Game Preview 4/24/11: Red Sox @ Angels – We Need An Easter Miracle

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Boston Red Sox (8-11) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (12-8)

Pitching Probables: LAA – Ervin Santana (0-2, 526 ERA)  BOS – Daisuke Matsuzka (1-2, 6.43 ERA)

Game Info: 6:05 PM PT; TV – Fox Sports West; Radio – KLAA 830 AM

I am sick and tired of losing to the freakin’ Boston Red Sox. There are just some teams that I genuinely do not like and the Bosox are close to the top of that list. Ignore the playoff futility for a moment and just concentrate on the love affair that the national media has had with the boys from Beantown for the past decade or so. Seriously, if aliens landed on Earth tomorrow they would think that there are only two teams that play baseball, the Sox and the Yanks. So call it envy or east coast bias or whatever, I am tired of hearing about Boston and wish that the Angels could actually beat them every once and awhile. Is that too much to ask?

After two nights of looking absolutely lost against Beckett and Lester, the Angels get a crack at the back half of the Red Sox Rotation. That should be welcome news to an offense that seemed to be unable to get the big hit last night until late in the game. Howie Kendrick in particular needs to return to his early season success as both a table setter and a run producer and once again the Kiddie Corps will have to do something in the batter’s box if the Angels hope to win.

Monkey See Monkey Do Expect the offense to get itself going. Daisuke Matsuzaka is one of those pitchers that run hot and cold and he is coming off a relatively warm outing last week. If the Angels don’t get to him early, then they may be in trouble, but I think they will. This game will also tell if Torii Hunter is getting his groove back. If he can get a few hits and the top of the line-up can set the table, the Angels have a good chance. Do expect the running game to also show up tonight with maybe 3 or 4 steals to keep the pressure on the porous catching tandem of Varitek and Saltalamacchia.

Monkey See Monkey Don’t Do not expect Ervin Santana to pitch as poorly as he did in Texas. Santana does well against lefties and the Boston line up is full of them. He also pitches better at home so the stats align in his favor. Although I think he will not set the world afire tonight, I see him giving up 3 or 4 runs, he will keep the team in the game long enough to get the win. It is essential for Santana to start pitching well if the Angels want to challenge for a playoff spot. If he struggles again then the rotation is not nearly as competitive as we had hoped.

The Monkey’s Bananas Prediction of the Day Even though it’s a night game, which tends to limit the long balls, I think this one will be a slugfest. Neither pitcher is really throwing lights out and both teams have been scuffling offensively. It only makes sense for there to be at least one high scoring affair and I believe this will be it. Trumbo will go deep as will Vernon Wells (stop laughing he has to hit one out of the Big A at some point) and the Angels will take this one comfortably 8-5.