Posted on 10/08/2004 11:29:40 AM PDT by GraniteStateConservative
American League division series; Red Sox lead 2-0.
4:05 pm EDT, Fri. Oct 8, 2004
TV: ESPN
Nothing more than an extra arm in spring training, Bronson Arroyo has emerged as Boston's No. 3 starter in the playoffs -- an impressive slot considering who he follows in the rotation.
Arroyo will try to follow strong performances by Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez and pitch the Red Sox into the AL championship series for a second straight year as they try to close out the frustrated Anaheim Angels in Game 3 at Fenway Park.
Arroyo, who wasn't even installed as Boston's fifth starter until May, spent the last three months of the season providing the Red Sox with one quality start after another. He went 8-2 after July 26, and was unbeaten in nine straight outings to close the regular season.
``Yeah, it's been an amazing year for me,'' Arroyo said. ``You know, I knew I had an outside shot of being a good starter in spring training and everything has worked out where I had an opportunity, and the organization has given me the fifth ball every fifth day and I had not had the opportunity before this. I'm just glad that I've proven myself to be consistent enough to be given the ball in Game 3.''
The 27-year-old right-hander maintained his poise in several key starts during Boston's second-half run to the AL wild card, earning the respect of manager Terry Francona and the rest of his teammates.
``Bronson has earned his stripes,'' Francona said. ``He's made a lot of starts this year and we've seen him evolve into a pretty good major league pitcher. And we would not give him the start if we didn't think he could handle it.''
Just as he has for the better part of the last three months, Arroyo will again follow Schilling and Martinez, both of whom handcuffed the Angels in Anaheim to stake the Red Sox to a commanding 2-0 lead with the series shifting to Boston for Games 3 and 4.
``I think it's definitely going to calm me down personally,'' Arroyo said of the 2-0 cushion he'll be working with in his first career playoff start. ``You now, if you're down 2-0 and it's a do-or-die game like it is for them, it's going to allow me to go out and try to be aggressive early in the game and just try to establish the strike zone. And just like being up ten in a baseball game, you don't have to worry about being so picky with shots or whatever. I can go out and throw the ball and hopefully our offense will come through tomorrow.''
Boston's offense clicked on all cylinders in the first two games, knocking around Anaheim starters Jarrod Washburn and Bartolo Colon and the vaunted Anaheim bullpen for 17 runs.
But rather than complaining about his team's poor pitching, manager Mike Scioscia was more concerned with his team's lack of aggressiveness in key situations.
``The one thing that I think hurt us tonight, and it does bother us, is the fact we didn't do the things offensively that we needed to do,'' Scioscia said after Wednesday's 8-3 loss in Game 2.
``We didn't get our bunts down, we had a chance to go from first to third a couple times and we didn't take advantage of it. Those are things we have to have in our game and we know, we talked about it, and we are going to have to take that aggressiveness, bring it to that level as we go back to Boston.''
The Angels, who have lost six straight to the Red Sox dating to the regular season, will try to get a lift from right-hander Kelvim Escobar, who helped pitch Anaheim into the playoffs last weekend in Oakland.
Escobar allowed four runs and six hits over 5 1-3 innings, but did not receive a decision in the Angels' AL West-clinching 5-4 victory over the Athletics on Saturday. The 28-year-old Venezuelan is hoping the performance under pressure serves him well in Friday's must-win game at Fenway.
``I don't think I get any pressure, because when you put pressure on yourself, I think you try to do too much, and it never works out that way,'' said Escobar, who will be making his postseason debut.
``But that weekend in Oakland, it was huge for us. It was kind of like a playoff game, and I couldn't sleep the night before, with the excitement, knowing that if we win the game, we clinched our division. But I try not to think too much and put pressure on myself.''
The Angels managed three runs in each of the first two games. Unlike 2002, when Anaheim lost Game 1 of each series en route to first-ever World Series title, the Angels weren't able to climb out of their early hole Thursday night.
``I don't care what happened in 2002,'' catcher Bengie Molina said. ``I wanted to win Game 1. And Game 2, too.''
Ironcially, the Red Sox were the last team to overcome an 0-2 deficit in the ALDS, doing it last year against Oakland. However, Boston lost the first two games on the road in that series.
The last AL team to come back from dropping the first two first-round games at home was the New York Yankees, who also did it against the A's in 2001.
``We're down two games, but we'll go there and play our best and you never know what might happen,'' Anaheim's Chone Figgins said.
Lineups/Bench (AVG/OBP/SLG)
CF-L Johnny Damon (.304/.380/.477)
2B-B Mark Bellhorn (.264/.373/.444)
LF-R Manny Ramirez (.308/.397/.613)
DH-L David Ortiz (.301/.380/.603)
1B-R Kevin Millar (.297/.383/.474)
RF-L Trot Nixon (.315/.377/.510)
C-B Jason Varitek (.296/.390/.482)
SS-R Orlando Cabrera (.264/.306/.383)
3B-B Bill Mueller (.283/.365/.446)
C-R Doug Mirabelli (.281/.368/.525)
1B-L Doug Mientkiewicz (.238/.350/.326)
MI-R Pokey Reese (.221/.271/.303)
3B-R Kevin Youkilis (.260/.367/.413)
OF-R Gabe Kapler (.272/.311/.390)
OF-L Dave Roberts (.254/.337/.379)
Rotations/Bullpen (ERA/IP)
RHP Pedro Martinez (217.0, 3.90)
RHP Curt Schilling (226.2, 3.26)
RHP Bronson Arroyo (178.2, 4.03)
RHP Tim Wakefield (188.1, 4.87)
RHP Keith Foulke (83.0, 2.17)
RHP Mike Timlin (76.1, 4.13)
LHP Alan Embree (52.1, 4.13)
LHP Mike Myers (42.2, 4.64)
RHP Curtis Leskanic (43.1, 5.19)
RHP Derek Lowe (182.2, 5.42)
Lineups/Bench (AVG/OBP/SLG)
2B-B Chone Figgins (.296/.350/.419)
1B-L Darin Erstad (.295/.346/.400)
RF-R Vladimir Guerrero (.337/.391/.598)
CF-L Garret Anderson (.301/.343/.446)
DH-R Troy Glaus (.251/.355/.575)
LF-B Jeff DaVanon (.277/.372/.418)
C-R Ben Molina (.276/.313/.404)
SS-R David Eckstein (.276/.332/.339)
3B-L Dallas McPherson (.225/.279/.475)
C-R Jose Molina (.261/.296/.374)
C-R Josh Paul (.243/.308/.371)
1B-L Casey Kotchman (.224/.289/.276)
IF-B Alfredo Amezaga (.161/.212/.247)
OF-L Curtis Pride (.250/.268/.325)
OF-R Adam Riggs (.194/.216/.278)
Rotations/Bullpen (ERA/IP)
LHP Jarrod Washburn (149.1, 4.64)
RHP Bartolo Colon (208.1, 5.01)
RHP Kelvim Escobar (208.1, 3.93)
RHP John Lackey (198.1, 4.67)
RHP Troy Percival (49.2, 2.90)
RHP Francisco Rodriguez (84.0, 1.82)
RHP Brendan Donnelly (42.0, 3.00)
RHP Scot Shields (105.1, 3.33)
RHP Kevin Gregg (87.2, 4.21)
RHP Ramon Ortiz (128.0, 4.43)
Bump!
Please put me on this ping list. I was born 20 miles from Fenway, and went to my first professional baseball game AND first professional football game (Patriots vs. Bills, AFL days) there. My last two games at Fenway were for the ALDS vs. Oakland last year; I flew out from my home in the Chicago area for them when my daughter, who is going to school in the Boston area, got tickets.
Speaking of Chicago; the Tribune picked the Angels to go to the WS this year. Unbelievable.
Gettin' ready to rumble, Bronson style.
I just added you.
*cough* *cough* [Buckner] *cough* [Dent] *cough* *cough* [Boone] *cough* ;-)
Arroyo hasn't given up a homer to a righty in his last 8 starts.
*cough* [Pesky] *cough*
Hee. ;-)
Go Sox!!
My team fell out in the begining of the season, so I really have no heart in this season.
http://www.tradesports.com/jsp/intrade/common/c_cd.jsp?conDetailID=169701&z=1097261253480
All that NYC crap about a tainted World Series trophy is such garbage. I'd be perfectly happy having home field against the Twins and against the NLCS champ and winning it all in Fenway in Game 7 if that's what happens and no real Red Sox fan would be the least upset about the Yankees choking to the Twins in the ALDS.
Started out life as a Detroit Tigers fan. Mickey Lolich, Al Kaline, etc., but this was mostly because Gordie Howe was on the Red Wings, he grew up 8 miles from where I lived, and Canada didn't have any MLB teams.
Over the years, I moved, became a Rockies fan, and, (briefly, in the '80's) a Blue Jays fan. Not too much to root for, but more than the BoSox fans, for sure.
So this year, I'm again jumping on the Beantown bandwagon. I'm certainly an ABTY fan (Anybody But The Yankees), and I kind of like Larry Walker in St. Louis....
But...the Hub City all the way!!
Go Sox!
done.
This is the first time since 1918 that the Red Sox have had a chance to end a postseason series in Fenway.
Game 6 (September 11, 1918), Boston up 3-2 after 5 games. Carl Mays with the 2-1 win over Cubs pitcher Lefty Tyler to conclude the World Series.
I hope the Sox show some knock-out power and finish the Angels off. Anything less than a sweep would be unsatisfactory. Furthur, a sweep would enable more rest for the pitchers going in to the next series.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.