7 posts tagged “josh beckett”

Round 1 of the 2009 MLB Playoffs has completed, and I did not do very well in my predictions, which you can point and laugh at here.

Of course, predictions are just that. Results you expect to occur, hopefully with some rhyme and reason to back it all up. Whether they actually become reality or not, is a whole nother story.

So first, a little wrap-up of the ALDS and NLDS before moving onto the ALCS and NLDS.

Reality: Yankees in 3 games

The only prediction that I got right, and I suspect that a lot of people got right too. The Twins weren't good enough to compete with the Bombers, and even during the games that they might have actually taken from the Yanks, they couldn't win. Game 2 was the ultimate in that case, with the Phil Cuzzi blown call in leftfield taking center stage, but the Twins had numerous opportunities to score in that game and never did.

Closer Joe Nathan continued his terrible postseason by giving up a game-tying HR in the bottom of the 9th of Game 2 to A-Rod, and also gave up 2 hits to the Yankees in the 9th inning of Game 3. Those hits led to 2 Yankee runs which were charged to other Twins relievers, but Nathan couldn't stop the Yankees from scoring. As great as Joe Nathan is during the regular season, he's been quite awful in the postseason, posting a 7.88 ERA.

Watching the Angels on TV dominate the Boston Red Sox by a final score of 5-0 was something to behold. John Lackey pitching 7.1 IP of shutout ball against the potent Red Sox offense.  Torii Hunter was the hero of the game with a 3-run BOMB off of Jon Lester into the centerfield rockpile which would end up being all the offense the Angels needed to win the game, though they managed to tack on another 2 runs off reliever Takashi Saito in the bottom of the 7th. Darren Oliver pitched the final 1.2 IP to loooock it up for the Halos.

But watching Game 2 at Angel Stadium, with 40,000+ fans, with not nearly as many Boston fans as you'd think (maybe because they were a lot quieter?) was an awesome experience.

• We had a fantastic pitcher's duel between one of the best postseason pitchers of the decade in Josh Beckett, and Jered Weaver, a solid #2-#3 pitcher in the Angels rotation who managed to keep Boston at bay the entire game.

• Boston struck first in the 4th inning when Jacoby Ellsbury led off the inning with a triple to deep centerfield, one of the few balls that Torii Hunter could not track down. 2 batters later, Victor Martinez singled him home. That was all the runs the Red Sox would muster.

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• The Angels struck back in the bottom of the 4th when Bobby Abreu got to 1st with a leadoff single. Torii Hunter then hit a bullet towards the left side but it was caught by a diving Mike Lowell, making a fantastic play.

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• The next batter, Vladimir Guerrero singled to rightfield while Abreu took off for 2nd, allowing the Angels to do what they do best. Run from first to third. Angels slugger Kendry Morales was next at the plate, hitting a line shot to J.D. Drew in rightfield, far enough for Bobby Abreu to tag up from 3rd and tie the game at 1.

• Weaver and Beckett continued to duel, with Beckett's pitch count more efficient, but Weaver was matching him on overall results. Weaver only gave up 2 hits in the entire game, both in the 4th inning. The only other baserunners allowed by Weaver were 2 scattered inconsequential walks to J.D. Drew and Jason Bay.

• The Angels finally chipped away at Josh Beckett in the bottom of the 7th when Vladimir Guerrero took, of all things, a leadoff walk on 5 pitches to start the inning. In a key managerial decision, Angels skip Mike Scioscia chose to pinch-run for his cleanup-hitting DH with Howie Kendrick, as the Angels had yet to run the bases on Jason Varitek as had been rumored to occur any time he was catching. It's a decision that paid off in spades. Kendrick successfully stole 2nd base after the first out had been made by Kendry Morales flying out to centerfield

• Juan Rivera couldn't get Kendrick home though, as he then grounded out to 3B Mike Lowell. Next batter Maicer Izturis, a .370 career BA against Josh Beckett, and a .327 hitter with runners in scoring position, got the job done. Mighty Maicer hit a shot up the middle into shallow centerfield that scored Howie Kendrick to give the Angels the 2-1 lead.

• But the Angels weren't done. Izturis then stole 2nd base, easily beating the throw from Varitek. Mike Napoli would get hit in the shoulder by a Josh Beckett pitch and took 1st base. Beckett thought Napoli didn't make an effort to get out of the way, but home plate CB Bucknor felt otherwise.

• By the way, as horrible as his Boston-screwing calls were at first base in Game 1, CB Bucknor didn't have any major problems behind the plate, giving all pitchers a consistent and somewhat liberal strike zone.

• With Izturis on 2nd, and Napoli on 1st, and still 2 out, Erick Aybar came to the plate. This would've probably been the time for Boston manager Terry Francona to go to the bullpen, but he stuck with Josh Beckett one batter too many. Erick Aybar launched a shot into deep centerfield for a triple, scoring Izturis and Napoli and giving the Angels the 4-1 lead.

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• At this point in the game, Terry Francona had seen enough from Josh Beckett and brought in ex-Met closer Billy Wagner to stop the Angels' rally. He did so, getting Chone Figgins turned around to bat righty, striking him out.

• Despite a pitch count over 100, Jered Weaver came out for the 8th inning, promptly striking out J.D. Drew before it was time for his standing ovation from the Angels fans. Mike Scioscia went to the bullpen, bringing in lefty Darren Oliver for his 2nd straight game. Oliver struck out pinch-hitter Jed Lowrie but gave up a single to Jacoby Ellsbury.

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• Scioscia went to the pen again, this time to righty Kevin Jepsen to face Dustin Pedroia. Jepsen induced a weak chopper short of the mound on the third base side. Jepsen made a nice fielding play and threw out Pedroia to end the 8th inning.

• Billy Wagner began the 8th inning for Boston by giving up a leadoff single to Bobby Abreu, and Tito had to keep the Angels from getting going again. So he brought in closer Jonathan Papelbon to stop things. Torii Hunter flied out to Ellsbury in CF. The Sox then pitched out first pitch to Howie Kendrick, throwing out Bobby Abreu trying to take 2nd base. Kendrick then struck out and we moved to the bottom of the 9th.

• Jepsen remained in the game to start the bottom of the 9th with the Angels' 3-run lead intact. Victor Martinez led off by flying out to Torii Hunter in centerfield for the first out. Kevin Youkilis hit a double into the left-centerfield gap, and then it was time for Angels' manager Mike Scioscia to bring in closer Brian Fuentes to face lefty David Ortiz.

• Though Fuentes has been very shaky this season despite a MLB-leading 48 saves, he's at his best when facing lefty hitters. Ortiz lined out to LF Juan Rivera for the 2nd out. Fuentes got ahead of Jason Bay on a 1-2 count before losing him to a walk With runners on 1st and 2nd, the tying run came up to the plate in the form of Mike Lowell.

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• With fans of both teams on edge, Mike Lowell hit a flyball to deep centerfield, but not deep enough. Torii Hunter caught it with ease and the Angels won Game 2 of the ALDS by a final score of 4-1. Just another Halo victory!

This was Josh Beckett's first postseason loss since Game 3 of the 2003 World Series against the New York Yankees.

Through the first two games, the Angels' starters have given up a total of 1 earned run on 6 hits with a 0.61 ERA. The scary Angels bullpen? A 0.00 ERA.

If there's any team capable of coming back in the postseason, it's Boston. They were on the winning side of the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees (aka: the biggest collapse in baseball history) when they came back from a 3-0 deficit to win 4 straight games and win the ALCS before sweeping the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. The Red Sox were also down 3 games to 1 against the Cleveland Indians in the 2007 ALCS before taking the next 3 of that series and then sweeping the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series.

Boston has also been down 2-0 in the ALDS 4 times before. And twice, they came back to win 3-2. They did so against the Cleveland Indians in 1999, and the Oakland A's in 2003. The other two times? They were swept in 3 games by the Chicago White Sox in 2005, and the Cleveland Indians in 1995.

The odds still do heavily favor the Angels at this point though. Since the current playoff format was implemented in 1995, teams going up 2-0 in the Division Series have won it 31 of 35 times.

These were the first two consecutive postseason wins for the Halos since Games 2 and 3 of the 2005 ALDS against the Yankees.

Considering the Angels already faced the best starters on Boston's staff in the first two games, the advantage should shift even moreso to the Angels with Scott Kazmir starting against Clay Buchholz. 

Buchholz has looked stellar for Boston during the regular season except for the last two starts of the season in which he got destroyed by both Toronto and Cleveland.  Buchholz has never pitched in the postseason.

Since coming to the Angels just prior to the August 31 trade deadline, Scott Kazmir has posted a 1.73 ERA in 6 starts for the Angels, going 2-2 with the club. He went 10-9 on the year with a 4.89 ERA, although he was pitching injured for much of 2009 and spent some time on the DL as well.

More importantly, Kazmir has been very successful throughout his career pitching against Boston. During the regular season, he has an 8-7 record with a 3.59 ERA over 130.1 IP in 23 starts. His career record at Fenway Park is equally impressive, going 6-4 with a 3.05 ERA over 73.2 IP in 13 starts.

In the 2008 ALCS against Boston while pitching with Tampa, Kazmir made 2 starts against the Red Sox. The first in Game 2 at Tropicana Field did not go so well, as he gave up 5 earned runs in 4.1IP, 2 of them solo homers by Dustin Pedroia, and another solo blast by Kevin Youkilis.  However, opponent Josh Beckett also lasted just 4.1 IP, and he gave up 8 earned runs in that game. Neither Beckett nor Kazmir were involved in the decision in that game which was won by Tampa in 11 innings by a final score of 9-8.

Kazmir's 2nd start in the 2008 ALCS went a lot better as he pitched Game 5 in Fenway Park. Kazmir pitched 6 innings of shutout ball on 2 hits, 3 walks and 7 strikeouts. Tampa's bullpen blew that game and the Rays lost by a final of 8-7. Kazmir did not get the decision but was in line for the win until he left the game.

If the first two games of this 2009 ALDS favored Boston because of the starting pitching which didn't pan out, then Game 3 of the series certainly favors the Angels if Kazmir can outduel Buchholz and whoever else Francona throws out there, as all hands will be on deck for the Boston pitching staff for the remainder of this series.

Here's hoping that Kazmir does so, sweeps the Red Sox, and the Angels move onto the ALCS to likely face the New York Yankees.

So far it's been a rotten postseason for So Cal baseball. The Dodgers and their hordes of low/no-class Raider fans and gang members still looking for fights and crimes to commit at sporting events are happy, but Angel fans are most certainly not, and with good reason.

Despite possessing the best regular-season record in baseball at 100-62, also the best record in franchise history, the Angels find themselves in an all-too familiar situation down 0-2 to the Boston Red Sox in the 2008 ALDS.

In my predictions post, I neglected to mention that these two teams had also faced each other in the 1986 ALCS in addition to the 2004 and 2007 series. Since trailing 3-1 in the 1986 ALCS, Boston has won 11 straight playoff games against Los Angeles, including first-round sweeps in 2004 and 2007 en route to World Series championships. On Friday, the Red Sox set a record for most postseason victories (11) in a row over one opponent.

Game 2 of this Angels-Red Sox series was probably the most exciting postseason game this year, with the Angels down 5-1 early in the game. They continued to score a run here and there until finally tying the game 5-5 in the 8th inning off of Jonathan Papelbon, only to have their closer Frankie Rodriguez give up a 2-run blast to J.D. Drew in the top of the 9th, which gave Boston the 7-5 victory.

With the Angels entering Fenway Park in an elimination game, things do not look good, especially when they're about to face the best currently active postseason pitcher in Josh Beckett. He posted a 1.20 ERA winning all four of his postseason starts last year. Beckett, who was also named MVP of the 2003 World Series with the Florida Marlins, is 6-2 with a 1.73 ERA in 10 career postseason games. If Curt Schilling was still pitching for Boston, this would be even more frightening than it already is.

If there's any "good news" about Beckett as far as the Angels are concerned, it's that he hasn't pitched in 2 weeks due to back problems. Still, he's healthy enough to pitch tonight.

Joe Saunders will be pitching for the Angels tonight. Saunders has had a great regular season (17-7, 3.41) in 2008, but this is his first postseason start and it's on enemy grounds.

Manager Mike Scioscia has a big task ahead of him, and this could be a big task in years to come when the Angels can't shake the rally monkey off its back.

But, that's why they play the games. So, onto the liveblogging!

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(All times Pacific)

Top of 1st Inning:

4:29pm: Chone Figgins lines the first pitch he sees down the rightfield line, which is touched by at least one fan as the ball bounced into the seats and then back out into RF. Figgins ends up with a ground-rule double.

4:34pm: Garrett Anderson strikes out looking at a curveball go by him on a 3-2 count. 1 out.

4:38pm: Mark Teixeira strikes out swinging. 2 outs.

4:39pm: Vladimir Guerrero takes a walk as Josh Beckett throws him primarily outside pitches that even Vladdy can't be coaxed into chasing.

4:42pm: Torii Hunter needs to put the Angels ahead right now. With Beckett pitching, there's not going to be a whole lot of opportunities.

4:45pm: With a 2-2 count, Jason Varitek has a quick talk on the mound with Josh Beckett about getting their signals straight.

4:46pm: Torii Hunter hits a grounder right between 1st and 2nd base. 2B Dustin Pedroia is able to knock the ball down but Josh Beckett is late to first as Torii Hunter makes it to 1st base. Pedroia holds onto the ball keeping Figgins at 3rd base. Bases loaded and 2 outs for Juan Rivera.

4:48pm: Juan Rivera swings 3-0 but fouls it back. 3-1 count. Rivera better not swing again.

4:49pm: Juan Rivera takes my advice and takes a bases loaded walk. Chone Figgins scores. Angels go up 1-0. Beckett has thrown 27 pitches so far.

4:50pm: The Chicago White Sox just won game 3 over the Tampa Bay Rays by a final score of 5-3. The White Sox are still down 2 games to 1.

4:51pm: Mike Napoli grounds out to SS Jed Lowrie who flips to 2B Dustin Pedroia for the force at 2nd. 6-4. 3 out.

Bottom of 1st Inning:

4:52pm: Leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury scalds a 0-1 pitch down the 1st-base line but it's stopped by a diving Mark Teixeira who makes a great play to save an extra-base hit. Tex takes it to the bag himself for the out. 1 out.

4:55pm: On an 0-1 pitch, Joe Saunders hits Dustin Pedroia on the right shin. Pedroia takes his base. The Boston crowd drunkenly chants "MVP" at Pedroia.

4:56pm: David Ortiz skies the first pitch he sees to deep straightaway center, but Torii Hunter brings it down. 2 outs.

4:58pm: Kevin Youkilis grounds to SS Erick Aybar, who flips to 2B Howie Kendrick for the force. 6-4. 3 outs.

Top of 2nd Inning:

5:02pm: Howie Kendrick leads off for the Angels, and he is not having a good postseason at all. With a propensity to strike out way too much for a good hitter, Kendrick has been swinging at junk lately and Boston knows it.

5:03pm: Howie Kendrick grounds to 3B Mike Lowell. Lowell's throw to 1st is poor as it bounces, but Youkilis fields it without a problem. 5-3. 1 out.

5:05pm: Erick Aybar hits a weak chopper down the 1st base line right into the glove of a charging Kevin Youkilis who tags Aybar out as he tries to spin out of the baseline. 2 outs.

5:07pm: Chone Figgins takes a 3-2 pitch into centerfield for a single.

5:09pm: With Garrett Anderson batting, Chone Figgins steals 2nd base on a swinging strike 1. Varitek's throw bounces into Pedroia's glove.

5:11pm: Garrett Anderson works out a walk. Runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out. Mark Teixeira comes to the plate and the Angels need to crack Beckett open.

5:12pm: Mark Teixeria grounds out to 3B Mike Lowell who throws onto 2B Dustin Pedroia for the force play. 5-4. 3 outs.

Bottom of 2nd Inning:

5:16pm: Jason Bay grounds out to 3B Chone Figgins. 5-3. 1 out.

5:19pm: Mike Lowell strikes out swinging. 2 outs.

5:21pm: Jed Lowrie works out a walk.

5:25pm: After fouling off a number of pitches, Jason Varitek lines a 3-2 pitch into leftfield for a single. Jed Lowrie stops at 2nd base.

5:26pm: Coco Crisp is up with runners on 1st and 2nd, 2 out. Crisp has very good numbers against Joe Saunders at .294 (5 for 17) with 5 of those hits consisting of 4 doubles and a homerun.

5:28pm: Joe Saunders walks Coco Crisp on 4 straight balls. Bases are now loaded for Jacoby Ellsbury.

5:31pm: In the ultimate in shitty defense, Jacoby Ellsbury hits a sky pop to shallow centerfield which should have been caught by either CF Torii Hunter or 2B Howie Kendrick. But instead, no one catches it and 3 runs score. That's unfuckingbelievable. Since no one touched the ball, Ellsbury gets a single. Red Sox go up 3-1.

5:33pm: Dustin Pedroia grounds out to SS Erick Aybar who flips to 2B Howie Kendrick for the force. 6-4. 3 out.

Top of 3rd Inning:

5:36pm: Vladimir Guerrero hits the first pitch from Josh Beckett down the leftfield line for a leadoff double.

5:38pm: Torii Hunter can't hold his check swing on a breaking ball in the dirt and strikes out. 1 out.

5:42pm: Juan Rivera fouls out to 1B Kevin Youkilis. 2 outs. Amazing how this Angels team reminds me of the Mets in that they can't convert runners in scoring position into a run.

5:44pm: Sure enough, TBS provides the data that backs up my feeling. The Angels are 7 for 50 with runners in scoring position over the last 6 postseason games (this year and last).

5:46pm: With Mike Napoli batting, Vladimir Guerrero moves himself over by stealing 3rd base on a 2-2 pitch which ended up being a ball.

5:47pm: Mike Napoli BOMBS a 3-2 breaking ball pitch over the Green Monster for a 2-run HR. Angels tie the game up at 3 a piece.

5:48pm: Good 'ol Howie Kendrick strikes out on 3 pitches. If the Angels somehow manage to win this game, I sure hope Kendrick is NOT playing 2B during Game 4. 3 outs.

Bottom of 3rd Inning:

5:51pm: David Ortiz flies out to CF Torii Hunter. 1 out.

5:53pm: Kevin Youkilis draws a walk.

5:55pm: Jason Bay flies out to RF Juan Rivera. 2 outs. TBS is showing the replay of the 3-run single that fell in between Howie Kendrick and Torii Hunter earlier. It sure looks like Howie Kendrick was the one who royally fucked up considering his glove was in the air and was closer to the ball. Plus Torii Hunter never called him off, but Kendrick stopped pursuing the ball just steps away from him. Ridiculous.

5:56pm: Jason Varitek flies out to RF Juan Rivera. 3 outs.

Top of 4th Inning:

5:59pm: Erick Aybar lines out to CF Coco Crisp. 1 out.

6:02pm: Chone Figgins has Josh Beckett's number tonight as he singles to RF.

6:04pm: Garrett Anderson puts a ride into a shot that goes to the warning track in straightaway CF, but Coco Crisp makes the catch just short of the wall. 2 outs.

6:07pm: Mark Teixeira hits a weak grounder to 1B Kevin Youkilis who fields it closer to the infield grass in between bases, tosses to Josh Beckett covering first but Beckett misses the base with his foot and Teixeria beats it out for an infield single. Chone Figgins to 2nd.

6:08pm: Josh Beckett is up to 87 pitches at this point, and there is action in the Red Sox bullpen with Manny Delcarmen throwing.

6:10pm: Jason Varitek goes out to the mound for his 53rd meeting with Josh Beckett.

6:11pm: Vladimir Guerrero takes 4 straight balls for a walk. The Angels again have bases loaded with 2 outs. Pitching coach John Farrell goes out to the mound to make sure Beckett is ok, and give Manny Delcarmen a little more warmup time.

6:12pm: Torii Hunter hits a ground ball up the middle but it's fielded by 2B Dustin Pedroia, who tosses to SS Jed Lowrie at 2B for the force. 3 outs. Angels leave 'em loaded again.

Bottom of 4th Inning:

6:16pm: Jed Lowrie scalds the first pitch he sees past a diving 3B Chone Figgins into leftfield for a leadoff single.

6:19pm: Jason Varitek grounds into a 5-4-3 DP. 3B Chone Figgins to 2B Howie Kendrick to 1B Mark Teixeira. 2 outs.

6:20pm: TBS broadcasters note that Manny Delcarmen is no longer warming up and that Josh Beckett will likely come out to pitch the 5th.

6:21pm: Coco Crisp grounds out to 3B Chone Figgins. 5-3. 3 outs.

Top of 5th Inning:

6:23pm: Beckett is back for the 5th even though he'll be passing the 100-pitch mark after this inning. Still, it's a tie game and he's getting the big outs when they count.

6:24pm: Juan Rivera strikes out swinging at the high heat. 1 out.

6:26pm: Mike Napoli turns on a Josh Beckett high fastball and it just clears the Green Monster wall and into the seats for a solo HR. The Angels go up 4-3. TBS announcers Buck Martinez and Chip Caray note that this is the first time Napoli has ever faced Josh Beckett. Looks like Napoli has his number.

6:27pm: Howie Kendrick manages to smash a single past a diving SS Jed Lowrie into centerfield.

6:29pm: With Howie Kendrick running on the pitch, Erick Aybar drives a ball into right-centerfield but Coco Crisp tracks it down. Crisp tries to double off Kendrick at first, but the ball hits Kendrick and deflects into foul terrritory. Kendrick stays at first as Kevin Youkilis goes after the ball. 2 outs.

6:32pm: Josh Beckett strikes out Chone Figgins. 3 outs.

Bottom of 5th Inning:

6:36pm: Jacoby Ellsbury hits a ball to the Monster wall but LF Garrett Anderson overruns it by an inch and the ball goes off his glove, hits the wall and Ellsbury ends up at 2nd with a leadoff double.

6:39pm: Dustin Pedroia fouls out to C Mike Napoli just a foot away from the Red Sox on-deck circle. 1 out.

6:40pm: TBS sideline announcer Craig Sager reports that Josh Beckett is done for the game.

6:42pm: Joe Saunders strikes out Big Papi David Ortiz with the high heat. 2 outs.

6:45pm: Kevin Youkilis crushes a pitch off the centerfield wall for a double that scores Jacoby Ellsbury from 2nd and ties up the game 4-4. 12 of Boston's 15 runs in this ALDS series have come with 2 outs. Jose Arredondo begins to warm up in the Angels' bullpen.

6:50pm: Jason Bay walks, and that's it for Joe Saunders.

6:53pm: Jose Arredondo is on in relief to pitch against Mike Lowell with runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out.

6:55pm: After working a full count, Mike Lowell lays off an outside corner fastball which happens to be strike 3. 3 outs.

Top of 6th Inning:

6:59pm: The flamethrowing Manny Delcarmen is in to pitch for Boston. Garrett Anderson leads off.

7:00pm: Garrett Anderson hits a broken bat grounder to 1B Kevin Youkilis. Youkilis races to the bag to beat Anderson by sliding into it to avoid a collision. 1 out.

7:02pm: Mark Teixeira hits a grounder at 1B Kevin Youkilis who takes it to the bag without a race. 2 outs.

7:05pm: Vladimir Guerrero grounds out to 2B Dustin Pedroia. 4-3. 3 outs.

Bottom of 6th Inning:

7:10pm: Jose Arredondo gets Jed Lowrie to strikeout swinging at a 3-2 fastball.  1 out.

7:11pm: Jason Varitek strikes out looking. That's 3 Ks for Arredondo. 2 outs.

7:14pm: Coco Crisp grounds out to 2B Howie Kendrick. 4-3. 3 outs.

Top of 7th Inning:

7:18pm: Torii Hunter strikes out swinging. 1 out.

7:20pm: Juan Rivera grounds out to SS Jed Lowrie. 6-3. 2 outs.

7:21pm: Mike Napoli gets hit by Manny Delcarmen's first pitch. The ball grazes his jersey, but that's enough to give him first base. It's doubtful that it was intentional since the Sox can't afford to be allowing baserunners in a tie game.

7:22pm: Howie Kendrick slaps a single past 1st base into RF and a jumping Mike Napoli trying to avoid the ball. Napoli to 2nd. That's all for Manny Delcarmen.

7:24pm: Lefty setup man Hideki Okajima is on in relief for the Red Sox.

7:25pm: Erick Aybar hits a broken bat weak grounder right at 3B Mike Lowell, who steps on third for the 3rd out.

Bottom of 7th Inning:

7:29pm: Reggie Willits replaces Juan Rivera in RF as a defensive replacement. Not like Rivera was doing much with the bat anyways other than taking the bases loaded walk that scored the first Angel run.

7:31pm: Jose Arredondo throws 4 straight balls to Jacoby Ellsbury, giving him a dangerous leadoff walk. Darren Oliver and Scot Shields get up in the Angel bullpen. Pitching coach Mike Butcher goes to the mound to talk to Arredondo, noting that Ellsbury is a dangerous basestealing threat.

7:34pm: Arredondo throws back to 1st base 3 times in a row to keep Ellsbury honest before throwing a pitch for strike 1.

7:35pm: Dustin Pedroia flies out to shallow center where Torii Hunter is there to make the catch. 1 out.

7:36pm: That will be all for Jose Arredondo with lefty David Ortiz coming up. Angels manager Mike Scioscia brings in lefty reliever Darren Oliver, knowing that Ortiz's numbers against lefty pitchers this year are not good.

7:40pm: With David Ortiz batting, Jacoby Ellsbury steals 2nd base easily but slides so hard that he comes off the bag and Erick Aybar keeps the tag on him without pushing him off the base. A huge 2nd out for the Angels.

7:41pm: David Ortiz works out a walk on a 3-2 count. And that's it for Darren Oliver with righty Kevin Youkilis coming up. Righty Scot Shields comes on in relief for the Angels.

7:44pm: Scot Shields strikes out Kevin Youkilis. 3 outs.

Top of 8th Inning:

7:51pm: Chone Figgins lines a ball into right-centerfield but CF Coco Crisp easily tracks it down. 1 out.

7:53pm: Garrett Anderson grounds out to 1B Kevin Youkilis who tosses to Hideki Okajima covering first just in time to get Anderson out. 3-1. 2 outs.

7:55pm: Mark Teixeira lines a ball at 3B Mike Lowell that deflects off of his glove into leftfield for a single. That's all for
lefty Hideki Okajima as righties Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter will bat next for Los Angeles. Red Sox manager Terry Francona makes the call to the bullpen for righty Justin Masterson.

8:01pm: Justin Masterson gets Vladimir Guerrero swinging at a 3-2 fastball that Vlad can't connect on and he strikes out in a big spot. *sigh*  3 outs.

Bottom of 8th Inning:

8:05pm: Jason Bay skies a flyball into the leftfield corner where LF Garrett Anderson is there to make the catch. 1 out.

8:06pm: Mike Lowell grounds out meekly to 2B Howie Kendrick. 4-3. 2 outs.

8:07pm: Scot Shields strikes out Jed Lowrie on 3 nasty breaking balls. 3 outs.

Top of 9th Inning:

8:09pm: I'd be surprised if Jonathan Papelbon doesn't come on to pitch the top of the 9th for Boston. Still, he pitched 1.1 innings on Friday night in Anaheim, so who knows.

8:11pm: Justin Masterson remains in the game, as there's no need to go to Papelbon yet. Torii Hunter hits a grounder down  the leftfield line, LF Jason Bay fields it and throws to Dustin Pedroia at 2nd base to easily get Torii Hunter who is out by a mile. Hunter's hurt knee clearly slowed him down on the basepaths since he normally would get to 2nd without a problem. 1 out.

8:13pm: Lefty Kendry Morales is in to pinch-hit for RF Reggie Willits. He grounds it to 1B Kevin Youkilis who makes the toss to a covering Justin Masterson for the out. 3-1. 2 outs.

8:15pm: Mike Napoli hits a broken-bat grounder past the mound to 2B Dustin Pedroia. The shattered bat just misses Justin Masterson, but Pedroia makes the throw to 1st for the out., 4-3. 3 outs.

Bottom of 9th Inning:

8:19pm: Scot Shields remains on the mound for the 9th. Lefty J.D. Drew, aka: Hero of Game 2, is on to pinch-hit for Jason Varitek's spot.

8:20pm: J.D. Drew strikes out swinging at the high heat. 1 out.

8:22pm: Coco Crisp takes a 3-2 pitch into centerfield but right at Torii Hunter. 2 outs.

8:23pm: Jacoby Ellsbury skies a flyball into RF, but Gary Matthews Jr., now playing RF although the announcers never mentioned that, makes the catch. 3 outs. We're going to extra innings.

Top of 10th Inning:

8:25pm: Jonathan Papelbon is now in to pitch for Boston. Backup catcher Kevin Cash replaces Jason Varitek behind the plate.

8:27pm: Howie Kendrick tries to bunt his way on but it goes right to 3B Mike Lowell, almost on a fly. Lowell makes the throw to first. 5-3. 1 out.

8:28pm: We're told that current Angels postseason roster is 2 for 48 against Papelbon. *gulp*

8:29pm: Make that 2 for 49, or is it 2 for 50? Erick Aybar grounds back to Papelbon. 1-3. 2 outs.

8:33pm: Fenway explodes as Chone Figgins strikes out looking. I hate Jonathan Papelbon. 3 outs.

Bottom of 10th Inning:

8:35pm: Frankie Rodriguez is on to pitch in relief for the Angels. I know it's not an ideal situation for K-Rod, but he cannot blow this one.

8:37pm: In Frankie's last two postseason appearances, he gave up game-winning HRs. Friday night to J.D. Drew, and in last year's ALDS Game 3 clincher to Manny Ramirez.

8:38pm: Dustin Pedroia strikes out swinging. 1 out.

8:42pm: David Ortiz has a nice at-bat against K-Rod before walking on a full count.

8:44pm: Kevin Youkilis sees a fastball, changeup, (0-2 count) fouled-off fastball, fouled-off fastball, curveball lined to CF for a base hit single. David Ortiz moves to 2nd base. This would be a good time to pinch-run for David Ortiz but it isn't happening.

8:48pm: Jason Bay strikes out swinging at K-Rod's breaking ball. 2 outs.

8:49pm: TBS Announcer Buck Martinez also wonders why Ortiz isn't being pinch-run for with Mark Kotsay still available on the bench.

8:50pm: 3-2 count to Mike Lowell with 2 outs will allow David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis a headstart on the bases.

8:52pm: Mike Lowell walks as he doesn't swing at a low and outside fastball. Alex Cora is in to pinch-run for Mike Lowell at 1B.

8:53pm: Bases loaded. 2 outs. Frankie Rodriguez vs. Jed Lowrie, now batting lefty. The Fenway fatifhful get very very loud.

8:54pm: Even louder when Frankie can't find the strike zone with 2 balls.

8:55pm: MIRACLE! Jed Lowrie flies out to RF Gary Matthews Jr. 3 outs! Frankie is pumped, although the Angels need to take this momentum and score some motherfucking runs in the 11th. Frankie threw 30+ pitches that inning, so it's questionable if he can pitch the bottom of the 11th.

Top of 11th Inning:

8:58pm: Defensive adjustments for Boston. Jed Lowrie moves over to 3B in place of Mike Lowell, Alex Cora replaces Lowrie at SS. Jonathan Papelbon stays in for another inning.

9:01pm: Jonathan Papelbon strikes out Garrett Anderson on a 3-2 fastball. 1 out. Both team's bullpens have been fantastic. If only Howie Kendrick had caught that Jacoby Ellsbury fly ball back in the 2nd inning, the Angels would've already won the game!!!

9:04pm: Paul Byrd is warming up in the Red Sox bullpen, preparing for some long relief if necessary.

9:05pm: Mark Teixeira works a 3-2 count and manages to walk. The first walk given up by Papelbon since July 5. Holy crap.

9:06pm: Vladimir Guerrero hits the first pitch back up the middle into CF for a base hit. Teixeira goes to 2nd base.

9:08pm: Torii Hunter flies out to RF Jacoby Ellsbury. The runners do not advance. 2 outs.

9:10pm: Javier Lopez joins Paul Byrd in the Red Sox bullpen.

9:11pm: Gary Matthews Jr. strikes out swinging at the high heat, to the surprise of no one. 3 outs.

Bottom of 11th Inning:

9:14pm: Jered Weaver is in to pitch in long relief for the Angels. He has not pitched a game since September 23.

9:15pm: Mark Kotsay is in to pinch-hit for catcher Kevin Cash.

9:16pm: Mark Kotsay strikes out swinging at a 3-2 pitch. 1 out.

9:17pm: Coco Crisp lines a ball into CF for a single.

9:19pm: Jered Weaver strikes out Jacoby Ellsbury looking at an outside pitch, but the ump gave Weaver the call. 2 outs.

9:20pm: Jered Weaver throws over to 1st base several times to keep Coco Crisp from taking 2nd base. They even pitchout on the first pitch to Dustin Pedroia, but Crisp doesn't go.

9:22pm: The next pitch is a strike, but Coco Crisp steals 2nd base on the pitch with ease. A base hit to the outfield should win the game for Boston. All the more important for Weaver to get Pedroia out right now.

9:23pm: Dustin Pedroia rockets a ball right at 3B Chone Figgins who fields it and throws to first for the 3rd out. 5-3. WHEW!!!!!!!!

Top of 12th Inning:

9:26pm: Lefty Javier Lopez is in to pitch for Boston. David Ross is in behind the plate at catcher.

9:27pm: It's amazing that with 13 hits through , the Angels have only been able to score 4 runs. And by amazing, I kinda mean pathetic.

9:29pm: Mike Napoli shoots a grounder through the hole between 3rd and SS for a leadoff single. Howie Kendrick should be up here to bunt.

9:30pm: Howie Kendrick bunts the first pitch down the 1st-base line where it is cleanly fielded by Lopez, who throws over to 1st base for the out. 1-3. Napoli successfully moves to 2nd base in scoring position. Can the Angels CONVERT?!?!!?

9:31pm: This game has now gone past the 5-hour mark. But what a great game it is. Even greater if the Angels an score right now.

9:32pm: Erick Aybar bloop singles a ball to centerfield! Mike Napoli scores easily from 2nd base, Angels go up 5-4. FINALLY!!

9:33pm: Martinez and Caray note that the Angels could use some insurance since they'll be facing Ortiz, Youkilis and Bay in the bottom of the 12th.

9:34pm: Chone Figgins strikes out looking at an inside fastball. 2 outs.

9:35pm: Garrett Anderson grounds an 0-2 pitch through the hole on the right side for a single to RF. Aybar goes to 3rd on the base hit.

9:36pm: Mark Teixeira grounds an 0-1 pitch to SS Alex Cora, who flips to 2B Dustin Pedroia for the force out. 6-4. 3 outs.

Bottom of 12th Inning:

9:39pm: Jered Weaver is still pitching for the Angels. David Ortiz has some wicked hahd numbers against him too, batting .471 (8 for 17) with 3 HRs over his career.

9:41pm: David Ortiz takes a 3-2 count and turns it into a leadoff walk. However, now there's no one that can pinch-run for Ortiz, and a double-play ball is super important.

9:42pm: Apparently Sean Casey is the only person left on the Boston bench, but he is no faster than Ortiz.

9:43pm: Another 3-2 count, now to Kevin Youkilis....

9:44pm: Kevin Youkilis skies a ball to CF Torii Hunter. 1 out. There is a heavy layer of mist that has settled upon Fenway Park.

9:46pm: Jason Bay strikes out looking at an inside fastball. FUCK YEAH! 2 outs.

9:47pm: Alex Cora slaps a grounder back at 3B Chone Figgins who makes a great play, turns around, fires to first and throws out Cora. 5-3. 3 outs. ANGELS WIN!!!!!!

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Your winners in a thrilling heart-attack-inducing game, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by a final score of 5-4 in 12 innings.

With their backs up against the wall, the Angels held on to beat the Red Sox despite some shoddy defense. They didn't let Josh Beckett own them, and Mike Napoli certainly didn't, with 2 bomb shots off of Beckett.

But this game meant a lot for the Angels. Winning meant avoiding elimination. Winning meant avoiding getting swept for the third time in a row by the Red Sox. Winning meant stopping the 11-game postseason winning streak that the Red Sox had over the Angels that dates back to 1986. Winning meant everything to LAA.

Tomorrow's game 4 at Fenway will be a game 1 rematch of Jon Lester vs John Lackey, hopefully with a very different
result.

Well, the Mets once again miss the postseason, but there's still plenty of great baseball to be played in October.
Last year my predictions for the 1st round were pretty much wrong across the board, so maybe this year I'll get some right?

ALDS:
Los Angeles Angels vs Boston Red Sox.

These two teams have met in the playoffs twice before. 2004 in the ALDS, and 2007 in the ALDS.
Both times, Boston swept the Angels 3-0.

However, in 2004 and 2007, Boston had the advantage over the Angels in regular season play. In 2004, Boston won the season series 5-4. In 2007, Boston won the season series 6-4.

In 2008, the Angels won the season series 8-1. That's not even close. The Angels were able to go into Fenway and win. The Angels had identical records at home and away in 2008, 50-31. They are also the ONLY AL team in the postseason with a winning record on the road.

The Red Sox may not have Josh Beckett available to go, they don't have Manny or Schilling anymore, and they are not as good of a team as they have been in the past. J.D. Drew may not be available either with a bad back. Mike Lowell is hurt, etc.

With Mark Teixiera, the Angels are a deeper team with power, something they've lacked in postseasons of the past.

Also, this time the Angels possess home-field advantage, which they did not have in 2004 or 2007 against Boston.

All of the tangibles heavily favor the Angels, but Boston is still gonna be tough.

My prediction: Angels in 5 games.

ALDS:
Chicago White Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays

Regular season, Tampa won the season series 6-4.

Tampa has a slight advantage in that they are a little more well-rested than the White Sox, having finished up play on Sunday. Chicago will get a break on Wednesday before beginning the series in Tampa at the Trop, where Tampa is practically unbeatable with the best home record in the majors at 57-24.

The White Sox also posted a terrible 4-16 record in games on artificial turf this season. Which means they did very poorly when playing in Toronto, Minnesota, and Tampa Bay.

Too many ignorant fans still think Tampa Bay lucked their way into the postseason, as opposed to recognizing that they're a very very good team. Tampa's only real question mark is their bullpen right now.

My prediction: Tampa in 4 games.

NLDS:
Philadelphia Phillies vs Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee nearly missed the postseason with a terrible September. Only a winning series against the Chicago Cubs, coupled with the Mets losing series against the Florida Marlins, allowed them to win the wild card.

The Brewers have a very tough offense, but they're also very weak on pitching once CC Sabathia is no longer on the mound. And now #2 starter Ben Sheets is out of the postseason with a torn muscle near his pitching elbow.

The Brewers bullpen is frankly, dogshit compared to the Phillies' pen. Brad Lidge may have had playoff chokes in the past, but Albert Pujols is nowhere to be found in the playoffs this year.

The Phillies also will have home-field advantage. I give the Brewers one win in the series, figuring it's the one Sabathia pitches.

My prediction: Philadelphia in 4 games.

NLDS:
Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Dodgers

The L.A. Dodgers have won a total of 1 playoff game in 20 years since their 1988 World Championship. That 1 game was in the 2004 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals, when Jose Lima pitched a CG SHO 4-0 win over the Cards.

In 1995, 1996, 2004, and 2006, the Dodgers made the playoffs. And they were swept 3 of those 4 times (Cubs, Braves, Mets) in first-round 3-0 laughers.

The 2008 Dodgers have the worst regular season record of all the playoff teams at 84-78, fattened up in September on the very weak NL West (and Pirates) by going 17-8 when it counted. A lot of that success was due to the Manny Ramirez effect. Manny batted just under .400 since joining the Dodgers on August 1, and he (as well as Casey Blake) have been huge contributors to the success of the Blue Crew.

But so has facing teams like the Giants, Padres and Rockies so often in the 2nd half.

The Cubs on the other hand, are the best team in the NL, beat the Dodgers 5 out of 7 times in the regular season, (the Wrigley series was in May without Manny or Blake on the team, and as such, the Dodgers scored 1 run in each game of that Cubs sweep) and are a superior team in every imaginable way.

Then there's the Wrigley advantage. Cubs will have home field advantage, and them losing at Wrigley isn't happening. The only real question mark is Carlos Zambrano's health. Zambrano probably will only need one start in this series, and he won't be pitching the opener.

Dodgers starter Derek Lowe has gone 5-1 with a 0.94 ERA in his last nine starts, which is the best run of any pitcher in the majors over that time period. He even outpitched Zambrano at Wrigley in May, only to have closer Takashi Saito blow the game for him.

With Lowe on the mound, it's probably the Dodgers' best chance to win a game. Except I don't see it happening since he'll be facing Ryan Dempster.

My prediction:
The Dodgers will continue their record of being 1st-round losers, being swept by the Chicago Cubs in 3 games.

Well, I didn't get the number of games right, but I got the teams right, which is a huge 180 from my initial LDS predictions.

I predicted Boston over Cleveland in 5 games, it took the Red Sox 7.
I predicted Colorado over Arizona in 6 games, and they swept them in 4.

So this brings us to one of the most unlikeliest World Series matchups in a while.

The team with the best record during the regular season (yes, I know the Indians had the same record, but the head-to-head during regular season gave Boston the home field advantage, and plus, they won the ALCS) against the wild card team from the National League who not only barely squeaked into a tie for the wild card, but then had to win an extra-inning thriller to win the wild card.

That being said, even though Colorado almost missed the playoffs, they've been unstoppable, having won 21 of 22 games.

There's a lot of talk about how Colorado has had all this time off (8 days) between the end of the NLCS and the start of the World Series, and that the "sitting around and waiting" is going to be their demise.

To me, that's irrelevant. They certainly run enough scrimmages and practices during that period to keep the guys fresh and active. Ultimately, who is the better team?

On paper, it's the Red Sox, easily. But the Phillies were also better on paper, as were the Diamondbacks. But that didn't stop the Rockies from not only winning each series, but sweeping them in impressive if not improbable fashion.

So what's going to happen in ths 2007 World Series? The Boston Red Sox are a superior team, but the Rockies are the first undefeated postseason team since in 21 years (since the 1976 Reds). That's gotta count for something, no?

Game 1 pits Josh Beckett (ALCS MVP and seemingly postseason pitching GOD) vs Jeff Francis, at Fenway Park, Wednesday night.

Here's my prediction. The team that wins Game 1 of the World Series, will win it in 5 games. Whether that's Colorado, or Boston, I don't know. But it all rides on the opening game of the series.

Well, my original LDS predictions were laughable. Awful. Atrocious. I got all of them wrong, and in stupendous fashion.

In quick recap...

ALDS
New York Yankees vs Cleveland Indians
My Prediction: Yankees in 3
Reality: Indians in 4

Boston Red Sox vs Los Angeles Angels
My Prediction: Angels in 4
Reality: Red Sox in 3

NLDS
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Chicago Cubs
My Prediction: Cubs in 5
Reality: Diamondbacks in 3

Colorado Rockies vs Philadelphia Phillies
My Prediction: Phillies in 4
Reality: Rockies in 3

So yes, as you can see, it's a good thing I didn't go to Vegas.

Moving onto the League Championship Series, I know it's already Saturday and some games have already happened, but this is the first moment I've had to write this blog entry, and my original predictions were made and I have not let the outcomes of the first two NLCS games nor the first ALCS game affect my prediction.

ALCS
Boston Red Sox vs Cleveland Indians

Cleveland made an impressive showing against the Yankees, but Boston wiped the floor with Los Angeles through strong starting pitching (Beckett, Schilling) and their unstoppable offense. While Cleveland does have Sabathia and Carmona, their offense isn't nearly as potent as Boston's, and their bullpen isn't as strong.

My Prediction (maybe I get these right?): Boston in 5

NLCS
Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks

Colorado refuses to lose. Arizona is very good but they are beatable, as Colorado has already shown in the first two games, beating them twice in Phoenix already. I do expect Arizona to show up at some point and win some games, but ultimately this is the Rockies' destiny.

My Prediction: Colorado in 6

If it's Boston vs Colorado in the World Series, the edge goes to Boston. However, if Colorado manages to sweep Arizona in 4, then I really wonder. It'll be interesting to say the least.

Ever notice how more often than not, the best pitchers in the postseason are around the ages of 37-42?

Sure there have been anomalies, like a 23-year old Josh Beckett with the 2003 Marlins or even Game 1 rookie starter Anthony Reyes for St. Louis, who pitched 8 IP of shutout ball. Although that was his first and only great start of the postseason so far. Or maybe even the entire 2005 starting staff of the champion Chicago White Sox (Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, Javier Vasquez, Jose Contreras), who were all under 30 except for Contreras.

But the ones that stand the test of time, the ones we remember, are often the ones people like to make fun of because of their age. Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Tom Glavine, and now Kenny Rogers.

Rogers has extended his postseason scoreless innings streak to 23, is now the oldest pitcher to win a World Series game, and has shown absolutely no signs of waning nor deteriorating. Being with the Detroit Tigers has rejuvenated his career, which was marred by temper-tantrums with cameramen while with the Texas Rangers, and a well-documented postseason past in which Rogers was not a clutch guy.

To Mets fans, Kenny Rogers was the giant goat who walked Andruw Jones to score the winning run in the 11th inning of 1999 NLCS Game 6 against the Atlanta Braves. That walk gave Atlanta the series.

While Kenny Rogers had his best regular season numbers with the 1998 Oakland A's, he's never had a postseason quite like this. He shut down the Yankees, he shut down the Twins, and he shut down the Cardinals. He'll likely have the opportunity to do it again.

After the way Kenny celebrated the Tigers victory over the Yankees in the ALDS, spraying Tiger fans with champagne, dousing a policeman with the bubbly, and partying like a giddy frat boy, it's hard not to root for Kenny.

Oh yeah, Detroit won Game 2 by a score of 3-1. Closer Todd Jones made things interesting in the top 9 by giving up a run, but ultimately shut the door.