They're in

[SmokeShowin]

The Red Sox clinched a playoff berth. :rocker:

 

[patriotspride]

The Red Sox clinched a playoff berth. :rocker:

enjoy it now because there are going to get pounded in the playoffs unfortunately .they wil be lucky to get out of the first round.

 

[JoeSixPat]

enjoy it now because there are going to get pounded in the playoffs unfortunately .they wil be lucky to get out of the first round.

Are they still projected to avoid the Angels in the 1st round if they win the East?

My hope would be that the Yanks or whoever can wear down or beat the Angels in the playoffs, opening the door for the Sox

I tend to agree they are not playing like a championship team right now. I think winning the East is important if it allows them to avoid the Angels initially - but overall one can't deny the Yankees are playing better than the Sox right now, regardless of who wins the East.

 

[bobgeorge]

Are they still projected to avoid the Angels in the 1st round if they win the East?

My hope would be that the Yanks or whoever can wear down or beat the Angels in the playoffs, opening the door for the Sox

I tend to agree they are not playing like a championship team right now. I think winning the East is important if it allows them to avoid the Angels initially - but overall one can't deny the Yankees are playing better than the Sox right now, regardless of who wins the East.

If the Sox win the division they would draw either Cleveland or Anaheim, whichever has the worst record. If the Sox get a wild card, then they get Cleveland or Anaheim, whichever has the best record.

I would say that Cleveland provides a better matchup for the Sox than the Angels, though the Sox have never lost a playoff series to the Angels ever (Sox are 1-2 in ALDS series with the Tribe).

My biggest concern is if the Sox and Yankees play in the ALCS. The Yanks have won 9 of the last 12 against the Sox. We have to hope Ramirez returns for the playoffs, Francona has the good sense to not bench Ellsbury, and that Okajima and Matsuzaka recover from the fatigue they have to be suffering from right now.

Bob G

 

[DarrylS]

I guess this is more about making the playoffs than winning the division, either way they are in the tournament.

 

[BigSee93]

I'd rather have Anaheim play the Yanks. They've owned them the last few years. Cleve won't be easy,but no teams are this time of year.These are the four best teams in the AL w/o a doubt..Nice to see Gagne not do his Mitch William's impression..

 

[Foley]

I would much rather face LAA than Cleveland. Carmona and Sabathia are each top 5 AL starters, and both have been fantastic in September. In two starts against Boston this season they have gone a combine 15 innings allowing 1ER. On the other hand, Boston completely hammers John Lackey every time they face him, and Kelvim Escobar has a 10.19ERA this month. Going up against those two in a 5 game series should be a no-brainier at this point.

And not having home field advantage is probably a good thing for Boston. Schilling, Beckett and Matsuzaka all have significantly better stats on the road than at home, so whatever they lose in offense will be more than made up for by the fact that the pitching is far superior away from Fenway. Thats not to say that blowing the division is a good thing, but it certainly has its benefits.

 

[patsfanofNC12]

I actually would prefer Clevaland just because we have done pretty good against them. Also because I want the Yanks to lose to LAA so we can then beat them when they are tired.

 

[Foley]

They did well against Jake Westbrook, Cliff Lee and Jeremy Sowers. Two of those guys wont even be on the Indians post season roster, and the other one (Westbrook) has a 3.39ERA since the ASB.

Sabathia and Carmona will be able to start 3-4 of the games of the ALDS. Thats bad news for Boston considering that they have done great against the Red Sox this season.

 

[Bigdogx]

I actually would prefer Clevaland just because we have done pretty good against them. Also because I want the Yanks to lose to LAA so we can then beat them when they are tired.

We have done well against their scrub pitchers not there top two guys which we will be seeing for most likely 4 out of the 5 games! This team is running out of time to show some fire, their play has been flatter then a pancake!

 

[BradyManny]

I think all four teams are very damn near close to equals...this is going to be a very exciting AL playoff run for that reason. There's no clear favorite, and there's no team you can count out.

 

[Real World]

It wouldn't surprise me to see any of these 4 teams in the World Series. My buddy and I were trying to figure out who we wanted the Yankees to play, and we couldn't. The Angels own the Yanks, but at the same time, who wants to face Sabathia and Carmona in a short series? Cleveland has a brutal bullpen, and a solid, but not overwhelming line-up. The Angels have good starters, a great closer, adequate pen, and a weaker line-up but one that runs and manufactures runs. In a nut shell, it's pick your poison.

 

[Foley]

Cleveland's bullpen has actually been a strength for them this season, boasting the fifth best ERA in the AL (3.76), ranking them ahead of LAA. Borowski may not be pretty much he gets the job done, and Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez have each had fantastic seasons. Cleveland has better starters, better setup guys, and while their closer isn't as flashy, Borowski actually has a slightly better save conversion rate than K-Rod.

The only thing that really matters is who goes into the playoffs playing the best, but if all else is equal Cleveland is the far and away favorite in my eyes.

 

[BradyManny]

The only thing that really matters is who goes into the playoffs playing the best, but if all else is equal Cleveland is the far and away favorite in my eyes.

I normally don't buy into cliches like "experience could be the difference maker", but Cleveland's stars are so young that I do think it offsets whatever slight edge they may have in the talent department right now. They really folded down the stretch in '05, and it's a relatively similar team.

 

[patriotspride]

I normally don't buy into cliches like "experience could be the difference maker", but Cleveland's stars are so young that I do think it offsets whatever slight edge they may have in the talent department right now. They really folded down the stretch in '05, and it's a relatively similar team.

lol your just kidding yourself .the 2002 angels were young .josh beckett was a kid in 03 when he shut down the yankees .the fact that cleveland is young is why they will win .i hope im wrong but the sox arent going anywhere this year .

 

[Foley]

I normally don't buy into cliches like "experience could be the difference maker", but Cleveland's stars are so young that I do think it offsets whatever slight edge they may have in the talent department right now. They really folded down the stretch in '05, and it's a relatively similar team.

Theres a difference between youth and experience, and while Cleveland may be young they've been in the majors for a while. Only Garko, Cabrera and Gutierrez have under a year of experience, but Garko is the only one really expected to do anything. The Angels need more out of Kotchman, Kendrick and Willits than Cleveland does from their youthful triumvirate.

And as far as the rotations, Carmona may be young, but would you rather have his inexperience in the playoffs, or Kelvim Escobar's 10.19ERA this month? Having a number 2 starter who has allowed 4ER this month is better than a number 2 starter who has allowed 20ER, regardless of experience. Unless Escobar can flip a switch to fix his shoulder inflammation, hes not going to be nearly as valuable as Carmona. Plus, Cleveland's third starter (Westbrook) is both experienced and pitching well, while LAA's third starter (Weaver) is both inexperienced and pitching poorly.

People like to complain about Boston's problems, but LAA has more of them. They have only one good starter right now, their most reliable setup guy has been terrible the past few months, and their lineup is not good enough to make up for the pitching woes. Facing them is the best shot for the Sox to advance in the playoffs.