Angels/Red Sox Game Notes--Game 3

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 4-1 loss in Game 1 & 7-5 setback in Game 2, the Angels have dropped their last nine overall playoff games (2004-08), including six in a row at home…Last win came in Game 1 of 2005 ALCS at Chicago (3-2 score)…Last win at home came in Game 5 of 2005 ALDS vs. New York (5-3 score)…Angels have dropped last 11 post-season contests vs. Boston (1986-2008), the longest losing
streak vs. one club in post-season history (previously 10; Red Sox vs. Athletics, 1988-2003)…Last win vs. Boston came in Game 4 of 1986 ALCS at Anaheim Stadium (4-3 score)…Dating back to 1986, Angels had led in only seven of last 94 innings played between clubs…Angels have dropped five straight ALDS games (all vs. Boston) and are 6-11 overall in ALDS history.

GAME 3 OUTLOOK: Angels are 6-4 (1-2 vs. Boston) in Game 3 all-time in post-season (2-2 in ALDS; 0-2 vs. Boston)…Since Division Series play began in 1995, 35 teams have taken a 2-0 advantage in the series…Five teams have come back to win the series, the last being Boston vs. Oakland in 2003…The lone team to do so when losing the first two games at home was New York vs. Oakland in 2001…Angels are 6-17 on road in post-season history, 2-5 in ALDS and 1-6 at Boston (0-3 in ALDS)…First pitch is at 7:27 p.m. and tonight’s game 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 and in Spanish on KWKW ESPN Deportes (1330 AM)…The games will also be broadcast nationally on ESPN Radio.

DIVISION SERIES GAME 2 RECAP: Angels fell to 2-3 all-time in Game 2 of ALDS (5-6 in Game 2 club history) with 7-5 loss to the Red Sox…Five runs scored snapped string of nine straight post-season games with 3 runs-or-less (16 total; 1.8 per game)…Angels did not have leadoff batter reach safely in an inning in Game 1, but did so four times in Game 2 (scoring one run in each inning)…Angels have gone 66 innings without hitting a post-season home run… Club has gone 87 post-season innings without a lead of more than one run…Torii Hunter was 2-for-5 with two RBI and is 4-for-8 (.500, all singles) in series…He is batting .357 (25/70) in the DS in career (18 games)…Hunter owns 11 career post-season RBI, all coming in ALDS…Mark Teixeira finished 3-for-3 (1 BB) with three runs scored and an RBI…He is batting .714 (5/7; all
singles) with an RBI in series…Vladimir Guerrero was 3-for 4 (1 BB) and is 5-for-8 in series (.625; all singles)…Chone Figgins leadoff triple in eighth inning is Angels lone extra-base hits of series (21 hits total)…Francisco Rodriguez (1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR) took the loss, his fourth in post-season career (most in Angels history)…Angels 3-4-5 hitters are a combined 14-for-23 (.609) through first two games of series while 6-9 batters are a collective 2-for-31 (.065)…Batters 1-2 are 4-for-19 in series (.211)…Angels were 3-for-14 with RISP in Game 2, are 4-for-21 (.190) in series and have left 20 runners on base thus far.

DIVISION SERIES GAME 1 RECAP: The Angels fell to 0-5 all-time in Game 1 of the ALDS with 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’ 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…Mark Teixeira logged two hits in his first career playoff game…Halos are 3-8 overall in Game 1 of a post-season series.

2008 vs. BOSTON: Angels outscored Red Sox 42-17 over last six regular season games played… Angels 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 IN POST-SEASON: Angels are 21-29 overall in post-season history…Club was 11-5 in 2002 World Championship season and are 4-14 since…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.