It’s pretty simple for the Boston Red Sox this afternoon against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Win and live to see another day. Lose and it’s off to the golf course or some sort of vacation.
This afternoon’s game, scheduled to start at 12:07 p.m., will be broadcast nationally on TBS. NESN Red Sox play-by-play man Don Orsillo will have the call while Buck Martinez will handle the color commentary. And if the television isn’t your cup of tea, you can catch the game on one of the many affiliates of the Red Sox Radio Network.
Clay Buchholz will make his postseason debut for Terry Francona and the Red Sox with absolutely no pressure on him at all (/sarcasm). Buchholz didn’t face the Angels at all during 2009 and has faced them three times in his career. In those three starts, he is 1-2 with a 6.35 ERA. He is 1-1 with a 5.84 ERA against the Halos at Fenway Park and started opposite John Lackey all three times.
Old friend/foe Scott Kazmir will look to put the Red Sox away this afternoon. He hasn’t faced the Red Sox as a member of the Angels but was 2-0 against them as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. Kazmir has appeared in 23 career regular season games against the Red Sox and is 8-7 with a 3.59 ERA. In thirteen career regular season starts at Fenway, he is 6-4 with a 3.05 ERA. He’s faced the Red Sox in the playoffs twice, both with the Rays, and has no record with a 4.35 ERA (5 ER/10.1 IP).
Sunday morning coming down [Extra Bases]
Every little bit counts [Extra Bases]
Scioscia talks about pregame butterflies [ESPN Boston]
Have Angels learned from Fenway blues? [Amy K. Nelson – ESPN Boston]
If Game 4, then it’s Lester on short rest [Clubhouse Insider]
Red Sox Struggles Against Top Pitchers Continue [Full Count]
Francona: ‘We Know What’s At Stake’ [Full Count]
If Buchholz struggles, Dice-K’s the man [Projo Sox Blog]
Gonzalez’s name etched in playoffs lore [RedSox.com]
Bad News For Sox: Kazmir Likes Fenway [Hartford Courant]
Breakfast With Buchholz [Surviving Grady]
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| 1. Chone Figgins | 3B | 1. Jacoby Ellsbury | CF |
| 2. Bobby Abreu | RF | 2. Dustin Pedroia | 2B |
| 3. Torii Hunter | CF | 3. Victor Martinez | C |
| 4. Vladimir Guerrero | DH | 4. Kevin Youkilis | 1B |
| 5. Kendry Morales | 1B | 5. Jason Bay | LF |
| 6. Juan Rivera | LF | 6. David Ortiz | DH |
| 7. Macier Izturis | 2B | 7. Mike Lowell | 3B |
| 8. Mike Napoli | C | 8. J.D. Drew | RF |
| 9. Erick Aybar | SS | 9. Alex Gonzalez | SS |
| Scott Kazmir | SP | Clay Buchholz | SP |
2-0
0-2And here is how the hitters have fared against this afternoon’s starting pitchers:
