ope:
Umm... Lets break this down:
Catcher: Varitek has been horrid this season at the plate, Napoli has been excellent in the second half in a platoon with Mathis, but I'm not sure you can definitively give the advantage to the Angels given Varitek's defensive capabilities/his ability as a battery mate, not to mention his postseason experience.
Even.
First base: Jordan and the idiots who follow him will call me crazy, but you simply cannot make the argument that Teixeira is better than Youkilis. Youkilis is a better defender than Teixeira (and thats saying something considering how good Tex is defensively), they're OPS's were .004 apart and all of their other numbers are almost identical.
Even.
Second base: Kendrick is a very solid player, but unlike Pedroia, Kendrick has zero power and it reflects with Pedroia having an OPS over .100 points higher. Pedroia is in the MVP running, the batting title running and is just simply the better player.
Red Sox.
Short Stop: Both Aybar and Lowrie have better days ahead of them, but at this point in their career, Jed Lowrie is the better player.
Red Sox.
Third Base: Either way you look at it, if Youkilis switches over to third or Lowell is able to play, the Red Sox have the far superior third baseman. Nonetheless, given the uncertainty of this position for the Red Sox with the injury to Lowell, I'll give the Angels the benefit of the doubt and call it even.
Even.
Leftfield: There is not even a question here. Jason Bay is a far superior player right now than Garret Anderson is. He's better defensively, he gets on base at a way higher clip, he hits for more power. The Anderson of five years ago would have allowed us to debate these two, but at this point in their respective careers, Jason Bay is a better player.
Red Sox.
Centerfield: Ellsbury has been disappointing this year, Crisp has been disappointing since his arrival in Boston a couple of years ago. Mark Kotsay is another option, but it doesn't matter, Torii Hunter a better player than all three (although Ellsbury will be excellent down the road).
Angels.
Rightfield: Gary Matthews Jr. is a bad baseball player. You place him in the corner and take away his defensive prowess and he becomes a completely useless player. J.D. Drew, Ellsbury, Kotsay or whomever the Red Sox throw out in right will be more productive than Sarge Jr.
DH: David Ortiz versus Vladimir Guerrero. Possibly the hardest to debate, so I'm going to take the easy road and just call it even. At first glance, Guerrero has the better numbers, but their OPS's are almost identical and the lack of total numbers on the part of Papi are moreso to do with being injured than anything else.
Even.
In total: The Angels only advantage amongst position players is in centerfield, but the drop off from Hunter to Ellsbury/Crisp/Kotsay really doesn't scare me into throwing the house on the Angels in this series. The Red Sox have clear cut advantages at second base and left field and a slight advantage at short.
On the pitching end, the Red Sox have the better rotation and a bullpen that is just as good if not better than the Angels.
In tonights match up: Lackey has been a shell of his former self in the second half while Jon Lester has been good enough to put himself in the Cy Young running.
Obviously, the Angels are favored because they won the most games (in the worst division in baseball), but saying the Red Sox have no chance tonight or in this series is just downright silly.
Catcher: Varitek has been horrid this season at the plate, Napoli has been excellent in the second half in a platoon with Mathis, but I'm not sure you can definitively give the advantage to the Angels given Varitek's defensive capabilities/his ability as a battery mate, not to mention his postseason experience.
Even.
First base: Jordan and the idiots who follow him will call me crazy, but you simply cannot make the argument that Teixeira is better than Youkilis. Youkilis is a better defender than Teixeira (and thats saying something considering how good Tex is defensively), they're OPS's were .004 apart and all of their other numbers are almost identical.
Even.
Second base: Kendrick is a very solid player, but unlike Pedroia, Kendrick has zero power and it reflects with Pedroia having an OPS over .100 points higher. Pedroia is in the MVP running, the batting title running and is just simply the better player.
Red Sox.
Short Stop: Both Aybar and Lowrie have better days ahead of them, but at this point in their career, Jed Lowrie is the better player.
Red Sox.
Third Base: Either way you look at it, if Youkilis switches over to third or Lowell is able to play, the Red Sox have the far superior third baseman. Nonetheless, given the uncertainty of this position for the Red Sox with the injury to Lowell, I'll give the Angels the benefit of the doubt and call it even.
Even.
Leftfield: There is not even a question here. Jason Bay is a far superior player right now than Garret Anderson is. He's better defensively, he gets on base at a way higher clip, he hits for more power. The Anderson of five years ago would have allowed us to debate these two, but at this point in their respective careers, Jason Bay is a better player.
Red Sox.
Centerfield: Ellsbury has been disappointing this year, Crisp has been disappointing since his arrival in Boston a couple of years ago. Mark Kotsay is another option, but it doesn't matter, Torii Hunter a better player than all three (although Ellsbury will be excellent down the road).
Angels.
Rightfield: Gary Matthews Jr. is a bad baseball player. You place him in the corner and take away his defensive prowess and he becomes a completely useless player. J.D. Drew, Ellsbury, Kotsay or whomever the Red Sox throw out in right will be more productive than Sarge Jr.
DH: David Ortiz versus Vladimir Guerrero. Possibly the hardest to debate, so I'm going to take the easy road and just call it even. At first glance, Guerrero has the better numbers, but their OPS's are almost identical and the lack of total numbers on the part of Papi are moreso to do with being injured than anything else.
Even.
In total: The Angels only advantage amongst position players is in centerfield, but the drop off from Hunter to Ellsbury/Crisp/Kotsay really doesn't scare me into throwing the house on the Angels in this series. The Red Sox have clear cut advantages at second base and left field and a slight advantage at short.
On the pitching end, the Red Sox have the better rotation and a bullpen that is just as good if not better than the Angels.
In tonights match up: Lackey has been a shell of his former self in the second half while Jon Lester has been good enough to put himself in the Cy Young running.
Obviously, the Angels are favored because they won the most games (in the worst division in baseball), but saying the Red Sox have no chance tonight or in this series is just downright silly.
KnuckleCupper, take your head out of your ass ( and for God sakes change that picture) and ask any non-biased person who takes this game.
It's the Halos. I know you East Coasters are having a rough go around this year (Mets, Yankees, soon to be Red Sox, Patriots, Jets...etc.), but hang in there, it will be okay. :missingte
It's the Halos. I know you East Coasters are having a rough go around this year (Mets, Yankees, soon to be Red Sox, Patriots, Jets...etc.), but hang in there, it will be okay. :missingte
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR class=Column_Headers><TD class=Column_Headers width="100%" colSpan=12>JON LESTER VS. LOS ANGELES ANGELS | PITCHER LOGS</TD></TR><TR class=Column_Headers><TD class=Column_Headers width="10%">DATE</TD><TD class=Column_Headers width="10%">RUNS</TD><TD class=Column_Headers width="10%">WINNER</TD><TD class=Column_Headers width="10%">INNINGS PITCHED</TD><TD class=Column_Headers width="10%">HITS</TD><TD class=Column_Headers width="10%">RUNS</TD><TD class=Column_Headers width="10%">EARNED RUNS</TD><TD class=Column_Headers width="10%">WALKS</TD><TD class=Column_Headers width="10%">KS</TD><TD class=Column_Headers width="10%">DECISION</TD></TR><TR class=Sport_data><TD class=AlternatingData1>04/23/2008</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>6-4</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>LAA</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>5</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>9</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>4</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>4</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>2</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>1</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>ND</TD></TR><TR class=Sport_data><TD class=AlternatingData2>08/08/2007</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>9-6</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>BOS</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>3⅓</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>8</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>5</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>5</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>3</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>3</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>ND</TD></TR><TR class=Sport_data><TD class=AlternatingData1>08/23/2006</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>5-4</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>BOS</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>5</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>6</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>3</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>3</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>4</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>2</TD><TD class=AlternatingData1>W</TD></TR><TR class=Sport_data><TD class=AlternatingData2>07/28/2006</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>8-3</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>LAA</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>6⅓</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>10</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>5</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>5</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>0</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>2</TD><TD class=AlternatingData2>L</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Lester's numbers against LAA aren't too good, LAA has the better lineup and are at home. Although Lackey's numbers are in the same boat against Boston, this is a virtual must-win for the Angels, because every other Angels starter is very hittable, and if they lose this one tonight, it would be no surprise to me if Boston takes the series, winning at Fenway, not an easy task.
Lester's numbers against LAA aren't too good, LAA has the better lineup and are at home. Although Lackey's numbers are in the same boat against Boston, this is a virtual must-win for the Angels, because every other Angels starter is very hittable, and if they lose this one tonight, it would be no surprise to me if Boston takes the series, winning at Fenway, not an easy task.
1. You do realize Anderson is hitting over .400 in the 2 hole?
2. Lackey has been very good vs Boston this year. See 8 2/3 no hit innings @ Fenway.
3. Lester's career #s are awful against the Angels.
4. Youkilis and Lowell are just going to magically be at 100% and ready for playoff intensity baseball?
5. Calling the Red Sox pen and the Angels pen Even is downright laughable. Arredondo-Shields-Rodriguez makes Lackey only have to go 6 strong innings.
Thanks for presenting something worthwhile unlike that other ******.
The 2006 performances don't mean anything to me given his struggles as a youngster. With that said, in his two other starts, he's struggled against the Angels, but we're talking two freakin' starts here..
How do the Angels have the better line-up? Explain.
1. Here are Anderson's numbers in the 2 hole this season:
Code:
<table class="tablehead" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="colhead"><td width="15%">By Batting Order</td> <td align="right" width="5%">AB</td> <td align="right" width="5%">R</td> <td align="right" width="5%">H</td> <td align="right" width="5%">2B</td> <td align="right" width="5%">3B</td> <td align="right" width="5%">HR</td> <td align="right" width="5%">RBI</td> <td align="right" width="5%">BB</td> <td align="right" width="5%">HBP</td> <td align="right" width="5%">SO</td> <td align="right" width="5%">SB</td> <td align="right" width="5%">CS</td> <td align="right" width="5%">AVG</td> <td align="right" width="5%">OBP</td> <td align="right" width="5%">SLG</td> <td align="right" width="5%">OPS</td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" align="right"> <td align="left" width="115">Batting #2</td><td>90</td><td>13</td><td>31</td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>12</td><td>4</td><td>0</td><td>10</td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>.344</td><td>.372</td><td>.467</td><td>.839</td></tr></tbody></table>2. Lackey was lights out in his 2 starts against the Sox this year, but over the last month has posted an 8.14 ERA and a 4.99 ERA overall in the second half of the season. I will admit his most recent outing spiked that ERA up high for the last month, but there's no excuse for such a piss poor ERA in the second half of the season. He's pretty much been a league average pitcher since the All-Star break.
3. Career numbers and Jon Lester shouldn't be in the same sentence for at least another 2-3 years. He's 24 years old for fucks sake.
4. Youkilis isn't injured. Not sure what the hell you're talking about here? Lowell on the otherhand is a 50 year veteran. When healthy, the guy is in postseason form in June. If he isn't healthy, Kotsay or Casey will play first and Youkilis will shift over to third.
5. The Angels bullpen is excellent but I wouldn't say it's head and shoulders above what the Red Sox have at all. Papelbon, Delcarmen, Masterson and Lopez make it a five inning game and the Red Sox have a much better rotation. I also love Wakefield in the bullpen role; how easy can it be to adjust from a 95mph fastball from Josh Beckett to a 75mph knuckleball from Tim Wakefield? I would say it presents a task that no other team has the luxury of having.
Good try, but far from convincing.
Well to make things relatively short.
1. The Angels have two dominant power/contact bats in Teixeria and Guerrero, compared to Boston's one in Big Papi. (Bay is not dominant)
2. The Red Sox are already at a disadvantage with two players coming off the DL (Lowell/Drew) who were instrumental to their regular season.
3. Kendrick and Anderson are two very underrated bats, Anderson a clutch one at that.
4. Varitek is a statue with a bat, and virtually an automatic out, you can tell his time is done.
5. I'm interested in how many quality pitches Ortiz sees without Manny in the lineup, remember this is the playoffs, pitchers are reminded to pitch very carefully to good bats in the post-season, i.e Ryan Howard today. Don't think too many pitchers are scared of Bay or Drew or Lowell like they are of Manny, especially an ace like John Lackey. There is wiggle-room to pitch around him, unlike the Teixeria Guerrero tandem.
6. Pedroia is the only advantage I see Boston has over LAA, and if he doesn't have a good series Boston will go home.
7. I'm forgetting Torii Hunter, he's not to shabby himself and that's an understatement.
1. The Angels have two dominant power/contact bats in Teixeria and Guerrero, compared to Boston's one in Big Papi. (Bay is not dominant)
2. The Red Sox are already at a disadvantage with two players coming off the DL (Lowell/Drew) who were instrumental to their regular season.
3. Kendrick and Anderson are two very underrated bats, Anderson a clutch one at that.
4. Varitek is a statue with a bat, and virtually an automatic out, you can tell his time is done.
5. I'm interested in how many quality pitches Ortiz sees without Manny in the lineup, remember this is the playoffs, pitchers are reminded to pitch very carefully to good bats in the post-season, i.e Ryan Howard today. Don't think too many pitchers are scared of Bay or Drew or Lowell like they are of Manny, especially an ace like John Lackey. There is wiggle-room to pitch around him, unlike the Teixeria Guerrero tandem.
6. Pedroia is the only advantage I see Boston has over LAA, and if he doesn't have a good series Boston will go home.
7. I'm forgetting Torii Hunter, he's not to shabby himself and that's an understatement.
1. The Red Sox have the more complete line-up. Call Jason Bay what you want, but he had a better year than Vladimir Guerrero had by a slim margin and while this will be Bay's first taste of the postseason, Guerrero has been very A-Rod like in the playoffs:
"But October has not been as kind to Guerrero, who, in 16 playoff games, all with the Angels, has a .183 average, one home run and seven RBIs, four coming on one swing, a score-tying grand slam in Game 3 of the 2004 division series against the Red Sox, a game, and series, the Angels eventually lost."
2. The Red Sox have more depth than the Angels have. Obviously it hurts when two of your regulars are down for a portion of the season, but by all accounts, Drew is healthy and was given extra off days towards the end of the season as a precautionary measure. I wouldn't be so sure about Lowell; who's to say he won't tweak something on a Figgins bunt? The fact is, Lowell isn't an integral part of this line-up like he was last year. Youkilis can shift over to third as I've previously mentioned and the drop off from Mike Lowell at 90% and Mark Kotsay/Sean Casey at 100% isn't dramatic enough to alter the outcome of the game.
3. Kendrick hits for average, but really does nothing else. He's got no power whatsoever, he doesn't walk alot.. He's one of the reasons why this Angels team was statistically the most inpatient team in the Majors this year. Garret Anderson is clutch? Not sure how that statement can be made, but I'll give it to you. Anderson is a solid player, but he won't be the reason the Angels win or lose this series.
4. Varitek is done offensively. Yup.
5. Pitch around Papi and face Youkilis, Drew, Bay, and Lowell? That sounds like a real smart idea?
hno:6. The only advantage? Run down the line-up as I did. The Red Sox have a better offense than the Angels do by a wide margin.
7. Hunter's solid, sure. Not sure why this makes a difference given the line-ups as a whole.
