These Angels Won’t Be Pushovers for Red Sox

The month of April could not have been any worse for the Angels. On the field, they came out of the gates with a disappointing 6-11 record, while off the field they were collectively dealing with the death of 22-year-old pitcher Nick Adenhart.

Had the Angels packed it in and turned in a mediocre season, nobody would have blamed them. Instead, the Angels bonded together, posted a .650 winning percentage from May through July and finished the season with the second-best record in the major leagues.Last week, when the Angels clinched the AL West for the fifth time in six years, they included their teammate Adenhart in all of their celebrations.

"It was definitely very emotional," reliever Kevin Jepsen told The Los Angeles Times. "It was [manager Mike] Scioscia saying, 'No matter what happens, everywhere we go, Nick is with us.' He's been with us the whole way, and he's pulling for us. He was a part of this team. He can't be here to celebrate with us, but he's in our hearts."

The end result of the successful campaign is a team with tremendous chemistry playing hard and playing well heading into the postseason.

How they got here: The old adage is that pitching wins championship, but the Angels will tell you that an extraordinary lineup doesn't hurt.

The Angels lead the majors with a .285 team batting average and, at one point, featured a lineup with nine players batting .300 or better.

Though it's not a surprise that the Angels can hit, it is a bit surprising that their leading hitter is Erick Aybar. His .312 average leads all starters and far exceeds his previous career high of .277.

Even with the offense, the Angels did need pitching. They got it from Jered Weaver, John Lackey and Joe Saunders, who combined to go 43-23 with a 4.05 ERA. For a team that averaged 5.45 runs per game, that was more than enough.

Key player: In the 2004 ALDS, Chone Figgins was the MVP — for the Red Sox.

In that three-game series, the leadoff man batted just .143, struck out five times and stole just one base. Defensively, he was worse. His throwing error in Game 1 allowed two runs to score in the fourth inning  of a one-run game before a Manny Ramirez three-run homer completely changed the landscape of the series opener. In the decisive Game 3, another Figgins throwing error allowed leadoff hitter Bill Mueller to reach in a one-run game, setting up an inning in which the Red Sox put up four runs.

Since that series, it's clear that Figgins is a different player, and batting leadoff for the Halos this October, he'll need to be. In his last two postseason series against the Red Sox, he's batted .294 with four extra-base hits. He made an error in last year's decisive Game 4, but it didn't come back to hurt the Angels.

Both teams are going to score runs in this series. It's up to Figgins to be the catalyst and make sure the Angels score more.

X factor: The biggest change from the Angels of years past is at the back end of the bullpen. No longer does Francisco Rodriguez provide the Angels with a sense of safety in the late innings of a close ballgame.

That's not to say that Brian Fuentes, who took over K-Rod's spot, has struggled to pick up saves — his 48 lead the American League. But they haven't come easy for the 34-year-old, who went to Los Angeles after pitching in Colorado for seven seasons.

Fuentes has blown seven saves this season, which ties a career high. His 3.93 ERA is more than a touch higher than last year's 2.73 and well over his career ERA of 3.47. His 1.40 WHIP has translated to a lot of added stress for the Halos all year long.

Perhaps the biggest concern out of Orange County is Fuentes' most recent blown save, which came at Fenway Park on Sept. 16. Granted, that wasn't exactly his fault — a questionable ball four call and a lackluster effort from left fielder Juan Rivera saddled him with the loss — but it likely left a taste in the closer's mouth that he'd probably rather forget.

If the Angels are hoping Fuentes steps up his game in the playoffs, history is not on their side. In 10 postseason appearances, Fuentes owns a 6.52 ERA and a 1.966 WHIP in 9 2/3 innings. In the 2007 World Series against the Red Sox, Fuentes gave up four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings for a 9.82 ERA and 2.18 WHIP. He entered Game 3 in a crucial spot after the Rockies cut a 6-0 Red Sox lead to just one run. He then gave up a walk and three consecutive hits, giving the Red Sox another comfortable lead.

The next night, he gave up a home run to Bobby Kielty in the eighth inning that proved to be the game-winner.

At times, Fuentes is elite. Other times, he's beatable. Which way the Fuentes pendulum swings could very well determine this series.

Injuries: The Angels will be without one of their proven playoff pitchers in Scot Shields, who was lost for the season in May with a knee injury. His 3.20 postseason ERA will certainly be missed, especially if Fuentes struggles.

The team is otherwise healthy.

Outlook: The Angels haven't had any success against Boston in the playoffs dating back to 1986 and Dave Henderson's home run. The Red Sox swept in 2004 and again in 2007 before needing four games to take care of business in 2008.

Some say that the law of averages always comes around and that the Angels are "due" to win one of these series at some point. That's simply not true. The games will be decided by what goes on in between the lines. The Angels match up well against the Red Sox, and the outcome of this series won't have anything to do with history or luck. It will simply come down to execution.

Read the preview of the Red Sox here.