Smell That? That's The Postseason!

Good news, Sox fans: after a long bout with bronchitis and a series of computer problems (the bureaucrats at my university thought it would be a good idea to lock me out of my Internet account for three weeks), your favorite angry, whiny Californian Sox blogger is back in business. I know that this blog is the only source of Red Sox information for most of my readers (cough, Rachael, cough), so this should make you very happy. Just in time for the playoffs, too.

October has arrived, and along with the crappy weather and inundation of Halloween swag at your local CVS, that means that playoff baseball is here. This makes me unbelievably happy. It seems like the Sox play the Anaheim Angels (I'm from California; Anaheim is most definitely NOT in Los Angeles, no matter what Angels owner Arte Moreno wants you to think) in the ALDS every year, and this also makes me very happy. That's because the BoSox are 9-1 over the past three postseason series against the Not Los Angeles Angels. The Angels obviously would like to break that trend this year, so I will break down the key matchups in my very objective and unbiased opinion.

Starting Pitching

The Sox throw Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz against Anaheim, who counter with John Lackey, Jered Weaver and Scott Kazmir. These are easily the most compelling pitching matchups in this round of the playoffs, the only ones that could really go either way every night. All five except Buchholz have had postseason experience, and Beckett has built a reputation for himself as the very best October pitcher in the game. Kazmir, a former Tampa Bay Ray, has seen a lot of Boston over his career; he is 8-7 with a 3.59 ERA in 23 regular-season starts against the Sox.

Advantage: Boston. We have Beckett. 'Nuff said.

Offense

The Angels and BoSox finished with the first and fourth best team batting averages in baseball, respectively. Both teams like to take pitches, and it was difficult for opposing pitchers to rack up strikeouts. The two lineups read like an All-Star ballot; in what other series are you going to find names like Kevin Youkilis, Vladimir Guerrero, Jason Bay, Kendry Morales, Victor Martinez and Bobby Abreu?

Advantage: Boston. Both teams have big names. Ours are just bigger.

Bullpen

One of the most compelling stories of this series will be how Angels closer Brian Fuentes fares against the umpires after his infamous meltdown when Anaheim visited Boston in September. The Sox bullpen is rock-solid at the back, with Hideki Okajima and Billy Wagner setting up for Jonathan Papelbon; one can only hope that the starters go far enough into games to go straight to OkiWagPap, bypassing the idiots (yes, I'm talking about Manny Delcarmen) that make up the middle relief.

Advantage: Anaheim. The Angels have a strong 'pen all the way through, unlike the bottom-heavy setup that we have now.

Bench

Maicer Izturis and Gary Matthews have been competent off the bench for the Angels, and one of the stories of the year for the Sox has been how the team's depth has allowed ailing and aging players like Mike Lowell to take much-needed days off.

Advantage: Boston. The Sox would not be in this position had it not been for our bench players; the same cannot be said about Anaheim.

Managers

Both Boston's Terry Francona and Anaheim's Mike Scioscia have guided their teams to World Series crowns and been named Manager of the Year. Not bad credentials for a couple of guys who are still managing their first teams. Scioscia tends to have his teams play small-ball, and there are few teams that hustle on every play like the Angels; Terry has more power to work with, and is less likely to send runners (besides speed freak Jacoby Ellsbury, who can run whenever the hell he wants as far as I'm concerned).

Advantage: Tie. Terry and Scioscia are studies in completely opposite forms of coaching, both of which have been successful in the past.

Series Prediction

Sox in four games. The playoffs really come down to experience, and recent memory says that Boston has experienced beating the crap out of Anaheim the last few postseasons. I see no reason why that trend won't continue this year.

Predictions Around the League (Pretending Like I Hadn't Watched the Games Tonight)

New York vs. Minnesota: Justin Verlander would have given the Tigers a couple wins, but I just don't think the Twins have the pitching or offensive firepower to match up with the Yankees--especially when three of the five games are going to be in the Bronx.

New York in three games

Los Angeles vs. St. Louis: I hate Manny Ramirez for shitting on the Sox a couple summers ago, so I'd be picking against the Dodgers anyway (even if they really are from Los Angeles).

St. Louis in five games

Philadelphia vs. Colorado: This one comes down to pitching. Neither team has declared their third starter, but I'd take Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels against pretty much any other pitching duo in the National League (outside of maybe LinceCain in San Francisco).

Philadelphia in three games