It’s understandable that John Lackey was disappointed after losing to the Red Sox again in the ALDS. It’s also understandable that Lackey is angry…but this angry and unreasonable? Are the Angels really better than the Red Sox? How could that be possible after losing the Division Series 3-1? Well…Lackey said it:

“We lost to a team that’s not better than us. We are a better team than they are. The last two days, we shouldn’t have given up anything.”

He mocked Dustin Pedroia’s fist-pump after hitting a clutch RBI double in the fifth inning off the Green Monster:  “[Monday] night they scored on a broken-bat ground ball and a fly ball that anywhere else in America is an out, and he’s fist-pumping on second base like he did something great.” Continue reading John Lackey Says Angels Are the Better Team »

In typical playoff fashion, a close game all the way until the end. Jed Lowrie’s single to short right field brought in Jason Bay to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Bay got on base after a double to right field.

Torii Hunter broke the game open in the top of the 8th with a two-run single to tie the game. The Angels threatened in the top of the ninth with an attempted suicide squeeze, which resulted Reggie Willits being caught in a rundown to third by Jason Varitek. The ruling was controversial due to the fact that Varitek dropped the ball after the tag, but this is baseball not football and because it was after the tag the fumble of the ball means nothing. Continue reading Red Sox Advance to ALCS »

Mike Napoli launched two home runs off an ineffective Josh Beckett, and the Angels outlasted the Red Sox 5-4 in 12 innings. Napoli finished 3-5 with those two HRs, three RBI, and three runs scored, including the game-winning run in the 12th on an Erick Aybar single.

Beckett was hit hard and hit often, lasting only five innings (106 pitches). He allowed four runs on nine hits and four walks with six strikeouts. Only one question about Beckett’s performance remains: was he injured? Continue reading Angels Force Game 4 After Extra-Inning Win »

It was a close game tonight, even after the Sox started the game off with a 4-1 lead. The Angles just kept chipping away at the Red Sox lead until it was tied at five in the ninth inning. J.D. Drew changed all of that with a huge swing of the bat in the top of the ninth inning: a two-run homerun that put the Red Sox up 7-5. Jonathan Papelbon finished the game with a nice six-out save to send the series back out to Boston.

Continue reading J.D. Drew Blasts One; Sox Lead ALDS 2-0 »

It seems as if Manny Ramirez is trying to prove something in the 2008 NLDS, after hitting his second home run in as many games to help the Dodgers take a commanding 2-0 series lead. The Dodgers were helped by a home run from Ramirez, a three-run double from Russell Martin, and a shaky defense from the Cubs infield in the 10-3 win.

Could it really be possible that the Red Sox will be paying Manny Ramirez to hit against them in the World Series? Continue reading Manny Homers Again, Dodgers Take 2-0 Lead »

The Red Sox were down 1-0 and Angels ace John Lackey was on the hill. Lackey hasn’t had tremendous success against the Red Sox, especially in the playoffs, but this season and game seemed different. With two outs in the sixth inning, everything changed on one swing of the bat.

Jason Bay provided the heroics for the Red Sox, hitting a go-ahead, two-run homer in his first career playoff game. Lackey took the loss yet again in a postseason series against the Red Sox, but did pitch relatively well (6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR). Continue reading Jason Bay Powers Red Sox in Game 1 Win »