ALDS3: Angels 7, Red Sox 6

Angels  - 000 101 023 - 7 11  0
Red Sox - 003 200 010 - 6  7  1

Jonathan Papelbon allowed two inherited runners to score in the eighth and then, needing only one more strike for the save, allowed three runs of his own.

And the Angels move on to the ALCS.

***

Two quick thoughts: Walking Hunter intentionally was dumb. Should Tito have pulled Bot after Abreu's double made it 6-5? Bot had allowed three straight hits and four hits to his six batters. When did Jeemer get up and was anyone else up with him?

Note: I'm not blaming Francona (not much, anyway). Papelbon tried to get the third out against five hitters and failed.

Scott Kazmir (4.89, 93 ERA) / Clay Buchholz (4.21, 112 ERA+)

Terry Francona:

What's happened has happened. Now we'll show up tomorrow, do what we always do on early games -- have 12 pieces of bacon, a Red Bull and go get 'em.

Since 2003, the Red Sox are 13-3 in potential elimination games:

Since the ALDS began in 1995, 17 teams have trailed 0-2. Four of them came back to win the series (23.5%). Here's the list:

1995 - Sea 0-2 to NYY - Won 3-4-5
       Cle 0-2 to Bos - Lost 3
1996 - Cle 0-2 to Bal - Won 3, Lost 4
1997 - Sea 0-2 to Bal - Won 3, Lost 4
1998 - Tex 0-2 to NYY - Lost 3
1999 - Bos 0-2 to Cle - Won 3-4-5
       Tex 0-2 to NYY - Lost 3
2000 - CWS 0-2 to Sea - Lost 3
2001 - NYY 0-2 to Oak - Won 3-4-5
2003 - Bos 0-2 to Oak - Won 3-4-5
2004 - Ana 0-2 to Bos - Lost 3
2005 - Bos 0-2 to CWS - Lost 3
2006 - Min 0-2 to Oak - Lost 3
2007 - LAA 0-2 to Bos - Lost 3
       NYY 0-2 to Cle - Won 3, Lost 4
2008 - LAA 0-2 to Bos - Won 3, Lost 4
       CWS 0-2 to TBR - Won 3, Lost 4

Interesting: An AL team has never gone L-L-W-W-L in an ALDS.

One possible reason for Clay Buchholz's poor performance in his last two starts (13 runs in eight innings against Toronto and Cleveland) is that his body is tired from throwing more innings this season than in any other.

2007 - 148.0 (125.1 Port/Paw; 22.2 Bos)
2008 - 155.2 (58.2 Port/Paw; 76 Bos; 21 AFL)
2009 - 191.0 (99 Paw; 92 Bos)

Francona will stick with the same nine hitters in his lineup, though David Ortiz may get moved down with a lefty on the hill.

First Pitch: Dave Henderson
Hendu was "David Ortiz" when David Ortiz was 10 years old.

After us:

Yankees (2)/Twins (0) at 7:00
Phillies (1)/Rockies (1) at 10:00