroia (.296, 16 HR, 72 RBI, 20 SB)
- C Victor Martinez (.303, 23 HR, 108 RBI combined Indians and Red Sox)
- 1B Kevin Youkilis (.305, 27 HR, 94 RBI)
- DH David Ortiz (.238, 28 HR, 99 RBI)
- LF Jason Bay (.267, 36 HR, 119 RBI)
- RF J.D. Drew (.279, 24 HR, 68 RBI)
- 3B Mike Lowell (.290, 17 HR, 75 RBI)
- SS Alex Gonzalez (.238, 8 HR, 41 RBI combined Reds and Red Sox)
Angels projected rotation
- RHP John Lackey (11-8, 3.83 ERA)
- RHP Jared Weaver (16-8, 3.75 ERA)
- LHP Scott Kazmir (10-9, 4.89 ERA combined Rays and Angels)
- LHP Joe Saunders (16-7, 4.60 ERA)
Red Sox projected rotation
- LHP Jon Lester (15-8, 3.41 ERA)
- RHP Josh Beckett (17-6, 3.86 ERA)
- RHP Clay Buchholz (7-4, 4.21 ERA)
- RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (4-6, 5.76 ERA)
Inside the matchups
Hitting: Both teams are solid and experienced from 1-9. The Angels have a little more speed and are better defensively at most spots, especially with Guerrero at DH. The Angels are the first team in major league history with 11 hitters who had at least 50 RBI. It's essentially the same lineup the Angels played in the postseason with last season, with the surprisingly powerful Morales taking the spot Mark Teixeira occupied last season. The Red Sox have a little more power, with seven players hitting more than 16 homers. Pedroia didn't have another MVP-type season, but still a solid year. Ortiz struggled in the first half, but he hit .264 with 27 HR and 81 RBI after June 1. Martinez was a great pickup at the trade deadline. Edge: Red Sox.
Bench: The Angels are almost as deep on the bench as the Red Sox with IF Maicer Izturis (.300, 8 HR, 65 RBI) and OF Gary Matthews Jr. (.250, 4 HR, 50 RBI). Boston can also go with a lineup with veteran Jason Varitek (.209, 14 HR, 51 RBI) at catcher, moving Victor Martinez to first base and Kevin Youkilis to third (and Mike Lowell to the bench). Edge: Even.
Starting pitching: The Red Sox have the more famous names, but the Angels are just as good, and perhaps healthier. Lester took a line drive off his knee in September, but looked fine in a final-week start. Matsuzaka missed most of the season to injury. Angels manager Mike Scioscia made a conscious decision to throw lefties Saunders and Kazmir in Fenway Park, which seems odd, as Fenway has a history of chewing up lefties with the Green Monster. But they've had success there. Edge: Even.
Bullpen: The Angels' Brian Fuentes (1-5, 3.93 ERA, career-high 48 saves) stepped in fairly well for Francisco Rodriguez, who left in free agency. But he's never closed in the postseason. The Angels have a decent setup crew in veteran lefty Darren Oliver (5-1, 2.71) and righty Jason Bulger (6-1, 3.56). And Ervin Santana (8-8, 5.03) is in the bullpen for the postseason, too. Jonathan Papelbon (1-1, 1.85, 38 saves) is already one of the most accomplished postseason closers -- he has never allowed a run in 25 postseason innings - and the Red Sox have perhaps the deepest pen in baseball in Ramon Ramirez (7-4, 2.84 ), lefty Hideki Okajima (6-0, 3.39), Manny Delcarmen (4-2, 4.53), Takashi Saito (3-3, 2.43), hard-throwing youngster Daniel Bard (2-2, 3.65) and former closer Billy Wagner (1-1, 1.98 in 15 games). Edge: Red Sox.
Why the Angels will win
They're due, right? The Angels are certainly sick of all the talk of how the Red Sox beat them every season in the playoffs - they've lost 12 of the last 13 games against the Red Sox in October - and they won't choke with the pressure on this season. They're a deep team, good fundamentally with a solid pitching staff, a kind of team that should be perfect in the playoffs. And they should be aggressive on the basepaths against two Red Sox catchers (Martinez and Varitek) who aren't known for their ability to throw out base-stealers).
Why the Red Sox will win
They always seem to find another gear this time of year, a veteran team that simply knows how to win and comes through in the clutch. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett are big-game postseason pitchers, and the Angels will have to beat one of them to win the series. And their bullpen is probably the best in baseball. And will the Angels be trying too hard to erase their demons?
Prediction
Red Sox in four.
