Troubling 3-year trend for Angels
The Angels are struggling to hit with runners in scoring position, .211 in five playoff games, just like 2007 and ‘08.
Lost amidst a three-game sweep of the Red Sox and five relatively effective performances from the starting pitchers is a most unwelcome playoff trend for the Angels.
The Angels are again having difficulty hitting with runners in scoring position, going 4 for 18 in the first two games of the American League Championship Series against the Yankees. They were 3 for 15 in Saturday’s 4-3 13-inning loss in Game 2.
If the Angels are to salvage the ALCS, they’re going to need to start hitting in the clutch, beginning with Game 3 today at Angel Stadium.
Click here to read the full article – By MICHAEL BECKER of PE.com
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Sox left dead Red
Torii Hunter emerged from the visitors’ clubhouse at Fenway Park to spray champagne over the fans and family gathered there. Erick Aybar did him one better, handing over bottles of bubbly to those who came from California to see the Los Angeles Angels go for the sweep.
History gave no reason to hope for such a celebration.
The Angels and Vladimir Guerrero shrugged off their postseason failures and swept away the Red Sox on Sunday, scoring three runs off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth inning to beat Boston 7-6 and advance to the AL championship series.
It was the first postseason sweep in Angels franchise history. And they did it against the team that has knocked them out of the playoffs the previous four times they met.
“I told you guys earlier: It’s going to be a different scene,” Hunter said in the clubhouse afterward. “Vladdy came through. That’s probably one of the biggest hits of his career. They’ve been waiting for him to do it, and he did it.”
Papelbon was one strike away from extending the series with three different batters, but Aybar singled on a two-strike pitch, Chone Figgins walked after fouling off a full-count offering and Bobby Abreu fouled off three straight pitches before doubling in one run.
Hunter was walked intentionally before Guerrero singled the first pitch to center and Figgins and Abreu raced home to give Los Angeles a 7-6 lead. Major league saves leader Brian Fuentes pitched the ninth, and when Aybar caught Dustin Pedroia’s popup to end the game, pumping his right arm even as he tracked the ball with his left, the Angels advanced.
“It’s nice to be going home and playing again, instead of going home and it’s over,” said pitcher John Lackey, who was part of the Angels teams that were eliminated by Boston in three times in the previous five years. “This is the most fun for me, and I’ve got a ring. That says a lot.”
Click here to read the full article – By JIMMY GOLEN of DailyDemocrat.com
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Angels have edge in speed
One matchup the Angels intend to exploit against the Red Sox is on the basepaths, where the Angels have stolen 148 bases and the Red Sox have thrown out just 13 percent of all base stealers, just half of the league average.
The Angels believe they can run on Boston catchers Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek if given the opportunity. It’s those opportunities that have been hard to come by. The Angels had an on-base percentage of just .339 in last year’s American League Division Series against Boston and a .250 mark in 2007.
If the Angels are more successful this year in getting their speedsters on base, the Red Sox know they might be defenseless against the likes of Chone Figgins (42 stolen bases), Bobby Abreu (30), Torii Hunter (18), Erick Aybar (14) and Maicer Izturis (13).
Click here to read the full article – By MICHAEL BECKER of PE.com
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Angels’ Mike Scioscia going ‘right’ off bat against Boston
Angels manager will start right-handers John Lackey and Jered Weaver in first two games of division series, with lefties Scott Kazmir and Joe Saunders slated for Games 3 and 4 in Fenway.
Reporting from Oakland – There were no surprises Sunday when Manager Mike Scioscia announced his playoff rotation and roster. John Lackey, as expected, will start Game 1 of the division series against the Boston Red Sox in Angel Stadium and will be followed by Jered Weaver in Game 2.
Left-handers Scott Kazmir and Joe Saunders are scheduled to pitch Games 3 and 4, respectively, in Fenway Park, with right-hander Ervin Santana going to the bullpen for the first round.
The Angels will go with a 10-man pitching staff, with Brian Fuentes, Kevin Jepsen, Darren Oliver, Matt Palmer and, assuming he recovers from shoulder tightness that knocked him out of Saturday’s game, Jason Bulger joining Santana in the bullpen.
The bench will feature a third catcher — Bobby Wilson — outfielders Reggie Willits and Gary Matthews Jr., and corner infielder/outfielder Robb Quinlan, who edged out Brandon Wood for the final roster spot.
Willits, Scioscia said, “gives us versatility in that we can plug him into situations late, whether it’s to pinch-run, get a bunt down or play defense. He brings a lot there.”
Click here to read the full article – By Mike DiGiovanna of LAtimes.com
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Santana’s progress key to Angels
Even though his club’s magic number to clinch the American League West is just six with nearly two weeks left in the regular season, Angels manager Mike Scioscia still isn’t quite ready to talk about the postseason.
Scioscia simply won’t talk about potential postseason matchups or his possible postseason rotation until the day his team officially clinches a division title for the fifth time in six years.
“We’re not popping the champagne yet,” Scioscia said. “We’ve got to get there, and we’ve got our work cut out for us to reach our first goal. Right now, we have tough games all the way through, so we have to keep focused on where we’re going.”
Click here to read the full article – By Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com
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Saunders hopes rest pays off
Over the last few years, starting pitching has been one of the main reasons the Angels have been so competitive in the American League West.
After all, from 2006 to 2008, the Angels’ starting pitchers ranked second in both the American League and the Majors with an averaged ERA of 4.17. And that was a major reason why the club won the division in both 2007 and 2008.
But this year has been about the offense for the Angels, with the club leading the Majors in runs scored, while the starting pitching hasn’t been as strong.
Click here to read the full article – By Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com
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Lackey sets sights on win No. 100
Chuck Finley, Nolan Ryan, Mike Witt and Frank Tanana. It’s an exclusive club — Angels pitchers with 100 or more victories — and John Lackey is on the verge of joining.
With a victory in the series finale against the Indians, Lackey will reach triple digits in wins in his career: 100, on the nose.
“It puts me in a certain class in the time I’ve been here, especially with the time I’ve missed the last two years,” Lackey said. “It means I’ve been out there, for the most part, and productive.”
Lackey has absorbed only 68 losses with his 99 wins, and his career ERA is 3.80 across 1,443 innings since making his Major League debut during the 2002 World Series championship run.
Click here to read the full article – By Lyle Spencer of MLB.com
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Sean Rodriguez impresses the boss
Perhaps no player better embodies the Angels’ remarkable organizational depth and versatility than Sean Rodriguez, who is emerging as their new Chone Figgins with his ability to play capably all over the field.
“From the perspective of being an everyday player, he’s opened up a new dimension being able to play the outfield every day,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said on Wednesday as Rodriguez was back with Triple-A Salt Lake following two superb games in left field in Minnesota over the weekend. “He’s got enough thunder in his bat to play corner outfield. He can play second base every day, shortstop, third base. He’s a baseball player, a terrific athlete.
Click here to read the full article – By Lyle Spencer of MLBlogs Network
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