Now, as the Angels head to Fenway, the two teams will get a chance to taste October a little early. If the season ended today, this would be your ALDS matchup.
When and Where
7:10 p.m. ET (NESN), Sept. 15, 2009
Fenway Park, Boston, Mass.
Records
Red Sox (84-58, 2nd place in AL East)
Angels (86-57, 1st place in AL West)
Head to Head
The Angels have a 4-2 lead in the season series. They enter Fenway with one of the most potent offenses in the AL and with depth at almost every position. This could be a preview of the ALDS, where the Red Sox and Angels have met in three of the last five postseasons.
Starting Lineups
| Angels |
Red Sox |
| Chone Figgins, 3B | Jacoby Ellsbury, CF |
| Maicer Izturis, 2B | Dustin Pedroia, 2B |
| Bobby Abreu, RF | J.D. Drew, RF |
| Vladimir Guerrero, DH | Jason Bay, LF |
| Torii Hunter, CF | David Ortiz, DH |
| Kendry Morales, 1B | Mike Lowell, 3B |
| Juan Rivera, LF | Casey Kotchman, 1B |
| Erick Aybar, SS | Jason Varitek, C |
| Jeff Mathis, C | Alex Gonzalez, SS |
Starting Pitchers
RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-5, 8.23 ERA) vs. RHP John Lackey (10-7, 3.53 ERA)
Matsuzaka will be making his first start since June 19 after a long stay on the disabled list due to a mild right shoulder strain. With an earlier visit to the DL for the same problem, Matsuzaka has missed a total of 107 games this season after leading Japan to the World Baseball Classic title and being named the tournament’s MVP for the second time.
Matsuzaka has faced the Angels once in his career, on July 28, 2008, at Fenway. He took the loss in that game, going five innings while allowing six runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. It was the Red Sox’ sixth straight loss to the Angels last season.
In his last start, Sept. 10 against the Mariners, Lackey pitched the eighth shutout of his career, allowing just five hits while going nine innings for the second straight start. In his last three starts, he is 2-0 with a 0.35 ERA (one earned run in 26 innings). He has pitched eight or more innings in three consecutive starts, becoming the first Angels pitcher to do so since Kelvim Escobar in 2006. He has pitched seven innings or more in 16 of his 23 starts this season. Lackey has won at least 10 games in each of his last seven seasons since 2003, joining Nolan Ryan and Chuck Finley as the only Angels pitchers to do so.
This is his 14th start against the Red Sox and his first this season. Against Boston in 2008, he posted a record of 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA (five earned runs, 16 innings) with one complete game. He is 3-6 with a 5.54 ERA (47 earned runs, 76 1/3 innings) in his career against the Red Sox.
Stat Sheet
Red Sox
The Red Sox have an eight-game home winning streak and have won 10 of 12 and 21 of 28 at home since July 10.
Victor Martinez has a 15-game hitting streak, batting .358 (19-for-53) with a home run, five doubles, 12 RBIs and six runs scored.
Dustin Pedroia has a six-game hitting streak, batting .409 (9-for-22) with two doubles, three home runs, six RBIs and five runs scored. He has a 10-game hitting streak at Fenway, going 15-for-41 (.366) with seven RBIs and seven runs scored.
With 32 home runs, Jason Bay surpassed his total from last season, split between Pittsburgh and Boston. He is three home runs shy of his career-high of 35, which he achieved with the Pirates in 2006.
Four players have hit 20 or more home runs for the Red Sox this season: Bay (32), Kevin Youkilis (25), David Ortiz (23) and J.D. Drew (20). Mike Lowell has 17. The Red Sox last had four or more players with 20 or more homers in 2003, when they set a franchise record with six. Martinez has 21 total home runs, 15 with Cleveland and six with Boston.
Youkilis has reached the 25-home run mark for the second straight season.
A total of 51 players have appeared in a game for the Red Sox this season, the most since 53 players were used in 2006. The Red Sox have used 25 pitchers this season, the most since they used 28 in 2006. The Red Sox have 34 players on the active roster, all of whom have appeared in at least one game for the club this season.
Takashi Saito has held opponents scoreless in each of his last 11 appearances, spanning 10 2/3 innings, tied for the fourth-longest active scoreless streak in the AL. It is Saito’s second-longest this season behind an 11 1/3-inning run from May 13 to June 16.
Bay recorded his 100th RBI of the season on Wednesday. It is the second season in a row that he has recorded 100 RBIs and the fourth time he has done so in his career, all since 2005. This is also his second straight season — and fourth overall — with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.
Angels
The Angels will play 13 of their final 19 games against the top three teams in the AL: the Red Sox (three games), the Yankees (three games) and the Rangers (seven games).
The Angels have outscored the Red Sox 73-42 over their last 12 regular season games and have won 12 of their last 14 meetings. The Angels lead the 2009 season series, 4-2. The Angels won the 2008 season series 8-1, their first season-series win over the Red Sox since 2001.
The Angels are 12-18 in their last 30 regular season games at Fenway Park. The Red Sox knocked the Angels out of the playoffs in 2004, 2007 and 2008. The Angels are 4-13 all-time in the postseason against the Red Sox.
Angels starting pitchers have allowed one earned run or fewer in 10 of their last 16 games and two earned runs or fewer in 16 of their last 19. Angels starters lead the AL with five shutouts and rank second in the league with 60 wins.
The Angels have used 14 different starting pitchers this season, three shy of the team record set in 1967, and 23 of the 35 players on the current roster are products of the Angels’ farm system, including four of five starting pitchers and all four catchers.
The Angels are averaging 5 1/2 runs per game. They lead the AL in average (.287) and average with runners in scoring position (.301).
The Angels rank fourth in the AL with 128 infield hits and first in the majors with 33 bunt hits. The Angels are the only team to have stolen 100 or more bases in nine consecutive seasons.
Black and Blue
Red Sox
Right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 20 with a mild right shoulder strain. He will be activated Tuesday to make his first start sine June 19.
Angels
Pitcher Kelvim Escobar has been on the DL since June 7 with right shoulder irritation.
Pitcher Dustin Mosely has been on the DL since April 18 with tightness in his right forearm.
Pitcher Scot Shields has been on the DL since May 27 after left knee patellar surgery.
This Date In Red Sox History
In 1912, Smokey Joe Wood beat the Browns, 2-1, extending his winning streak to 16 games and tying the consecutive-wins record set by Walter Johnson earlier that year. It was Wood's 33rd victory of the year and he scored the winning run on a wild pitch.
Overheard
“I don’t know. I’ll tell you after we play them. The one thing that’s always a constant [is] when they hit it, it better end up where it’s supposed to. It will be a good challenge. It seems like it’s been a long time and we’ve played some good baseball in the meantime. I think they get to play [Monday]. I hope they play 20 innings.”
— Terry Francona, prior to Boston's three-game series with the Angels
Press Box
Red Sox
Daisuke’s back, but which one?
Could this be a playoff preview?
Pitching led to this weekend's doubleheader sweep for the Sox.
Angels
This is a crucial road trip for the Angels.
Bobby Abreu has made the Angels more patient.
The ninth inning could be a sharing opportunity.
MLB
John Smoltz skipped a start.
Randy Johnson could be in the bullpen soon.
How long will Joe Torre manage?
Outlook
What will Daisuke Matsuzaka have to offer on Tuesday? It remains to be seen, but expectations should be kept in check. Matsuzaka looked strong in his last outing, but he was pitching for the Single-A Salem Red Sox against the Winston-Salem Dash — a much easier task than facing the potent Angels lineup. He has been a disappointment this season and will face a big test in his first outing on a big league mound in almost three months.
