Series Preview: Angels @ Sox

LA Angels of Anaheim (70-49) @ Red Sox (72-48)
4 Game Series at Fenway Park

Season Series: Sox lead, 4-2

Probable Pitching Matchups:
GM1 Fri 105 Santana (5-11, 6.22) vs. Buchholz (NR)
GM2 Fri 705 Lackey (15-6, 3.07) vs. Beckett (15-5, 3.24)
GM3 Sat 705 Weaver (8-5, 3.85) vs. Schilling (6-5, 4.06)
GM4 Sun 205 Saunders (6-1, 3.50) vs. Wakefield (14-10, 4.55)

Keep an Eye On: Clay Buchholz 8-3, 2.15ERA in AA 7 AAA
Boston's prized pitching prospect makes his major league debut in the first game of the doubleheader. The 6' 3", 23-year-old righty has struck out 164 batters in 117 minor league innings this season while allowing just 78 hits, 28 earned runs and 30 walks. He's the guy every team wanted Boston to include in deadline deals, so here's your chance to see why they were reluctant to part with the 2005 first rounder.

Preview:
Let's play two!

Normally Ernie Banks' old adage is embraced by baseball fans throughout the Nation, but when the opposing team happens to be the one breathing down your team's neck for the best record in baseball, and just tuned your club up pretty good a week ago out West, well the enthusiasm might be dampened a bit.

I'm sure that won't be the case for Boston's starter for Game 1 this afternoon in the makeup game of an April 15th rainout.

Clay Buchholz will make his major league debut in order to fill the gap in the rotation due to the twin bill, but also possibly to provide a spark for a stagnant club that has gone just 19-15 since the break.

Buchholz, the 42nd pick in the 2005 draft out of a Texas JuCo, is a hard-throwing strikeout artist who has racked up an incredible 13Ks/9 innings in his 22 minor league starts the last two seasons, an eye-popping stat that made him one of Boston's most sought-after commodities at the trading deadline.

But Theo was determined not to let this hot prospect walk for a rent-a-player like Jermaine Dye, and today we get to find out why.

Obviously we have to reserve judgement on the kid because he will be facing one of the toughest teams in the majors, but this start is more about what kind of makeup he has, see if he can handle the pressure, and if he somehow turns in a stellar performance, maybe it will rub off on the rest of the team.

The good thing is that his mound opponent will be the worst hurler the Angles will throw at the Sox in the series, former phenom-turned-bust Earvin Santana.

After posting a 28-16 record in his first two season, Santana has been plagued by wildness (136 hits, 82 runs in 110 innings) and ineffectiveness all season, causing him to be sent to the minors

The other good thing about Santana starting: he's 1-9 with an 8.79 ERA on the road this year, and batters are tuning him up at a .341 clip away from the Mouse House.

After that afternoon appetizer, the nightcap promises to be a dandy: two of the leading candidates for the AL Cy Young squaring off in a Friday evening game at Fenway.

Josh Beckett and John Lackey are both neck & neck in the league in the major pitching categories, tied for 1st in wins, and 5th (Lackey) and 7th (Becks) in ERA.

This one has all the makings of a classic pitchers duel, especially the way Beckett has pitched lately; he came within one strike of a complete game shutout Saturday in Baltimore and has won his last two starts after dropping four of his last six decisions.

So fire up the DVR for what should be a scintillating day & night of baseball at the Fens.

You especially might want to set it for Game 1, as word from the Boston brass is that Buchholz will be sent back down after the opener to make room on the roster for outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, as a trade of Whiffy Mo Painful is expected to go down sometime before the long day is over.

Should be a good day of baseball, as long as the Sox avenge the beatdown the Angles laid on them in those first two games of that series last week.

**UPDATE: Angels manager Mike Scioscia decided to switch the starters and pit Lackey against Buchholzin the opener and save Santana for the nightcap against Beckett. What a chickenshit move! Now the kid has to go up against one of the best pitcher's in the league in his ML debut. Fuck you, Scioscia! They'll kill him anyway! **