10/9: Can Beckett do it?

Sizing Up the Angels, Part II: The Staff

With the last installation surrounding the Anaheim Angels’ hitters, its time to take a look at the other half of the California equation: the pitching staff.

The Angels come into the ALDS with one of the deeper rotations among the contenders, with five quality options manning four slots. Mike Scioscia has opted to go with John Lackey as his Game One starter, followed by Jered Weaver in Game Two, Scott Kazmir in Game Three, then Joe Saunders in Game Four. Fifth starter Ervin Santana has been sent to the bullpen, though there are still circles who believe him to be the better option of he and Saunders.

While the overall quality of the Angels’ rotation is comparable to that of the Red Sox, it is not as top-heavy as their Boston counterparts. Few, if any, rotations boast the one-two punch of Jon Lester and Josh Beckett. However, with the seasons that Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright have had, St. Louis could have the Sox beat. Still, that’s beside the point.

The Anaheim bullpen is also a quality outfit featuring some underrated arms and intriguing role players. However, when compared to the talent and depth present in the Sox ‘pen, this corps leaves much to be desired. As echoed by fellow FireBrand writer, Evan Brunell, “Bulger (if healthy), Palmer and Oliver are all good, but would all jockey with Manny Delcarmen for the final spot in Boston’s ‘pen,” this bullpen is already behind in the race.

So, who’s winning this Sox/Angels battle?

The Red Sox are set to do battle with the Angels later this week to decide who gets to play for the American League pennant. Boston and Los Angeles are certainly familiar with each other, having done battle in the 2004, ‘07 and ‘08 DCS. In fact, Boston went 9-1 in those games and the Angels’ futility extends all the way bac to 1986 and Donnie Moore.

Do the Angels have a chance to put their Boston voodoo behind them or will the Sawx manhandle L.A. all the way towards what seems to be an inevitable date with the Evil Empire?

Read on to see pitching breakdowns, a look at the offense and defense, musings on hometown advantages, and the official prediction.

Projecting the Angels’ Post-Season Roster

Shrowded in as much secrecy as a Cold War nuclear test or New England Patriots injury, the California Angels have yielded very few signals as to the makeup of their postseason roster. While the starting lineup is generally set, the rest of the team is in a state of flux.

There have been some indications, however, from sources close to the team of what their roster will look like in the ALDS. Most pundits agree on the following roster developments:

1) The team is confident in its first three starters: John Lackey, Jered Weaver, and Scott Kazmir.

2) The team will opt to go with either Joe Saunders or Ervin Santana in the fourth spot, though Saunders seems to be the frontrunner at the moment…

Zach’s 2009 AL All-Star Roster

Since the American League is once again wholly superior (seriously, one could make the argument that any of the top four teams in the East could win four out of the other five divisions, the West being the exception with the Dodgers) and the league I know better than the back of my hand, here’s my best shot at devising what should be true the 2009 AL All-Star Game Roster complete with nine starting position players, six starting pitchers, six closers and 13 reserves:

5/12: The Late Show

Have I mentioned how much I hate the west coast trip?

American League West Preview…And the rest of the remaining divisions too.

The Angels do not get on base much, and they haven’t hit for all that much power of late. I am a stat-guy. So I believe that an offense needs to do these things to score enough runs. There is only so much that can happen as a result of “hit and runs” and taking the extra base. Now, taking the extra base is great, and often overlooked–as is baserunning in general. But a team must get on base enough, in order to score enough.

The Abreu acquisition was great. For that amount of money, the team put aside their philosophy of having only players who can play defense, and sacrificed “it” for a little offense. There is no risk in signing Abreu, and he should still hit for average, get on base, and flash enough power to make him a quality all-around player.

LAA 6, BOS 3: Weaver earns win for fallen teammate

Sean McAdam and the Boston Red Sox had one thing in common last night. Both of their performances were terrible.
With that said, thank goodness for Rex Hudler in the third and fourth innings.

4/10: Westward Ho!

The Red Sox are now three games into a nine-gamer streak, and the next six are out west. Their next (and last) West Coast trip is May 12-17, which bodes well to get some rest as the season goes on.

LAA 5, BOS 4: Nothing but Napoli

The Angels were expected to win at least one game in this series, but after falling behind 0-2 in the ALDS, the Boston Red Sox did not expect that win [...]