Friday, June 03, 2005

DS-Dilemma-Time

It's time again to rethink my loyalities as my two favorite teams team up for a rematch of last year's ALDS. Last year (while praying that the Angels would make the postseason at all) I hoped that Boston would have to play Minnesota and Anaheim New York in the Division Series, but it came different. While I was a little disappointed that the Angels got swept 3-0 by the Sox, I was quite happy about the result, because I wanted the Red Sox to finally beat the Yankees and win the World Series so that all the Boston fans could die peacefully one day having seen the Red Sox on top once in their lifes. I got my wish last year (Which means I only had to wait two years until "my team" finally won it all - I had to wait about 12 years before Werder Bremen finally won the German soccer championship - by the way: Bayern Munich are the Yankees of German soccer: the evil empire), but I propably hadn't suffered enough to make me a real diehard member of Red Sox nation, so this year, the Angels are my MVP Baseball franchise on the PC and the team I will root for this weekend, this october and for good and ill until relocation tears us apart. :)
Still, I would be most happy with a 2-1 series win for the Angels, accompanied by three straight losses for the Rangers, Yankees and O's.

Angels @ Red Sox
Friday: Kelvim Escobar (2-2, 3.56 ERA) vs. David Wells (3-4, 5.96 ERA)
The Angels should win this one if Escobar can pitch 6 or maybe 7 innings. Wells was ok in his last start and the Angels have a lot of left-handed batters, but the Halos are hot enough right now to score 5 runs of Wells, plus two more of Alan Embree. Expect a good night from Garret Anderson, who is .430 in 62 at-bats against Wells.
Saturday: Bartolo Colon (6-3, 2.75 ERA) vs. Bronson Arroyo (4-2, 3.98 ERA)
I like Bronson Arroyo very much, because he cannot blow fastballs by the hitters and has to rely on his slider instead (I'm not a fan of power pitchers, you know), but he was shaky in his last starts. Colon was very good this year, but the Boston hitters will make him throw a lot of pitches and they are good fastball hitters. I don't expect anyone having a night like A-Rod had against Colon, but Boston will score a fair share of runs of Colon. I expect this to be a high scoring game. The Angels will lose on a three run homerun allow by Esteban Yan.
Sunday: Jarrod Washburn (3-3, 3.80 ERA) vs. ???
Washburn returns to Fenway Park, where he gave up a walk-off homerun to David Ortiz to end the ALDS last year. So naturally Washburn will have a great game and redeem himself, no matter whom he will face on the mound.

Go Halos!

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