This is about as much of a "make or break" series the Sox could possibly have in the month of July. The Sox are 4 games behind the MFYs, and further slippage at this point wouldn't leave much time to make up ground. They're also a game behind in the Wild Card race. Losing 2 of 3 wouldn't be too bad, but getting swept would really hurt.

Can any Anaheim fans out there tell us more about the Halos pitchers that are starting in this series? As it stands, here are the probable match-ups:

• Fossum vs. Sele: Fossum is a young left-hander with a great curveball. Fastball has decent velocity (low 90s) but it's pretty straight. He's been developing a cutter and change-up over the last year, but has hardly thrown them in game situations because he spent most of this season in the bullpen. His record of 2-1 with a 3.15 ERA is a bit misleading because he allowed an alarming number of inherited men on base to score. In his favor, he's pretty tough mentally for a 24-year-old young'un, and he's very motivated to prove himself in this start.
• Pedro vs. Ortiz: Well, they're about the same height and weight, and both are Dominican, but that's pretty much where the resemblance ends. Pedro has been getting better and better as the season's progressed, and he's pretty damn close to the vintage Pedro of 1998-2000. Even Pedro Martinez at 95% is still better than 95% of pitchers in MLB.
• Wakefield vs. Lackey: Wakefield's been the most valuable pitcher on the Red Sox staff this season after Pedro & D-Lowe. This guy can do it all - start, close, long relief, and eats up more innings on less rest than just about any pitcher out there. Although he's scheduled to start Wednesday night, that could change pending whatever last-minute trades are in the works.

Angels fans have to be real high on their team right now, whereas the sphincters are gettting pretty tight in Red Sox Nation (um, don't take that too literally). On the plus side for the Sox, however, are a recently-sparked offense and yesterday's team-bonding session (a.k.a., the Brawl vs. Baltimore). This could be a damn good series, definitely worth staying up late for the next three nights.

It's always kinda sad when you're the only one responding to the threads you started. But being a Red Sox fan as of late is an even sadder fate ...

I know a lot of folks are calling for Grady Little's head (toss pitching coach Tony Cloninger in there too), but I don't know how much you can really blame them. Coaches get far too much of the credit and far too much of the blame. Manny went 1 for 3, which isn't horrible, except that Sele tossed up a buncha hangers that were begging to be spanked, and Manny just fouled them all off. Nomar was 0 for 3, and his at-bats looked MISERABLE, except for that one walk (almost died of shock when he drew that walk). Then Varitek GIDP'ed in a fashion I thought only Offerman and Clark were capable of. The Angels pitching was very iffy tonight, and the Sox just didn't take advantage. End of story. Are Grady and Tony a two-man baseball brain trust? No. But is it their fault that the two best hitters on the team (who happen to be two of the best hitters in the game) did nothing but foul off all those fat pitches hanging over the plate? Hell no.

After their 40-17 start, the Sox have a record that's gotta be comparable to the KC Royals. It wouldn't be so painful if they didn't have about ten times the talent as the Royals. That's what's so heartbreaking about all these losses and this now 2-month-long sub-.500 stretch. All this talent, and they still manage to f*cking SUCK!!!

Is this what it feels like to be a Mets fan this season???

Is this what it feels like to be a Mets fan this season???

No---not really---Mets fans are frustrated b/c we start off poorly, but usually make a run for it after the all-star break (see--we are only 4 1/2 behind for the WC)

The Red Sox always start out like a house of fire giving us all hope that they can beat out those bastard yankees, then usually play 10 games under .500 after the break basically fading from oblivion!

BIG DIFFERENCE!

Finally, an intelligent post. I've been monitoring the live posts on espn.com under the Angels and Red Sox to find only the ridiculous banter of the pathetically lonely. Let's see...what can I tell you about the Angels staff?

First of all, last night's game was awesome. This series is going to be great and the race is looking like it's anyone's ballgame. Let's hope they don't screw it up and strike in a couple of weeks.

After a slow start, Sele is pitching well as of late. Everyone knew he could chew up innings and he's done an admirable job keeping the Halos in games.

Ortiz (aka Little Pedro) is hit and miss. The guy leads the AL in home runs allowed yet his ERA is lower than one would expect. He can run the fastball up in the low 90's, at times has pinpoint control but his ball has very little movement. I remember a game a few years back where he outdueled Pedro in Boston, holding the BoSox scoreless on one or two hits. Pedro is his idol and he is always a little more emotional pitching against him. We'll see tonight.

Lackey is a stud. He's started only five or six games since being called up from AAA and he's had only one mediocre outing. He's a BIG guy that can throw hard and he also has an excellent hard breaking pitch. Look for him to challenge early and often. He got into trouble a couple of starts ago against Seattle by nibbling too much. He'll be around the plate all night.

As for Washburn, it's a good thing for you guys that you're missing him. He's come back to Earth a little during his last few games, but still gets the big out to prevent large innings. His only loss in his last 13 decisions was a 3-1 game against Oakland where he threw a complete game and gave up only 5 hits. And, Appier has also pitched much better of late.

Let's say I've upgraded my outlook to cautiously optimistic.

Not to mention that I bet $50 on the Halos to win the World Series before the season started at 75-1.

Jake

PHEW! I knew there had to be at least one Angels fan on this board. I know there are plenty of Red Sox fans, but they're all probably too depressed to say anything.

I'll grant you that last night's game was exciting, but "awesome"? That obviously depends on which side you're rooting for. Neither starter was great, but both hung in there. There was a lot of pressure on Fossum, and a lesser man would have crumbled after allowing those first three runs. But he got it together and shut them out after that. Sele did a passable job last night. But come on, you didn't see the fat batting-practice pitches he hung up for Nomar and Manny? Uh huh, the ones that two of the best hitters in baseball could do nothing but foul off? Yeah, those. Grrrrrrrr if I gritted my teeth any harder, they would have popped out of my mouth.

Although it makes sense now that I think about it, I didn't realize that Ortiz looked up to Pedro as his idol. It's interesting to note that Pedro isn't all that much older than Ortiz (~3.5 years). Didn't Ortiz "age" about 5-6 years in the post-9/11 visa crackdown? I'm just hoping Pedro pitches the way he's been pitching his last 4-5 outings. He's been downright scarey-good lately.

One tidbit mostly for the Boston fans ... I don't know if it was shown in California, but there was a very telling shot of El Maestro Pedro, pitching coach Tony Cloninger, and young'un Casey Fossum. Cloninger was talking to Fossum when Pedro approached Fossum to share some thoughts. Cloninger just stood aside and let Pedro share his wisdom in a fairly lengthy conversation with Fossum, while the TV cameras were capturing the scene for the entire New England audience. That never would have happened under the egotistical Kerrigan. For one thing, Pedro hated Kerrigan and wouldn't get near the guy unless forced to do so. Two, Kerrigan has to be the Almighty Teacher, and there's no way his fragile ego would allowed someone else to show him up. Criticize Cloninger all you want, but at least he doesn't allow his ego interfere with what's best for the team.

Depressed and jet-lagged. I'm shifting my sleep schedule so I can watch the series live; plus since I'm "between careers" at the moment, sunrise and sunset seem to have lost their influence on my circadian clock.

Anyway, yeah, last night _was_ an exciting game. The only part I'd call "awesome" was Fossum's debut as a starter. Little and Cloninger should probably have replaced him after 5, but he hung in there despite his obvious tiredness. It was a terrific performance, and as BSR noted, so cool to see Pedro encourage and tutor him.

Now it's the Red Sox' turn. Ooh this is gonna be good...

It's 0-0 in the 3rd as I type.

I must confess that I missed that end of last night's game because I was watching the Sidney Poitier movie To Sir, With Love. But what good news greeted me when I opened up the paper this AM!!

The Angels are playing great ball now (and have been for about the last 2 months). But I well remember 1979, 1982, 1986 (SHUDDER)& 1995 not to mention all the times they were in contention until August and then fell apart. I won't get excited until they're leading the division late in September.

This series is important for the Wild Card implications. I can't really see the Sox beating out the Yankees--Rivera or No Rivera--so their only playoff chance might be the WC. If none of the 3 teams in the West go on a long losing streak, whoever finishes 2nd in the West will probably be the WC. After the Yankees series this coming weekend,

Crap. 1-0 Sox in the 4th

the Angels have a relatively cake schedule--a road trip to NY and Fenway will be tough, but they have Detroit and Tampa Bay amongst other bottom feeders. They end the season at home to Seattle.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the Angels chances, but check back with me in mid-September.

It was looking like a helluva pitching duel until the defense collapsed, which seemed to cause Ortiz to unravel. I had to feel bad for Ortiz, but even if the Angels' defense had been impeccable, "Big" Pedro was just too damn good tonight. I thought Pedro had been awfully good lately, and the announcers confirmed it. He is now 5-0 with a sick .064 ERA in the month of July. Yikes!! If Pedro is "off" with a 14-2 record and a 2.36 ERA, what is an "on" Pedro like???

Tomorrow's game is totally up in the air. Wakefield is capable of throwing a no-hitter, or giving up 6 runs in the first inning. His performance in any given game is about as predictable as that crazy knuckleball. That said, he has been pretty good this season.

The Sox just traded for Cliff Floyd, who should be a good bat in the middle of the lineup. They say they'll try to put him in the lineup tomorrow, but even if he did manage to make it, he'll be awfully jet-lagged.

DAMN, that was a great play by Hillenbrand that ended the game tonight, 2-1 Boston win. Very good game for both starters, Wakefield and Lackey. Good game all around, in fact, unless you're the Rally Monkey. Two out of three ain't bad. Now it's on to the Power Rangers, who slaughtered the Yankees tonight, 6-17. Seventeen?? Texas???

PHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man oh man, I was sweatin' like a whore in church during the bottom of the 9th. Halos fans can't be too happy since the one-run difference in the Sox's favor was unearned. Better lucky than good sometimes.

At the risk of sounding ungrateful or greedy, complaining about my beloved Sox after they just won a close game and took 2 of 3 from a quality team, but I'm a bit worried about Nomar and Manny. The two best Sox hitters went 0-fer again tonight, something that happens with alarming frequency when the Sox play good teams. Hopefully Cliff "How the hell did I get traded to the Red Sox?" Floyd in the number 5 spot will help matters.

Overall, good game, good series. There are 56 games left in the season, including 4 games between these two teams (now tied for 1st in the Wild Card) at Fenway. Mark August 23-26 on your baseball calendars, because these games are now looking huge.

Thank You Boston, You know how to spank that monkey!

rsb, you're right about those remaining four games with anaheim. but i must chastise you a bit about looking at the wild card race. we are trying to catch the yankees, first and foremost. clearly, you're a long-time die-hard sox fan who feels like you've been rode hard and put away wet just too often, but keep the faith -- first and foremost, we're in a race for the pennant.

and look on the bright side, management added some wood and an arm to the bullpen before the trading deadline!

Great game last night guys. I guess I can't expect the Halos to be on the winning end of every one run game. I've gotten a bit spoiled though. Good news for Angel fans. We've got 25 of our next 35 against teams with losing records and we've been dominating them this year. We'll do our best to bury the hated Yankees this weekend!

No, you can't win every single 1-run game, but CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU for beating the MFYs 2-1 tonight!!! 1 down, 3 to go ... Everybody here is praying for an Angels sweep!

Angel Monkeys spankee the Yankees!
Yankees Suck

I posted this in the "tighter-than-tight AL West" thread, then realized I should have just revived this one ...

The 4 game Anaheim-Boston series starting tonight is huge for both teams. On the down side (for the Sox, obviously), Johnny Damon will be out for the series because of a dislocated finger. But he's been slumping so badly that his absence prolly isn't a big deal. On the up side, Grady Little shifted the starters around so that both Pedro and D-Lowe are pitching in this series, and both gents will be very motivated to win. Pedro had a bad outing last time, so you gotta think he'll be razor-sharp tonight. D-Lowe pitched great in his last outing, but got gypped out of a win because of a piss-poor offense and bullpen, so that should fuel his fire. No matter what these two say (Pedro says that D-Lowe deserves the Cy Young, Lowe says that Pedro does, and both claim they don't think about it much), both of these guys really really want the Cy Young, which can't be good news for the Angels.

[ August 23, 2002: Message edited by: BoSoxRudy ]

Well, Tim Salmon is on the DL with his wrist injury. Is this going to be like when Gary DiSarcina went down in 1995 and the Angels promptly collapsed or is this a new, tougher Angels?

*Sigh* The Collapse of 2002 has begun.

Red Sox had been in their own lackadaisical slump lately, but the hits have started happening since Nomar's pre-game pep talk on Wednesday night. The opposite has been true for the Angels, who just lost two out of three to the MFY's (four out of seven for the season) and slipped to third place in the AL West. Plus Anaheim's best hitter, OF Tim Salmon, and RHP Aaron Sele went on the DL this week, so we've got a weakend team facing three of the hottest starters in the league, Pedro, Lowe and Tim (sigh...) Wakefield. The unpredictable but occasionally brilliant John Burkett is scheduled to pitch game 4 on Monday against Ortiz, so the Sox may need some especially re-invigorated offense that night. Hey Jim Allen, you gonna be monitoring your email in case a little trans-continental heckling is required?

Crap! I hate missing Pedro's starts (only once every 5 games), Red Sox victories (seemingly even less often than that) ... missing Pedro victories?!?! Aaaauuuuugggghhhhh!!! But I'm stuck here in Queens, where I can watch every single minute of the mother-of-all-revenue-streams, the YES Network, but not a minute of my precious (dare I say resurgent???) Red Sox. But it sounds like Pedro was indeed razor sharp tonight, save Glaus's big bomb in the 7th, and the Sox offense is finally hitting up to expectations.

Pedro was ok for Pedro six hits, a run and six K's in eight innings. Ugie's inning consisted of a walk and three fielded balls, but that worked to give him his 30th save of the season. Once again, the offensive lineup played some smart ball, including Daubach's picture-perfect bunt down the third base line to put him on in the second.

There was one awesome defensive play in the fourth, a ground ball to the right field corner picked up by Manny, relayed to Sanchez at second, who zinged it to Varitek in time to tag Palmiero coming into home. Textbook.

If you're still in (cough) New York on Saturday, BSR, you can catch the game on Fox at 1:00.

CRAP!!!

Ooooh, that loss tonight could be a killer. Of course, that's working on the premise that there'll actually be a season beyond the 30th (something I doubt). Troy Percival can be awesome but every once in a while, his fastball is flat and he gets rocked. Tonight the Angels bullpen let them down; they've been solid most of the year but they didn't get the job done tonight.

Now the Angels have to fly home and play a game tomorrow night. Luckily, it's Tampa Bay. But this is where they've slipped on the bannana peel before: a tough loss against a good team and then they go on a 10 game losing streak against crappy teams.

Crap. A tough loss. Oh well. Adam Kennedy is still hot, hot, hot. So, back to the Manchester City v. Newcastle United English football match on Fox SportsWorld. I should have never left it! The Angels were ahead 9-7 when I switched to the football match; I should have resisted the temptation to switch back. Damn! It's my fault they lost!

Well thanks for that, JA! We were just as surprised that the Red Sox pulled it off in the 10th, especially since the Angels had done exactly the opposite the night before by breaking a tie with five runs in the 9th.

It was actually a pretty exciting series that the teams ended up splitting two games each, proving once again that it ain't over 'til it's over. Bless your heart, Johnny Damon. As Pedro said, "It has to make people wonder now are (the Red Sox) really done or not?"

Tonight the Yankees come to Fenway for a two-night stand. Good luck, boys...