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Wayland Student Press

The student news site of Wayland High School

Wayland Student Press

The student news site of Wayland High School

Wayland Student Press

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Red Sox-Angels: ALDS preview

The Boston Red Sox clinched the wild card just 10 days ago, but already people in Boston are excited for what should be a match up of two American League powerhouses between the Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Red Sox didn’t do much this off-season, much to the chagrin of the fans, who felt they needed to add another solid bullpen arm. And while the Sox spent close to nothing, the Angels shelled out the cash, signing Center Fielder Tori Hunter to a 5-year $90 million deal, and trading for starting pitcher Jon Garland, coming off a very poor 10-13 season with the White Sox.

The Angels this year were the best team in the MLB, going 100-62 and clinching their division, the American League West, by an amazing 21 games, a feat that has not been achieved since the early 1970’s. The Angels come into the series sporting one of the best hitting duos in baseball with right fielder Vladimir Guerrero and first baseman Mark Teixeira, who was acquired at the trade deadline for young first baseman Casey Kotchman and pitching prospect Stephen Marek, considered to be a young bullpen star on the rise. Guerrero and Teixeira (with the Angels) have combined for a .317 batting average, 40 homeruns, and 134 RBI’s, numbers that will scare opposing pitchers, and rightfully so.

But wait, there is more bad news for the Sox. Starting pitcher and ace of the rotation, Josh Beckett, is out with a strained oblique muscle, and will not start until game three. Instead, Jon Lester will get the ball for game one, and Daisuke Matsuzaka will start game two. “He has to be able to go out there and execute his pitches,” Red Sox Manager Terry Francona said, “but I think he’s going to be OK. I don’t think it’s frustrating. Things happen and you deal with them and if you deal with them well enough, you handle it. If you don’t, you go home.” In 2007 when the Red Sox won their second World Series in four years, Beckett was 4-0 in the post season after going 20-7 with a 3.27 ERA during the regular season. In 10 post season outings during his career, he is 6-2 with a 1.73 ERA.

On Aug. 29, Beckett was examined for his elbow problem by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Florida. “I don’t trust anybody more than I trust him when it comes to stuff like that. Just to go down there and hear it from him. It’s something I needed to do, just to clear my mind,” Beckett said then. “He said my ligament looked fine. That’s what I was afraid of. It was a big relief.”

The Sox have swept the Angels in the ALDS in both of their recent World Series years.  In 2004 it was thanks to a David Ortiz walk-off home run that won game three, and in 2007 the Sox held the Angels to four runs in three games. This year it looks like the Sox will have a tough time handling what the scouts and general managers call “the best team on paper.”

The Schedule looks like this for the series:
Game 1: @ LAA 10 PM EST
Game 2: @ LAA 9:30 PM EST
Game 3: @ BOS TBD
Game 4 (if necessary): @ BOS TBD
Game 5 (if necessary): @ LAA TBD

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  • S

    sports fanOct 8, 2008 at 12:59 PM

    the sox are invincible

    Reply
  • H

    historydeptmetsfanOct 1, 2008 at 10:53 AM

    Angels in 3–no doubt about it…

    Reply
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Red Sox-Angels: ALDS preview