Red Sox Get Started In Second Day of MLB Playoffs

NFL News - October 8th, 2009 - Written by John

After the New York Yankees made headlines for the surprise success of C.C. Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez, the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels begin their march to the American League crown today, the last series to begin in the opening divisional round.

The Boston Red Sox won the wild card spot, fending off the Texas Rangers in the waning weeks of the season to reach the playoffs for sixth time in seven years, and have won the opening playoff series each of the last two seasons. A lot of that has to do with the fact that they are usually matched up against Los Angeles. They have owned the Angels in the process, winning 12 of the last 13 postseason games against the AL West Champions. The only time they lost came by virtue of a 12-inning thriller in '08, which snapped an 11-game losing streak.

“Last year was last year,” said Torii Hunter, one of the several new faces in the Angels locker room. “I don’t want to talk about last year. You can if you want, but I don’t give a damn about last year.”

Well, oddsmakers tend to take notice and BetUS is favoring the Red Sox with a moneyline of -135. They are giving Los Angeles the standard 1 1/2 runs despite being on the road.

Jon Lester will be on the rubber for his first-career Game One, and will face former World Series MVP John Lackey.

Meanwhile, the Phillies take the field in the early game against the Colorado Rockies once again. Wednesday, Cliff Lee shined in front of a Citizen's Bank Park-record crowd with a five-hit complete game. It was the first playoff game of his career. Now, the Phillies will try to extend their lead before heading out west with another star lefty on the bump. Cole Hamels, who criticized Major League Baseball for scheduling the game in the middle of the day, will start Game Two against Colorado's Aaron Cook.

The Phillies and Rockies boast the National League's top scoring offenses and have an over/under of nine for the game. Colorado is at +1 1/2 for the game and has an individual over/under of 3 1/2 runs.

After that, TBS will be spotlighting Game Two in the other Los Angeles stadium when the Dodgers host St. Louis. The Dodgers already made a big statement Wednesday night, beating Cardinals' ace Chris Carpenter despite leaving 16 runners on base. Most of that has to be credited with the fact that St. Louis left 14 runners stranded itself and could never break through off a terrific Dodger bullpen.

The Cardinals send out 19-game winner Adam Wainwright, who has only lost once following a Carpenter defeat this season. He will be matched up against one of the game's top sophomore pitchers in Clayton Kershaw, who's 8-8 record does not do him justice. He has an ERA of 2.79 and has struck out 185 batters in just 171 innings. He hasn't won since July 18th, however, being used sparingly to save him for meaningful starts such as Thursday. He's faced the Cardinals twice this season, surrendering but two runs in 11 2/3s innings, but came away with a no decision both times.

The Cardinals actually get the edge to even the series with a -1 1/2 line, but taking them will net a +145 payout. Going with the Dodgers returns -165. Due to the track record of both pitchers, the over/under for the game is seven.

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