Playoff Pulse: Weep for the Angels
October 4, 2008
Filed under: Angels, Red Sox, MLB Playoffs
In the Playoff Pulse series, our MLB editor takes on a hot October topic.If the Red Sox can't beat the Angels this time around, they might never. We heard that sentiment an awful lot coming into the ALDS. Boston was the wild card; Los Angeles was the 100-game winner. The mighty Red Sox were banged up -- potentially without J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell and ace Josh Beckett; the Angels were well-rested thanks to an enormous division lead and deeper than ever after a deadline deal for slugger Mark Teixeira.
Consider Game 2 the final indication: This incarnation of the Angels doesn't look like it's ever going to beat the Red Sox in a meaningful October series.
A's GM Billy Beane opined in "Moneyball" that his "s--- doesn't work in the playoffs." Angels GM Tony Reagins and manager Mike Scioscia could easily say the same thing when it comes to facing Boston.
After all, what else can the Halos do to beat the Red Sox in October? They've lost 11 straight postseason games to Boston, but more pertinently, they've lost five in a row in the playoffs over the last two years to this collection of talent.
The Angels pounded out 11 hits Friday night. They drew five walks. They sent Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka packing after five innings. Teixeira and Vladimir Guerrero, who has struggled mightily in the playoffs, went a combined 6-for-7. They climbed out of a 5-1 hole, scratching out a pair of runs against a very good Boston bullpen to get to the ninth inning tied. And they had record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez on the mound.
Playoff Storylines - Day 3
Red Sox 7, Angels 5 (Read Recap | Check Box Score)
J.D. Drew provided the latest blow to the Angels' playoff psyche and gave Boston a 2-0 lead in the ALDS when he connected on a two-run homer in the ninth inning against record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez. The Red Sox set a record with their 11th straight win over the Angels in the postseason.
Lucy Nicholson, Reuters
Rodriguez, who set a record with 62 saves this season, could do nothing but hang his head after Drew's blast. In an odd bit of symmetry, K-Rod also surrendered the game-winning home run in Game 2 of last year's ALDS against Boston.
Stephen Dunn, Getty Image
Jason Bay got the Red Sox off to a quick start, taking an Ervin Santana slider out to the deepest part of the ballpark and giving Boston a first-inning lead.
Chris Carlson, AP
But after falling down 4-0 and 5-1, the Angels kept chipping away at Boston's lead in the late innings. Mark Teixeira, right, went 3-for-4 and drove in the tying run in the bottom of the eighth, seemingly giving Los Angeles the momentum.
Lucy Nicholson, Reuters
Daisuke Matsuzaka was less than spectacular for Boston. The Japanese pitcher only managed to get through five innings and struggled with his control against the usually free-swinging Angels.
Mark Avery, AP
Rays 6, White Sox 2 (Read Recap | Check Box Score)
Akinori Iwamura isn't known for his power, but he struck the big blow for the Rays in Game 2. The second baseman clubbed a two-run homer off of Mark Buehrle to give Tampa Bay a lead it wouldn't relinquish and put the White Sox on the brink of elimination.
Doug Benc, Getty Images
The White Sox put Scott Kazmir on the ropes early on in Game 2. Chicago had the bases loaded with no outs in the first inning, but Kazmir limited the damage to two runs and settled down after that to pick up the win in his first career postseason start.
Pierre DuCharme, Pool / AP
Though Kazmir struggled at times, Tampa Bay's bullpen was excellent yet again. J.P. Howell rescued Game 1 hero Grant Balfour from a seventh inning jam as part of two innings of scoreless relief.
J. Meric, Getty Images
Buehrle outpitched Kazmir for most of the game, but was punished on a mistake pitch to Iwamura and by his own bullpen, which couldn't pick him up after he departed in the eighth inning.
Pierre DuCharme, Pool / Getty Images
J.D. Drew provided the latest blow to the Angels' playoff psyche and gave Boston a 2-0 lead in the ALDS when he connected on a two-run homer in the ninth inning against record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez. The Red Sox set a record with their 11th straight win over the Angels in the postseason.'], dims:['http://o.aolcdn.com/dims/PGMC/5/407/269/70/'], showDisclaimerText:['false'], disclaimerText:['NOTE: AOL does not control caption content, which comes from the photo provider.'], CSS_Title:['#000000'], CSS_Caption:['#303030'], CSS_Disclaimer:['#5b5b5b'], CSS_Container:['#ffffff'], CSS_Border:[''], CSS_PhotoWell:['#ffffff'], CSS_photoHolder:[''], CSS_Buttons:[''], CSS_BtnOver:[''], CSS_Scroll:[''], topMargin:['0,0,407,269,408,269,0,0'] } );
In short, they had all the momentum a baseball team can have, but that force was nothing next to the Red Sox. David Ortiz, who seemed lost at the plate all series, doubled off the wall in right-center. Then Drew, who hadn't homered since July and had four at-bats in September took K-Rod way out of the park.
How does this keep happening to the Angels? Some of it is completely inexplicable -- a string of bad fortune. Some of it is the result of a bad matchup. Many of Los Angeles' top players simply struggle against Boston or at Fenway Park.
Much of it is design. It's not really all that surprising that on a double-digit night in the hit column, the Angels struggled to score runs. Chone Figgins' eighth-inning triple was their first extra-base hit of the series. Even with a deliberate slugger like Teixeira in the fold, they're still a free-swinging, singles-hitting club that has to string a bunch of hits together to put a crooked number on the scoreboard.
That's not good enough against a Red Sox team that has ascended to the top of the American League with patience and power up and down the order.
An apparently healthy Josh Beckett is waiting for the Angels at Fenway Park in Game 3, and if they can somehow get past one of the best postseason pitchers ever, Jon Lester would follow. Chances are Los Angeles will be reflecting on another frustrating first-round exit in the next few days. Maybe the Angels' braintrust will even decide to go back to the drawing board and tinker with their roster and team philosophy.
Something has to change. The Halos went 8-1 against Boston in the regular season this year, but right now the only record that matters is 0-8 -- that's Mike Scioscia's career playoff record against Terry Francona and the Red Sox.
Yesterday's Hero: J.D. Drew, who, after years of being painted as soft, has hit two of the Red Sox's biggest playoff home runs in the space of two years. Honorable mention to Jonathan Papelbon, J.P. Howell, Chone Figgins and Akinori Iwamura.
Yesterday's Goat: K-Rod is the easy choice, but Howie Kendrick went 0-for-5, struck out four times and left six men on base. He's the poster child for the Angels' struggles. Dishonorable mention to Paul Konerko, Octavio Dotel and Matt Thornton.
Notes: Rich Harden's last playoff start came against the Tigers in 2006. He struggled into the sixth inning and took the loss. Oakland was swept by Detroit in that series, a fate the Cubs are hoping to avoid. ... If the Brewers can't generate some offense against soft-tossing lefty Jamie Moyer, the type of pitcher they usually mash against, then they deserve to get swept. ... John Danks should give the White Sox a good chance to stay alive Sunday.
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