Halo of a Matchup
By Kevin Rogers
The Red Sox have struggled down the stretch, but perhaps the best cure for their latest stumbles may be the Los Angeles Angels. Boston has eliminated L.A. each of the last two postseasons, while sweeping the Halos en route to their World Series title in 2004.
This is the only confirmed matchup in the postseason heading into the final weekend of the regular season. The AL Central title is still up for grabs, as the Tigers own a one-game lead over the Twins with two games to go. In the National League, all four playoff spots are spoken for, but the NL West champion is yet to be determined. The Dodgers need one win this weekend over the Rockies to wrap up the division, but Colorado will surely be a team to be reckoned with in October.
Back to the Sox and Angels, as L.A. claimed five of the nine regular season meetings. Six of those games were decided by one run, while the Halos went 4-2 in the six games in Anaheim. The final three matchups came in September at Fenway Park, as the Sox took two of three games. The one game that stuck out in the series was on September 16, when the Sox rallied for two runs off Angels' closer Brian Fuentes in the ninth inning. There was a bit of controversy revolving around the 9-8 loss, as home plate umpire Rick Reed was criticized for shrinking the strike zone on Fuentes.
The Angels did fare well against Boston ace Josh Beckett this season, beating the Red Sox twice in the righty's starts. Beckett allowed seven earned runs in 14 IP, but the 16-game winner tossed eight innings in a 4-3 loss on September 17. The Angels scored a ninth-inning run off Billy Wagner to break a 3-3 tie, giving Beckett a no-decision. Los Angeles is 5-0 against Beckett in his last five starts dating back to 2008. However, Beckett did throw a complete-game shutout against the Halos in the first round of the playoffs in 2007.
The Angels won all four starts made by Joe Saunders against the Red Sox last season, but the Halos lost both outings by the southpaw this season. Neither start was a quality one, however, both games were decided by one run, as Saunders started the disputed 9-8 loss. Saunders has been one of the better 'over' pitchers in baseball this season, with the Angels nailing the 'over' in 20 of his 30 starts, including 10 of 14 on the road.
If there is one pitcher that does not want to see the Red Sox, it's John Lackey. The Angels are 2-6 in Lackey's last eight starts versus Boston, including five losses at Fenway. The righty pitched well the last time he saw the Sox in September, allowing three runs (two earned) and eight hits in 7.2 innings pitched. Only problem is Daisuke Matsuzaka tossed six scoreless innings to beat Lackey and the Angels, 4-1.
The Sox went 10-1 from September 8-20, but are 3-8 over the last eleven games. In fact, Terry Francona's team celebrated the clinching of the Wild Card following a loss to Toronto, thanks to the Rangers falling to the Angels. Mike Scioscia's club has done very little travelling the last ten days, playing their last ten games at home. The Angels wrap up the regular season this weekend in Oakland against the A's, before heading back home to host the Sox next week.
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