ALDS Game #1...Boston Red Sox At LA Angels

The LA Angels and the Boston Red Sox have met nine times in the post season since October of 1986, and Boston has won every won. Will that pleasing trend continue or will it revert back to 2008's 1-9 Red Sox regular season record? We'll only know the answer to that after game one, which starts shortly after 10pm EDT. Here are the all-important pitching matchups for the game. Bear in mind that John Lackey has had a rough September while Jon Lester was named AL Pitcher of the Month...
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Red Sox
Jon Lester

W-L ERA WHIP
vs Opp 0-0 7.20 2.20
Career vs Opp 1-1 7.78 2.19
Season 16-6 3.21 1.28

Angels
John Lackey

W-L ERA WHIP
vs Opp 2-0 2.81 0.69
Career vs Opp 3-6 5.54 1.67
Season 12-5 3.75 1.23
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All of the AL and NL ALDS games will be televised by TBS and (if you are lucky enough to receive it) TBS HD. It's a late starter but a little nap before the first pitch is not a bad idea, at least for me. You want a prediction? Oy vei. I guess I have to say that on Saturday, the Angels and Red Sox will be knotted at one game apiece. Daisuke Matsuzaka will pitch game two and Josh Beckett, as it stands right now, will toe the rubber in the Fenway opener game three on Sunday. He threw a side session on Tuesday and looked OK, according to his manager, Tito Francona, who had this to say yesterday on the prospect of Mike Lowell being able to play and whether or not he will be the DH for the team...

“Thought Mikey Lowell looked pretty good,” Francona said. “He’s not done doing everything he needs to do, but I thought it was very encouraging the way he moved around. The movement he did do didn’t grab at him. That was very encouraging.”
And no,” he said. “David is our DH. The way that the Angels play the game, we have to put our best team on the field. We want David DHing.”

Peter here. The Angels have the ability to bunt, and with speed on the basepaths, produce runs the way they were meant to be produced...by hustle and scratch base hits. Francona wants to put his best fielding team between the lines, so it makes sense to me! As for JD Drew, he and his back survived the plane flight without any ill effects and there's a good chance we'll see him in rightfield tonight. We can only hope.

So may the force be with the Boston Red Sox, that very special force of faith...it's always vital to win the first game in a short series such as this one. You can click on this post's title for more about the goings-on in California, where our team starts its quest for back to back world championships. So have faith. Like a protective animal, Boston always seems to rise up and attack when it's wounded, taking no prisoners. That's the way I see it, right here, right now. As always, BE WELL, and you can leave a comment with any and all last minute thoughts and maybe a prediction or two. Do we have a chance? I say yes, RESOUDINGLY.