More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Boston Red Sox's Hideki Okajima walks back to the clubhouse from the dugout through a cloud of smoke after the Red Sox loss 4-1 to the Los Angeles Angels in Game 2 of the American League division baseball series Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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Down 0-2 in the series, I figured, "Hey, how about I ask Rev Halofan from Halos Heaven some questions?" It seemed like a good idea at 2 a.m.

Rev's ridiculous and unfiltered answers after the jump (OK, so maybe there's a hint of sensationalism in that sentence. Sue me).

OTM: The Angels stole their first base in game two. All the experts predicted the Angels would "run wild" over the Sox. Is this somewhat a surprise, or did you expect this?

Because most analysts cannot pinpoint Mike Sciosica's managing, they find the baserunning and fixate on it. This team does not live by speed alone.

OTM: So, word on the street was that the Angels' bullpen sucked. What happened? Who lied?

It was a work in progress and Scioscia finally found the right way to tinker with it... but it is STILL a work in progress.

OTM: How good is this Angels team compared to any other postseason team in the past 10 years?

Best starters, best overall offense although with less pop than 2002 but all around situational the best, best defense, bullpen is the worst Sciosica has ever had and it is scotch taped up every night in a slightly different permutation by Scioscia.

OTM: Finish the sentence: "If the Angels lose the next three games, I, Rev HaloFan, will ________________."

Be blaming Brian Fuentes.

OTM: Predict game five. Don't hold back, either.

Against the Yankees or the Rockies?

I tried to be optimistic by asking him to predict game five. He had none of that.

Is the ALDS between the Red Sox and Angels over?

Poll Is the ALDS over?

• No! (And I'm a Sox fan...)
• No! (And I'm an Angels fan...)
• Yes! (And I'm a Sox fan...)
• Yes! (And I'm an Angels fan...)

  709 votes | Results

"I just make a (expletive) horse-(expletive) pitch to him and I made a horse-(expletive)pitch to Aybar," Beckett said. "Horrible locations, you get your (butt) kicked.

"If I make the pitch to Itzuris I don't have to worry about facing Aybar. This one is mine. It sucks. You've got to make one of those two pitches."

Beckett frustrated with Bucknor, himself

I don't care how Josh Beckett pitches, I love the guy for reasons like this.

"I just make a (expletive) horse-(expletive) pitch to him and I made a horse-(expletive)pitch to Aybar," Beckett said. "Horrible locations, you get your (butt) kicked.

"If I make the pitch to Itzuris I don't have to worry about facing Aybar. This one is mine. It sucks. You've got to make one of those two pitches."

Beckett frustrated with Bucknor, himself

I don't care how Josh Beckett pitches, I love the guy for reasons like this.

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

They look like they feel pretty bad. Can't blame 'em. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

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We're down 2-0 in a best-of-5 series. Not much to feel good about, so I'll do my best to avoid being too depressing--or perhaps even relevant.

 

Extra Bases - Lester to Pitch if Sox Force Game 4

 

One has to wonder how Daisuke feels about this. One also has to wonder if anyone cares how he does.

 

Boston Herald - Pedroia talks Sox Fans Off of Ledge

 

It's hard to have any faith when you've gotta win 3 straight elimination games, but if any team can do it, '04 and '07 say it's the Sox.

 

38 Pitches - Curt Still Doesn't Like Bucknor

 

WEEI - Beckett doesn't either.

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->

Red Sox - Francona Felled by Fish

Tito was feeling fine before tonights game, but the nausea has reportedly returned after watching Boston's offense tonight.

WEEI - Henry Tried to Acquire Beckett, Burnett for Free

That would've been a ridiculous coup. The obvious hypothetical here is "what if we still had Hanley".

 

SoxProspects – Winter Leagues Underway

Why do some Winter Leagues start before Fall Leagues anyways? Oh well. There's not a lot of interesting names here. Doubront is absolutely worth paying attention to though, and if Mark Wagner does well it could go a long way towards giving him a shot going into ST next year. Alvarez is also worth a look. The real meat comes in the Arizona Fall League, though, with Iglesias, Exposito, Kalish, and Richardson all participating.

Oh, and Casey Kelly too, but he's batting, so who cares?

 

Feel free to drop a comment with anything you find out there on the Wide World of the Web.

Admiral Ackbar yelled "It's a Trap!"
As the Empire tried to strike back
Erick Aybar tonight
laid a trap out alright
And Ellsbury fell for it flat

Halos Heaven

Admiral Ackbar yelled "It's a Trap!"
As the Empire tried to strike back
Erick Aybar tonight
laid a trap out alright
And Ellsbury fell for it flat

Halos Heaven

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

5 days ago: Home plate umpire CB Bucknor and Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett have a discussion between innings during Game 2 of the American League division baseball series Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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I was thinking to myself this morning: "As bad as the Sox were last night in game one, it's impossible for them to be even worse."

Wrong.

The Red Sox's offense was even worse than game one (despite one run), losing to the Angels 4-1 on Friday night.

Where the hell has the offense gone? No. Don't laugh. I'm serious.

The Sox had four hits again for the second night in a row. The only run they scored was off a Jacoby Ellsbury triple. Victor Martinez knocked him in in the fourth inning to take the lead, but after that ... nothing.

Jered Weaver looked like Tom Seaver. He really didn't struggle at all with the Red Sox lineup. And why should he? The Sox are playing like a junior high squad at this point. It doesn't matter who the Angels throw out there, because in two games so far, everyone has handled the Sox without a problem.

Josh Beckett was pretty good until the 7th inning. He gave up some loud outs, but he got the job done. Then the 7th inning came around and he just unraveled. He couldn't hit the strikezone if he was 30-feet, 3 inches away from the plate. It's funny how he lost it, considering he hadn't walked a batter through the first three innings.

But runs, runs, runs. Bill Wagner came in (a little too late) and got out of the inning, but the damage had been done.

The Red Sox offense tried to get something started in the 9th, but nope. Kevin Youkilis doubled and Jason Bay walked, but they were stranded.

There it is: 4-1 Angels and they're up 2-0 in the series. All because of really, really bad offense. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett weren't even that bad. They weren't amazing, but their performances should have been good enough with just an average Red Sox offense. Instead, it goes in the books as two losses.

I never called game two a must win. It would have been nice to win, but it's not impossible to come back from a 0-2 hole. Actually, only four teams have ever come back down 0-2 to win a series. Two of those you might remember.

In 1999, the Red Sox did it. In 2003, the Red Sox did it. Can the Red Sox do it 2009, too?

Sure. Why the hell not?

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

4 days ago: Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett works against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning of Game 2 of the American League division baseball series Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Josh Beckett dealing and it's time to get to Jered Weaver.

1-1 game going into the sixth.

by Jae Hong - AP

5 days ago: Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, who is the scheduled starter for game 2, answers questions at a press conference prior to start game 1 of the American League division baseball series Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae Hong)

View full size photo uploaded October 9, 2009

There was almost a catastrophe today.

I went to grab my Josh Beckett shirt and put it on for good luck, but I couldn't find it. It wasn't in my closet. I freaked out a little bit.

Bad mojo, for sure.

But I calmed down because I saw another shirt I could wear -- maybe even a better shirt. A shirt that will lead the Red Sox to a game two victory:

Bill Mueller, No. 11.

All is good in the world. Let's win this thing.

On the mound for the Sox tonight is Josh Beckett. Here are his season stats:

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2009 - Josh Beckett 17-6 32 32 4 2 0 0 212.1 198 99 91 25 55 199 3.86 1.19

The lowdown: Beckett is pissed. Not only did he think he should be the game one starter, but he's also upset about losing game one. So what's he going to do? He's going to go out there and put out his best performance to shut down the Angels. Beckett is a gamer. If he doesn't pitch well, I'd think it's the back that is holding him back. But if he has no injury concerns, I think he could do a pretty damn fine job tonight.

The Angels will send out 'Lil Weaver for game two:

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2009 - Jered Weaver 16-8 33 33 4 2 0 0 211.0 196 91 88 26 66 174 3.75 1.24

The lowdown: 'Lil Weaver has had a pretty good season for himself. And if you compare his numbers with Beckett's, you don't see too much of a difference. Weaver started one more game than Beckett (if you remember, Beckett skipped a start toward the end of the season), but he had just 1.1 innings less on the season. Still, it's remarkable how similar the numbers are.

Weaver dominated the Sox this season, too. He allowed just one run in 13.2 innings of work. The Red Sox haven't been able to figure him out, and that could hurt them tonight. But as they say, there's a first time for everything.

The lineups tonight:

Red Sox:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2b
3. Victor Martinez, c
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1b
5. David Ortiz, dh
6. Jason Bay, lf
7. Mike Lowell, 3b
8. J.D. Drew, rf
9. Alex Gonzalez, ss

Angels:

1. Chone Figgins, 3b
2. Bobby Abreu, rf
3. Torii Hunter, cf
4. Vlad Guerrero, dh
5. Kendry Morales, 1b
6. Juan Rivera, lf
7. Maicer Izturis, 2b
8. Mike Napoli, c
9. Erick Aybar, ss

Let's go Sox!

BOSTON, MA – NESN, New England's most watched sports network, was the highest rated regional sports network in baseball for the 6th consecutive season earning a 9.4 average household rating (226,000 homes) for Red Sox broadcasts in the Boston DMA. Despite a small year over year dip in NESN's average game rating (-7 percent), NESN still finished the season 18 percent better than the second highest rated regional network (Fox Sports Net Midwest in St. Louis).

Red Sox Fans Make NESN Highest Rated Network in Baseball for 6th Consecutive Season - Press Room - NESN.com

Kind of a cool feat for NESN.

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

4 days ago: Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, left, and David Ortiz hang their heads in the dugout during the ninth inning of their 5-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels in Game 1 of the American League division baseball series in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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The loss has soaked in a little bit -- a little. Not too much. It's a tough pill to swallow, for sure, but that's why they play three games. One win does not allow you to pass Go and enter the ALCS. Until the Angels actually win three games, the Red Sox have a chance to take this series.

With that said, there's a few things to still talk about from game one.

• How bad was Jon Lester? Truth be told, we didn't see a bad Jon Lester last night -- he just wasn't his normal self. His normal self doesn't give up big hits like a three-run home run. And if you look at it, that was the only big hit he gave up all night. Most hits were just one that dropped into the outfield. A lot of his problems came from the strikezone, too. There was a few different occasions where Lester thought he had a strike three, but instead he surrendered a walk or gave up a hit. That will wear on a pitcher fast. Despite all that, Lester held it together pretty well and didn't absolutely blow up.
• Three errors -- really? The Red Sox committed three errors last night. Actually, check that: one. CB Bucknor had two errors last night, the Red Sox have one. Whenever you see a boxscore and the Sox are on the hook for three errors, you know it was a bad night. But if you didn't watch the game, you know only one was legitimate (and I can tell you right now, that whole play was fuzzy in my mind, too).
• Speaking of Bucknor... I wonder if there will be any kind of recourse for him blowing two plays last night. Jon Lester said after the game last night that error is in human nature, but that doesn't mean there can't be some penalty for it. It didn't cost the Sox the game, but the fact the plays were to obvious blown calls should mean something to Bud Selig and Major League Baseball.
• Ramon Ramirez a little off. Terry Francona thinks RamRam was a little amped up. I can't blame him, because it was his first postseason appearance. While Ramirez hasn't been our best reliever all season, remember that he may have been our best to start the season. And he's been really good on the road, too: .182 BAA (.285 at Fenway!) and a 1.17 WHIP. Should he have pitched in that situation? I say, why not? He's been used in that type of situation all year long and Tito didn't think he couldn't handle it (in hindsight, of course, Daniel Bard would have been a better choice).
• Speaking of Bard... Man, he was pretty filthy last night. Did you see the look on Chone Figgins' face after he struck him out looking? I'll say what Figgins was thinking: "DAAAAAAMN!!" It's nice to see at least one pitcher throwing lights out last night.
• Papi. Behind a bad offense, David Ortiz went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. That is not a good way to kick off the postseason for Mr. Papi. Not a good way to anchor the middle of the lineup, either.
• Mike Lowell showing range. Defense to remember: a few Mike Lowell plays. He had a diver in the first inning to end the inning with a toss to second. He had another low grounder to his left where he showed a lot of range, fielded the ball cleanly and threw across the diamond. Can this last for entire postseason? I hope. Is that realistic? No. But still, solid fielding from Lowell.

I think it's almost about time we put a stamp on game one. Sound good?

Poll Outside of CB Bucknor's brilliance, what was the biggest disappointment from game one?

• Jon Lester. He just wasn't sharp.
• The offense. It lacked ... offense.
• John Lackey. We didn't see him whine at all.

  727 votes | Results

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Don't get mad, get glad!

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Continuing my attempts to confuse Halos' fans:

Chart of the Day: Playoff Odds based on BtB Power Rankings - Beyond the Box Score

I feel better now. Can we follow through on these odds please?

Injuries for Red Sox pitchers this year - Boston.com

Red Sox hitting zones - Boston.com

DROOL - on both of those graphics. The Globe seems to be really good at making excellent charts.

The evolution of the Sox's offense - Boston.com

These last link isn't a chart, but just a pick-me-up after the tough game last night:

Beckett: 'No issues at all' - Extra Bases

"He's ready to go," Francona said. "No problems. I think we handled it like we needed to. We needed to have him miss a start, knowing that he would be a little rusty, but I think we did the right thing."

Have comments and links you want to share? Great place to do so is right here.

P.S. I might not be on too much this weekend - keep the cheering going!

There once was a pitcher named Lackey
Who would soon be free agent packing
He didn't pitch sloppy
as he struck out Big Papi
Seeking Steinbrenner's offseason backing

Halos Heaven

Get used to seeing this, folks. You'll find Mr. Rev's limerick stylings after each game in the series.

Victor will catch Beckett tomorrow. #redsox

Amalie Benjamin's Twitter

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

3 days ago: Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona looks on after Los Angeles Angels' Torii Hunter hit a three run home run in the fifth inning in Game 1 of the American League division baseball series Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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It would be really easy to write that umpire C.B. Bucknor is a horrible umpire that blew two calls tonight that swayed the momentum into the Angels' favor. It would be really easy to write that games -- especially ones in the postseason -- should not be decided by umpires. It would be really easy.

But it's not the reason why the Red Sox lost tonight.

Let's get this out of the way early, though: no matter what team you root for, you can say that Bucknor blew two easy calls. One was a Kevin Youkilis tag of Howie Kendrick. The other was a Youkilis tag of first base, with Kendrick running on the play. Bucknor called Kendrick safe for both. I don't care how tight you hold your Rally Monkey at night, we can all agree those were blown plays.

With that said, it doesn't really matter.

The Red Sox didn't hit the ball -- Torii Hunter did. The Red Sox didn't really pressure John Lackey -- Bobby Abreu, single-handedly, pressured Jon Lester. The Red Sox lost. The Angels won.

Not only did the Angels win, but they shut out the Red Sox, 5-0. Instead of looking at what the Sox did wrong tonight, let's look at what they did right.

What did they do right?

The offense managed four hits all game, all off Lackey in his 7.1 innings of work. Lackey looked like a fat Roy Halladay out on the mound. Darren Oliver, who worked the final 1.2 innings, looked like a circa-1996 Heathcliff Slocumb.

Lackey isn't an amazing pitcher, but he certainly toyed with the Sox all night. He threw a ton of pitches (115), but it also didn't seem like he struggled to get any outs. Lackey is a pitcher that works off of adrenaline -- if you give him the upper hand, he takes it and slashes your throat with it. That happened tonight.

On the flipside, Jon Lester could not find the strikezone. He walked four batters in his 6 innings of work. That's completely unacceptable. You should not win a postseason game if your ace is giving up four walks in six innings. Five strikeouts is fine, but you can't walk batters and expect to win a ballgame cleanly. One thing is for sure: if Lester walked, say, only one batter, this would have been a completely different game.

Still, though, Hunter hit that bomb. And it was a bomb. I'm not a fan of Torii Hunter (unlike everyone else in the world, it seems) but there certainly was nothing cheap about that. Kudos, Mr. Hunter. You deserved to trot around the bases.

And that's about it, folks. We can't complain about Bucknor (well, we can, but it's not going to make this loss feel any better). The only thing we can do is hope the Sox learned something from this.

I, for one, hope the Sox learned a few things: 1) you can't dink around with this team. The Angels are good, but no one can afford to walk any player four times, let alone Abreu. 2) don't put the game in the ump's hands. Sure, Bucknor blew it bad, and there were some questionable calls behind the plate, but why even get it to that point? Pound the strike zone, get the strikeouts. Throw the ball on a line. Take Bucknor out of the game (which will be difficult considering he's behind the plate for game two).

Lastly, No. 3: the Red Sox are a much better team than we saw tonight. Much better. This was a bush-league effort from them tonight. We didn't really see much emotion out of them until the screwjobs cropped up late in the game. Carry that into tomorrow's game and mash the hell out of Jered Weaver. Make him wish he was his brother -- which would take a helluva a beating to accomplish.

What we saw tonight was not Boston Red Sox baseball. And if that Boston Red Sox baseball doesn't show up Friday night, you can kiss any chance of a November duck parade goodbye.

Have you seen the umpiring crew? Joe West, C.B. Buckner and Greg Gibson. Does it worry you?

It is embarrassing. Listen, Joe West, I think he is an ass and I have had problems with him forever but here is the thing – Joe West is a pretty decent umpire. Greg Gibson and C.B. Buckner? They suck. They’re horrible, horrible and they are not the only ones. The first thing that comes to mind is, on a merit system or an achievement system to be in the postseason.

It is a fraternity, because, in the postseason some of these guys make more than they do in the regular season.

Listen, Joe West hates the Red Sox. I never wanted Joe in Fenway. He called Game 6 of the ’04 playoffs. Behind the plate he called it pretty consistent, he’s good. He’s not big, he’s more of a hitters ump. Unless he doesn’t like you as a hitter. I would make it a point to find out the guys that Joe West doesn’t like as a hitter because I knew that my strike zone was 34-inches wide no matter who was up.

The thing I have with Greg Gibson was that he was having an argument with Tito and he said "Tito, do you realize you are arguing with the best young ump in baseball right now?" Dead serious.

38 Pitches " Transcript – Curt On The Big Show, 10/8

More photos » by Jae Hong - AP

Do it, Papi.

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Hunter just went long to make it 3-0.

by Chris Carlson - AP

3 days ago: Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz walks on to the field during practice in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009, in preparation for the team's upcoming American League division series baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

View full size photo uploaded October 8, 2009

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to playoff baseball.

Tonight is game one of the American League Divisional Series between the Red Sox and Angels. As we all know, these two teams are no stranger to each other. The history is wonderful for Red Sox fans, and something you want to forget if you're an Angels fan.

Let's take a closer look at tonight's game.

 

The series outlook:

Current Series 3 game series vs Angels @ Angel Stadium of Anaheim --> 3 game series vs Angels @ Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Boston Red Sox Over the Monster
@ Los Angeles Angels Halos Heaven

Thursday, Oct 8, 2009, 9:37 PM EDT
Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Jon Lester vs John Lackey

--> Partly cloudy. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 65.

Bloody Sox Laundry, 10/8 - It's Gonna Get Ugly

posted by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 about 7 hours ago

0 comments | 0 recs

Bloody Sox Laundry, 10/7 - NERDZ RULE

posted by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 1 day ago

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Complete Coverage >

Fri 10/09 9:37 PM EDT Sun 10/11 8:05 PM EDT

And the lineups:

Red Sox:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2b
3. Victor Martinez, c
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1b
5. David Ortiz, dh
6. Jason Bay, lf
7. Mike Lowell, 3b
8. J.D. Drew, rf
9. Alex Gonzalez, ss

Angels:

1. Chone Figgins, 3b
2. Bobby Abreu, rf
3. Torii Hunter, cf
4. Vladimir Guerrero, dh
5. Juan Rivera, lf
6. Kendry Morales, 1b
7. Howie Kendrick, 2b
8. Jeff Mathis, c
9. Erick Aybar, ss

As we all know, the Sox will face the Angels' ace, John Lackey. Here are his season stats:

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2009 - John Lackey 11-8 27 27 1 1 0 0 176.1 177 84 75 17 47 139 3.83 1.27

His success against the Red Sox, though, has been mixed. Let's take a closer look at what Lackey has done against Boston both this year and in his career:

VERSUS THE RED SOX This season IP GS K/9 SO/BB WHIP ERA 7.2 1 7.0 2.00 1.435 2.35 Career IP GS K/9 SO/BB WHIP ERA 84 14 6.9 1.94 1.643 5.25 VERSUS THE RED SOX (POSTSEASON) IP GS K/9 SO/BB WHIP ERA 19.2 3 4.68 1.66 1.35 3.66

Lackey was solid in his one start against the Sox this season, but gave up a few too many hits and walks. Also in the postseason -- as a whole -- Lackey has done all right, but still not the most impressive numbers. But in his career? Not the best in 84 innings. The Sox know how to hit this guy and it only becomes easier the more they see him.

Here are Lackey's stats at home:

AT HOME This season IP GS K/9 SO/BB WHIP ERA 86.1 13 7.1 2.72 1.309 3.86 Career IP GS K/9 SO/BB WHIP ERA 734 112 7.3 2.65 1.297 3.72

No surprise here: Lackey has always been good at home.

For the Sox, it will be Jon Lester. Here are Lester's season stats:

W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2009 - Jon Lester 15-8 32 32 2 0 0 0 203.1 186 80 77 20 64 225 3.41 1.23

Pretty solid, but his numbers, if you look a little deeper, are better than his overall stat line. His year-end stats were severely hurt by a tough April and May. But since then ... money:

MONTH IP K/9 K/BB ERA WHIP June 34 10.6 6.67 1.85 0.853 July 34.2 8.8 2.43 2.60 1.327 August 33.2 10.4 4.33 2.41 0.891 Sept/Oct 35.2 9.6 3.45 2.52 1.234

Just dominant. He's been freaky consistent since June and batters have barely touched him. June especially was probably the best Lester has ever pitched.

Unfortunately, Lester has not been as good on the road this season. He hasn't been horrible, but he hasn't been June-good:

On the road this season: IP GS K/9 K/BB ERA WHIP 112 18 10.5 3.64 3.86 1.25

Like I said, not horrible, but not Lester's best either. He's been better at home (2.86 ERA, five home runs at home, 15 on the road) on this season, but the Sox will have to make due with Lester's presence in Anaheim ... or Los Angeles. Wherever they are.

The key to winning game one: Make Lackey throw as many pitches as possible. He has a history of giving up a good amount of hits and walks, but the Sox need to take advantage of that and knock in runners on the basepaths. If the Sox can get Lackey off the mound early, their chances to score against the bullpen are very good. The bullpen, throughout the whole series, will be the key for the Sox -- face them early and hit them hard.

Hey Nation: This is your last chance to toss away the pink hats and join the Rally Monkey an I for a victory in anaheim tonight. Ah well, here is some inside dope on how your Pilgrims can beat 'em... watch my prophecy come true, Nostradumbass!

Chone Figgins
You want him to hit the ball in the air. IF he gets on base, steal signs and pitch out on the hit and run, he tips this play by looking back at the pitcher after he breaks.

Bobby Abreu
Aim for the outside called strike, Bobby read Moneyball and believes in walks.

Vladimir Guerrero
Changeups down the heart of the plate get that early, violent swing.

Torii Hunter
If he guesses right you're dead, so keep him guessing.

Kendry Morales
He's less patient than ever before, so soft, middle away at the top of the strike zone is your best bet.

Juan Rivera
He's not been turning on the fastball lately.

Erick Aybar
Can't hit an inside breaker, and in pressure situations tries to anyway.

PLATOON of Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli
Just don't hang anything too soft and you'll be fine.

PLATOON of Maicer Izturis and Howie Kendrick
Izturis gets clutch hits because pitchers underestimate him, pitch him away. Dangle something early to Howie and get him to chase embarrassingly out of the zone. Oh wait you did that last October. Well, it still works.

Poll Your Favorite Boston Globe:

• Shaughnessy's Left, it hangs lower
• Cafardo's Right, the most spherical

  22 votes | Results