Did you see Sox failure coming? I did

It may seem silly for me to contend that I saw this short exit by Boston in the postseason coming given I picked Boston to win the whole shebang in 7, but... I'm not in the least bit surprised by what happened. I think part of the reason why I didn't really talk about it and hedged in person about the Sox's chances is because I didn't particularly want to admit it. Oh, make no mistake: This was a World Series-caliber team, and I'm singing a different tune this morning if Jonathan Papelbon had any clue that you can't just throw a fastball and expect to get away with it. But this was also a team that could exit stage-left rather quickly. The bats went cold, the starting pitching was decent enough, and the bullpen was solid -- but nowhere the fearsome combo it was earlier in the season. The big thing, for me, though? What really got me is the lack of energy I saw with the team.

10/11: This feels familiar

POLL: What will happen in Game 3?

New Poll Question: What do you expect out of the Kaz/Buchholz game Sunday?

• Gotta love that home cookin', baby.
• For Kaz to be a Sox killer again and Buchholz to wilt.
• A pitching duel with the Sox bats not showing up again.
• It'll come down to who hits more home runs.

I'm choosing to be optimistic and say it's all about the home cooking! Leave your line predictions in the comments and vote in the poll on the right.

Do Sox stand a fightin’ chance to emerge victorious?

The Red Sox are in such dire straits offensively, I'm pining for the offensive slump the team was in that precipitated the Victor Martinez trade. Across two games, Boston's come up with just eight measly hits, only two of them extra-base hits (and not of the four-bagger variety). Putting aside for the moment whether Terry Francona messed up on such decisions as leaving Josh Beckett in too long, where do the Sox go from here?

Commiserating after a loss

I'll be back with more Saturday morning, guys, but I'm throwing up this thread so we can all drown our sorrows. You probably don't need to hear this again, but Boston is now down 0-2 to the Angels, with the series shifting to Fenway. Is there more Red Sox magic to be had, or is Boston down for the count?

10/9: Can Beckett do it?

New Poll: Will Beckett step up in Game 2?

New Poll Question: What do you expect out of Josh Beckett tonight? [more after the jump]

Owned in Anaheim

As often happens when the Red Sox venture out West for a playoff series (as often happens), there's no more painful post to write than the one scheduled to hit the wires the morning following a late night start like we had in Game One of the ALDS - except of course the post following a game that saw the Red Sox hit their side of the Win Probability ledger only for one fleeting at bat the night prior. That chart pretty well sums up the Red Sox offense all night against Angels starter John Lackey; flatline.

Heeeere’s your ALDS roster!

No Rocco Baldelli or Manny Delcarmen.

ALDS Game One Preview

With the opening pitch set for 9:37 pm, Eastern Standard Time, the Sox and Angels get ready to kick off their leg of the American League playoffs. The short-series ALDS will rely heavily on the opening game, as a 1-0 lead in a Best of 5 is better than finding money. With Beckett going up against Jered Weaver in Game Two, an opening win by Boston would put quite a damper on Anaheim’s plans. The first game features a battle of staff leaders. Sox Ace Jon Lester goes up against Angels’ number one John Lackey. Lester and the Sox have the definite edge in this one, as Lester has turned himself into an early Cy Young candidate for 2010, while Lackey has seen the erosion of his skills to a certain extent. Jon Lester The consummate field general, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia was likely up late last night game planning for the openeras his lineup is a very interesting match for Lester. With the option to bat as many as eight players right-handed (Anaheim has four switch hitters: Izturis, Morales, Aybar, and Figgins), Lester’s prominent reverse-platoon splits may give Scioscia pause when instructing his batters to hit right-handed. Lester’s pronounced splits have actually given the edge to left-handers this season, as they went a combined .257/.305/.411 against the ace, while righties compiled a .237/.299/.350 clip.