Game preview: Angels @ Sox GM2

Santana (5-11, 6.22) vs. Beckett (15-5, 3.24)
Fenway Park 705

Having failed at securing a win by starting ace John Lackey against rookie Clay Buchholz in the opener of this double header, Mike Scioscia now faces the dubious prospect of sending scuffling Earvin Santana against the leading Cy Young candidate in th AL to try and gain the split.

Nice try, dickhead.

Instead of treating all the fans of major league baseball to an All Star matchup featuring two of the best pitchers in the game, Scioscia decided to start Lackey in the first game, most likely to freeze Buchholz and perhaps scare the kid into coughing up an easy win in Game 1.

Then the Boston batters played whiffle ball with Lackey's lacking stuff in the first inning, racking the 15-game winner for 2 singles, 3 doubles a triple and a homer in a six-run 1st, and the plan backfired on Scioscia with all the intensity of a '76 Buick.

Now the Angels must pin their hopes of a split on a guy who's star has fallen farther than Lindsay Lohan's, a former phenom who has shuttled back & forth to the minor leagues this season as he tries to figure out what happened to his once-great game.

And he'll have to figure it out against a man who has got his mojo back after suffering through his one rough patch of the season.

Beckett has been spectacular in his last two starts, allowing just 3 earned runs in 15.1 innings of work while striking out 17 batters and walking just two in winning both games, this following a stretch when he lost 4 out of 6 contests after jumping out to an 11-1 start.

Santana, meanwhile, got rocked by the Rays in his last start on July 17th, surrendering 14 hits and 7 earned runs in six innings, prompting an immediate trip back to AAA.

Now he'll have to prove himself against the best team in the majors, a team riding high after the afternoon delight enjoyed in the opener.

Welcome back to the bigs, Earvin.

The only negative for Boston to come out of the opener is the fact that Doug Mirabelli will have to go on the DL due to a strained calf muscle. This move forced the Sox to bring up former Rays & Jays backstop Kevin Cash, who will not make it to Fenway from Ottawa in time to spell Varitek in the nightcap.

As expected Buchholz was optioned back to the PawSox following his victory in Game 1, and speedster Jacoby Ellsbury will be in the lineup for Game 2.

Now word yet on the status of Whiffy Mo Painful, who is expected to be moved soon.

(**UPDATE: In all the confusion I missed the announcement that Boston did in fact unload, err trade, Pena to the Nationals for a bag of balls and two tickets to a Wizards game. Sorry for that oversight, and Whiffy Mo, thanks for the memories, what few there were.**)

Whew!

Now that I've got that all out of the way, it's already time to start the second game.

Lots of excitement surrounding the club today.

Let's hope Becks can give us even more reason to smile.