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)
Which team?
Boston better win today, or this thing will be back in Anaheim for a game 5. Lackey in game 4 is a lock!
I believe Boston beat the California Angels in Game 7 of the ALCS at Fenway in 1986.
Is there a Johnny Damon version of that hat?
Thanks, I needed that........
1918!
Let's Go Halos!
A sweep would let Tito consider sending Curt in Game 1, 4 and 7 of the ALCS-- like he did in the 2001 WS.
Yep. You're welcome.
Relying on the Yanks to choke isn't enough. You must approach them with a promise to use the Heimlich maneuver, and then THROTTLE THEM!!! To death. Of course. In a sensitive fashion. And then throw them under a bus. Regretfully. Of course.
I'll tell you why the Red Sox haven't won the World Serious since 1918: It's President Bush's fault! John Kerry and John Edwards have a Plan to ensure the Red Sox win the World Serious!
Without all of their injuries this year I would have thought they could do it as well.....
Back for more! GO ANGELS! ULTIMATE RALLY MONKEY TIME!!!
Not it wouldn't....save for Schilling who would pitch gane 5 if needed
YEAH BUDDY!!! GO BOSOX!!!
PARTY LIKE IT'S 1918.
The. Yea-h.
The Yankees only win the World Series when Democrats are in office.
HA! LOL. That's great.
How many Yank fans will show up tonight to make fun of his hair. I'm thinking at least 15.
Maybe I'll put a clothespin on a chunk of my hair as a show of solidarity with this do-challenged starter :)
But you're right, he's a very solid third option...hope Garrett Anderson stays quiet, doesn't look anything like the GA from a few years ago.
When's the game start?
4 pm. It's at the top of my post.
His road numbers are the 5th best in the AL. He's no slouch. I don't think there is anything really fundamentally different about road starts and that he's due to play in Fenway like he does on the road. That will happen today, I bet.
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