While the White Sox beat the Twins for the last playoff position Tuesday, the real postseason starts today. Jon Lester's Red Sox are set to play the Angels, again. Manny's Dodgers will play the Cubs, The and CC's Brewers' will take on Philadelphia in the first round.
RED SOX VS. ANGELS
Records: Red Sox 95-67, AL wild card; Angels 100-62, AL West champions.
Season series: Angels won, 8-1.
Pitching matchups: Game 1 — Red Sox LHP Jon Lester (16-6, 3.21 ERA) vs. Angels RHP John Lackey (12-5, 3.75). Game 2 — Red Sox RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3, 2.90). vs. Angels RHP Ervin Santana (16-7, 3.49). Game 3 — Angels LHP Joe Saunders (17-7, 3.41) vs. Red Sox RHP Josh Beckett (12-10, 4.03).
Who’s hot: Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez finished with a major-league record 62 saves in 69 chances. He has blown only two saves since the middle of August.
Who’s not: Red Sox 3B Mike Lowell, the reigning World Series MVP, hit only .225 in the second half with four home runs while battling a hip injury.
On the spot: Red Sox LF Jason Bay was acquired to replace Manny Ramirez at the trade deadline. This is Bay’s first trip to the postseason, and any major failure will be exacerbated by Ramirez’s sterling history at this time of year.
Series keys: 1. October voodoo: The Red Sox have eliminated the Angels in this round twice in the previous four seasons. They outscored the Angels 19-4 in last year’s division series, outhomering them 5-0 and holding them to a .250 on-base percentage.
2. Fresh or stale: While the Red Sox chased the Rays to the final week in their division, the Angels had their division locked up early. They led by at least 10 games from July 23 on. Will all that letdown time catch up to them now or will they be able to summon the proper intensity?
3. Chase the ace: Beckett, troubled by a strained side muscle, was 0-2 with a 7.42 ERA in two starts against the Angels this year. The Blue Jays were the only other team to beat him twice. Beckett has won just two of six career regular-season starts against the Angels, but he tossed a four-hit shutout against them to open last year’s playoffs.
Prediction: Angels in four games.
DODGERS VS. CUBS
Records: Dodgers 84-78, NL West champions; Cubs 97-64 NL Central champions. Season Series: Cubs won 5-2.
Pitching matchups: Game 1 — Cubs RHP Ryan Dempster (17-6, 2.96) vs. Dodgers RHP Derek Lowe (14-11, 3.24); Game 2 — Cubs RHP Carlos Zambrano (14-6, 3.91) vs. Dodgers RHP Chad Billingsley (16-10, 3.14); Game 3 — Cubs RHP Rich Harden (10-10, 2.07) vs. Dodgers RHP Hiroki Kuroda (9-10, 3.73).
Who’s hot: Dodgers RF Andre Ethier has thrived hitting ahead of Manny Ramirez. He batted an NL-best .462 in September with a 1.249 on-base plus slugging percentage; Cubs RHP Carlos Marmol had the best ERA (2.68) of the seven NL relievers with at least 80 innings pitched this season.
Who’s not: In 27 games (24 innings) since the All-Star break, Cubs RHP Bob Howry allowed 19 runs on 36 hits for a 6.93 ERA and .336 opponents’ batting average. Dodgers C Russell Martin hit 34 points lower in the second half (.264) than before the All-Star Game and totaled only 17 of his 69 RBI the final two months.
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