Angels/Red Sox Game Notes--Game 2

DIVISION SERIES OVERVIEW: For the third time in five seasons, the Angels and Boston Red Sox meet in the
Division Series…2008 marks the fourth time in eight total playoff appearances the Angels have squared off vs. Boston (1986, 2004, 2007 & 2008)…With last night’s 4-1 setback in Game 1, the Angels have dropped their last eight overall playoff games (2004-08), including five in a row at home…Angels have dropped their last 10 post-season contests vs. Boston (1986-2008)…Halos are 3-8 overall in Game 1 of a post-season series.

GAME 2 OUTLOOK: Angels are 5-5 in Game 2 all-time in post-season (2-2 in ALDS)…Historically teams that go up 1-0 in the ALDS are 12-14 all-time in winning the division series…By contrast, teams that go up 1-0 in the NLDS are 23-3 in series play…Tomorrow night’s first pitch is at 6:37 p.m. and will be televised nationally on TBS (Chip Carey, Buck Martinez and Craig Sager)…All Division Series games can be heard on KLAA AM 830 and the Angels radio network with Rory Markas and Terry Smith calling the action…The games will also be broadcast nationally on ESPN Radio.

DIVISION SERIES GAME 1 RECAP: The Angels fell to 0-5 all-time in Game 1 of the ALDS in the 4-1 loss to the Red Sox…John Lackey (0-1; 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 5 SO, 1 HB, 92 pitches/60 strikes) took the loss in his longest post-season outing since Game 4 of 2002 ALCS (7 IP)…Lackey is winless in his last five post-season starts (last win came in Game 7 of 2002 World Series)…Angels have been limited to 16 runs in their last nine playoff games (1.8 runs per game)…Angels’ 2-5 hitters were 8-for-15 (.533) but team went 1-for-7 with RISP…Torii Hunter’s RBI single in the 3rd inning put the Angels up 1-0…Marked Hunter’s 9th areer post-season RBI, all coming in division series play…He is now batting .354 (23/65) in the DS in his career (17 games)…Mark Teixeira logged two hits in his first career playoff game…Angels have gone 57 innings without hitting home run.

2008 vs. BOSTON: Angels have outscored Red Sox 42-17 over last six regular season games
played…Angels have won last eight games vs. Red Sox, matching longest win streak vs. Boston in club history (8/26/61 - 5/30/62)…Angels swept Red Sox in last meeting July 28-30 at Fenway Park…Marked first time in club history Angels swept a series at home and road vs. Red Sox in same season…Angels won 2008 series 8-1, first season-series win over Red Sox since 2001.

DID YOU KNOW? The 2008 Angels are the first team since the 1931 Cardinals to win 100 games in a season without a 100-RBI player, a 30-HR hitter, or a 20-game winner…Halos are the first AL team to do it since the 1915 Red Sox…Both the 1931 Cardinals and 1915 Red Sox went on to win the World Series.

COMING IN HOT: Several Angels entered the playoffs on hot streaks: Mike Napoli led the Angels batting .453 (24/53) in September with six home runs and 16 RBI…He had 18 hits his last 27 at bats (.667)…Garret Anderson hit .356 (21/87) in September…Vlad Guerrero hit .387 (36/93) his last 23 games to raise average from .285 to .303…Scot Shields has fashioned a 2.11 ERA (21.1 IP – 5 ER) over his last 24 outings…Game 3 starter Joe Saunders is 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA (27.1 IP – 5 ER) over his last four starts.

ANGELS 2008 SEASON: Angels completed 2008 season with 100-62 record and first place finish in AL West, 21 games ahead of second place Texas…Club’s win total is a franchise record, previously set in 2002 (99)…Angels became first MLB team since the 2005 St. Louis Cardinals (100 wins) to reach 100 wins and the first AL team to reach the mark since the 2004 New York Yankees (101 wins)…Colorado is the lone club with neither 100 wins or losses in a season…Halos registered best record in baseball for first time in club’s 48-year history…Halos also clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs…Angels’ club-record 21-game lead in AL West marks largest since 1999 Cleveland Indians (21.5 games ahead of White Sox)…On Sept. 10, the Angels clinched their fourth division crown in the last five seasons and seventh overall…2008 marks the club’s eighth all-time post-season berth (wild card entrant in 2002)…The Sept. 10 clinch date (Game #145) is the earliest the Angels clinched a division by date (previously Sept. 23, 2007) and by game (previously Game #153 in 1986) and the earliest any AL West team ever clinched the division…Angels were only team in AL with a winning record at home (50-31) and on the road (50-31)...Club’s road mark is best in franchise history…Halos were first team in Majors to reach 60 wins, 70 wins, 90 wins and the only club to win 100 contests in 2008...Halos finished 33-12-7 after 52 total series played…Angels were 53-27 vs. opponents above .500 (47-35 vs. teams under .500)…Angels registered winning record for the fifth straight season (94-68 in ‘07, 89-73 in ‘06, 95-67 in ’05 & 92-70 in ’04)…Marks first time Angels have ever had five consecutive winning seasons…Angels were in first place 138 consecutive days (since May 13) and 172 of 181 days this season…Since 2007, Angels have spent 343 of possible 361 days atop AL West…Halos finished 30-16 vs. AL East, 24-17 vs. AL Central, 36-21 vs. AL West...Club was 57-38 at All-Star break, matching the Red Sox and Cubs for most wins in Majors…Marked second time in club history Angels had most wins in Majors at the break (57 in 2007 with Boston)…Angels posted season-best seven-game win streak, May 31-June 7, while longest losing skid was also four contests, May 7-11…43 of 100 wins were in comeback fashion and 21 wins on season came in last at-bat…Angels were club record tying 39 games over .500, Sept. 25 (99-60)…Finished 31-21 in one-run games (club record 19-12 on road) and 30-7 in two-run contests (17-2 at home)…The club was 33-16 vs. left-handed starters and 67-46 vs. right-handed starters…Angels were 64-15 when they scored first (most wins in Majors)…Angels were 61-28 in games decided by two runs-or-less (most such wins in MLB)…Club posted nine walk-off wins…Angels have won 194 games since the beginning of last season and 81 of those (42%) have come by one run, the most such wins in the Majors during span…Angels largest lead was club-record 22
games (Sept. 22, 97-59 & Sept. 25, 99-60).

ANGELS IN POST-SEASON: Angels captured AL West Division title Sept. 10 with club record 100-62 record…Angels finished 21 games ahead of second place Texas…Marked fourth division title in five seasons (2004, 2005 & 2007), seventh overall (1979, 1982 & 1986) and eighth trip to post-season in club history (2002 AL Wild Card)...Seven AL West titles ranks second in division all-time (Oakland-14)…Club record 100 wins (100-62) are most in a division title season (was 95-2005)…Club record for wins was 99 in 2002…Each season Angels have won 92 games-or-more they have made post-season (1982-93, 1986-92, 2002-99, 2004-92, 2005-95 & 2007-
94)…Prior to winning World Series in 2002 with series victories over New York (3-1 in ALDS), Minnesota (4-1 in ALCS) and San Francisco (4-3 in WS), franchise had not won post-season series in its first three trips…The club lost in ALCS to Baltimore (3-1 in ‘79), Milwaukee (3-2 in ‘82) and Boston (4-3 in ‘86)…The Angels also lost in the ALDS to Boston in 2004 (3-0), defeated New York in the ALDS (3-2) and lost in the ALCS to Chicago (4-1) in 2005 and lost in the ALDS to Boston in 2007 (3-0)…The Angels are 4-6 in series play in club’s post-season history…The club has lost seven straight post-season games (1-4 vs. CWS in 2005 ALCS & 0-3 vs. Bos. in 2007 ALDS), four straight home games in playoffs and nine straight post-season games vs. Boston (final three games of 1986 ALCS & three-game sweeps in 2004 & 2007 ALDS)…On Angels’ 2008 Division Series roster, 6 of 25 players have yet to appear in post-season in their careers, including Jose Arredondo, Kevin Jepsen, Gary Matthews, Jr. Joe Saunders, Mark Teixeira and Brandon Wood…The entire Angels coaching staff has participated in post-season as a staff (2007) with Manager Mike Scioscia, Bench Coach Ron Roenicke, Hitting Coach Mickey Hatcher, First Base Coach Alfredo Griffin and Bullpen Coach Orlando Mercado also participating as a staff in 2002, 2004 & 2005…As a player, Scioscia participated for Los Angeles in four NLCS (1981, 1983, 1985 & 1988) and was member of Dodgers’ 1981 and 1988 World Championship teams…Griffin played for Los Angeles in NLCS (1988) and Toronto in ALCS (1992 & 1993), winning World titles with all three teams…Hatcher played for Los Angeles in NLCS and World Series for 1988 World Champions…Roenicke played for San Diego in 1984 NLCS and World Series.