Series Preview: Sox @ LA Angels (Schill's return)

Boston (68-43) @ LA of A Angles (64-46)
STANDINGS: Sox up 6.5 in AL East; Angels up 3.5 in AL West

Season Series: Sox lead 3-0

Probable Pitching Matchups:
GM1 Mon 10EST Schilling (6-4, 4.20) vs. Weaver (7-5, 4.00)
GM2 Tue 10EST Wakefield (13-9) vs. Saunders (5-0, 3.10)
GM3 Wed 10EST Lester (1-0) vs. Moseley (4-1, 4.43)

Keep an eye on: 3B Chone Figgins .336/57R/28SB--the former utility man extraordinaire has played mainly one position this season, and his production reflects the new found stability. He is currently 5th in the AL in average and steals and adds another dimension to the powerful Angels lineup

Preview:
The Sox travel to Los Angeles to take on the team it has fought all season for the best record in baseball, but the focus for Boston in this series won't be on the opponent so much as on the performance of one of its own players.

World Series hero Curt Schilling will take the mound tonight in Anaheim for his first start since June 18th in Atlanta when he allowed 6 runs and 10 hits in 4 1 /3 innings of a 9-4 loss to the Braves.

That horror show led some Braves players such as Chipper Jones to suggest that Schill's stuff was so off from his normal repertoire that he must have been hurt to pitch that poorly.

Turns out Larry Wayne Paternity Test was right.

The ironic part about Schill's sudden shoulder ailment was that it cropped up less than two weeks after one of Curt's best starts of his career--a near no-hitter against the A's in Oakland on June 7th.

But following that performance the veteran allowed 19 hits and 11 earned runs over his next 9 1/3 innings, and shortly after that Atlanta debacle came the news that the ace had to be shelved.

Sure the Sox have fared pretty well in Schill's absence, going 24-18 and maintaining a decent lead over the hated Stanks, but there's nothing like getting a 2-time World Series champion starter back for the stretch run to boost the confidence of an already confident club.

As for the opponent, LA of A comes into this series with a .500 record since the break (11-11) and despite the fact that it owns two of the best starters in the league, John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar, neither will face Boston in this 3-game set, a decided advantage for Boston.

Instead the Sox will have to contend with the likes of Jered Weaver, who after a spectacular rookie season (11-2, 2.56) last year has started to resemble his underachieving brother Jeff; Joe Saunders, a young lefty with good numbers who will be making just his 24th career start against baseball lifer Tim Wakefield tomorrow night; and rookie Dustin Moseley, who will square off against Boston rookie Jon Lester in the series finale on Wednesday.

But the eyes of the baseball world--and especially RSN--will be looking towards that Anaheim mound tonight wanting to see what kind of return the king of courageous comebacks will make tonight.

Maybe he should bust that bloody sock out of the HOF, just for good luck.