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EVIL~! alkeiper

MLB Divisional Playoffs, AL Edition

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All games on TBS.

 

WEDNESDAY

Boston (John Lester) @ LA Angels (John Lackey), 10pm ET.

 

THURSDAY

Chicago WS (TBD) @ Tampa Bay (James Shields), 2:30pm ET.

 

FRIDAY

Chicago WS (TBD) @ Tampa Bay (Scott Kazmir), 6pm ET.

Boston (Daisuke Matsuzaka) @ LA Angels (Ervin Santana), 9:30 ET.

 

SUNDAY

LA Angels (Joe Saunders) @ Boston (Josh Beckett)

Tampa Bay (Matt Garza) @ Chicago WS (TBD)

Times to be announced

 

MONDAY

Potential Game Fours

 

WEDNESDAY

Potential Game Fives

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Guest Smues

Want:

Red Sox

Devil Rays

 

Expect:

the the angels angels in 4

White Sox in 5

 

Edit: Make that White Sox in 4, because if the series goes 5 I have tickets to game five, so that won't happen.

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Guest Vitamin X

Cubs-Brewers for the NLCS, Sox-Sox for the ALCS, then Cubs-Red Sox in the WS. I think TSM will have to implode.

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If there is a silver lining in the Josh Beckett injury, it's that Matsuzaka can pitch on the road, where he's been better this season.

 

If the Sox get knocked out, I will happily get behind the Rays and my hometown hero Carlos Pena.

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By choosing the A schedule, the Angels and Red Sox will have an extra off day. That means both teams can shorten to 3-man rotations and ride the back end of bullpens extra hard. You'd have to think that favors the Sox. Not exactly sure why the Angels would go that route when they held advantages on the 4th starter and in bullpen depth.

 

Anyways, it's a tough series to call. I'm going to go slight edge to Boston, but there's not a lot of confidence there on my part.

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I'll take the Rays in 5 and Red Sox in 4. The White Sox will have a tough time winning in Tampa, yet I can't see the Rays getting a game in Chicago either. So the home field will be crucial there. However, I think Daisuke can steal that game in Anaheim and the Red Sox will take it back to Boston and win both there to finish it.

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Angels in 5 over Boston

Game 1 goes to Angels. John Lackey will get it done.

Game 2 goes to Boston. This should be a close game but I think Boston will eek it out.

Game 3 goes to Boston. Beckett.

Game 4 goes to Angels. Lackey is getting thrown back up on the hill no way is Garland getting the start.

Game 5 goes to Angels. Ervin Santana will show up with his a game.

 

Chicago in 5 over Tampa

Game 1 goes to Chicago. Vazquez is going to rebound over his last bad outting.

Game 2 goest to Tampa. This game is going to be fairly close. Kazmir and Buehrle should both be stellar.

Game 3 goes to Chicago. Gavin Flloyd has showed he can pitch well in close games.

Game 4 goes to Tampa. Either Danks or Vazquez will pitch. Both will probably job.

Game 5 goes to Chicago. Big home runs in this game from the Chicago offense will bail them out.

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Angels in 5 over Boston

Game 1 goes to Angels. John Lackey will get it done.

Game 2 goes to Boston. This should be a close game but I think Boston will eek it out.

Game 3 goes to Boston. Beckett.

Game 4 goes to Angels. Lackey is getting thrown back up on the hill no way is Garland getting the start.

Game 5 goes to Angels. Ervin Santana will show up with his a game.

You think Lackey can beat Lester twice in one series? Not saying you're necessarily wrong, but that's a bold prediction.

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While I didn't think the White Sox would even make it in, I always thought that if they did, they'd beat the Rays. The Rays are very good, but their inexperience in general coupled with their complete lack of playoff experience will do them in. I think both series will go 5. The Boston/LAA series may go 4.

 

What I want to happen:

 

Chicago over Tampa Bay in 3.

Boston over LAA in 3.

 

What will happen:

 

Chicago over Tampa Bay in 5.

LAA over Boston in 5 (maybe 4).

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Angels in 5 over Boston

Game 1 goes to Angels. John Lackey will get it done.

Game 2 goes to Boston. This should be a close game but I think Boston will eek it out.

Game 3 goes to Boston. Beckett.

Game 4 goes to Angels. Lackey is getting thrown back up on the hill no way is Garland getting the start.

Game 5 goes to Angels. Ervin Santana will show up with his a game.

You think Lackey can beat Lester twice in one series? Not saying you're necessarily wrong, but that's a bold prediction.

 

I'm concerned with Lester starting on the road.

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Haven't the Red Sox made the Angels their bitch in every single playoff match-up between the two lately? I really don't see a reason for me to believe the Boston won't do it to them again. Something about when these two match-up is screwy, maybe the different and slightly weakened Boston staff will make a difference.

 

Seems like every time I think the Angels will put up a fight against the Red Sox and the Red Sox just destroy them.

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I'm a bit perplexed as to why 75% of the board thinks the Angels will beat the Red Sox. I'll be the first to admit that a five-game series with two even teams can go either way, but the Sox have won nine consecutive postseason games against LAA and were the better regular season team this year. They have distinct advantages in starting pitching, relief pitching, offense, baserunning and defense.

 

Are people that concerned over the homefield advantage or is it something else? The potential injury concerns of Lowell, Drew and Beckett?

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Beckett's injury concerns me more than anything. And why do you believe the Red Sox were the better regular season team? They got crushed by the Angels this year.

The Angels won the season series. But six of those eights wins came at the end of July when the Red Sox clubhouse was a mess and they were running out their little league lineup because of all the injuries. To me the, the head-to-head sample isn't large enough to make a definitive statement either way.

 

If you look at RS/RA and BP's Third Order Wins, the Red Sox were probably the best team in baseball this year. The Angels were good too, but a lot of that was a result of playing in the AL West. Doesn't mean I think the Red Sox are runaway favorites. I think it will be a tight series. It's just the overwhelming Angels support that caught me off guard.

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I'd like to see the Angels/Rays with the Rays winning that series in 7, but I don't dislike any of the teams in the mix. I'm just hoping whoever emerges from this league ends up winning the World Series.

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I'm surprised there's a fair bit of people here that thinks the White Sox will defeat the Tampa Bay Rays. I'd like to hear the reasoning for that. I'm being optimistic about their chances but I don't think Tropicana Field (where the majority of the series will be played) plays to the White Sox's strengths.

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Haven't the Red Sox made the Angels their bitch in every single playoff match-up between the two lately? I really don't see a reason for me to believe the Boston won't do it to them again. Something about when these two match-up is screwy, maybe the different and slightly weakened Boston staff will make a difference.

 

Seems like every time I think the Angels will put up a fight against the Red Sox and the Red Sox just destroy them.

 

The difference this year is that we acquired two really good hitters; Torii Hunter and Mark Texiera.

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