The Major League Baseball American League Divisional Series is upon as and it features two of the most successful teams in the league over the last few years. The Angels, who have won their division the last three years will face off against the Red Sox, who have also been in the postseason for the last three years.
While the Red Sox have beat the Angels the last two seasons, the Angels are hoping that things will be different this time around. So what should you expect in this series? If you’re looking for MLB Playoff picks, don’t expect this to be an easy series for either team.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox boasts one of the most diehard fanbases in the game. The Red Sox fans will be out in full force for every game of the series and that will only help the team. The Red Sox have been extremely successful in recent years and they appear to be ready for another run in the postseason.
The Red Sox boast a pretty strong lineup this year with the speedy Jacoby Ellsbury leading the way. He led the American League this season with 70 steals and he is the prototypical leadoff man. From there, they go with Dustin Pedroia, who was second in the majors with 115 runs scored. With him and Ellsbury at the top, they can get around the bases well. Then comes Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, and Jason Bay. With these four hitters, you have some of the best clutch hitters in the game. Bay led the team with 36 home runs and 119 RBI’s. Bay and Youkillis represented the club in the All-Star game and they have to be accounted for in any pitcher’s game plan.
Besides fielding a strong lineup, the Red Sox also have some pretty good pitching as well. With Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, the Red Sox have two very good starters that can be tough to hit when they have their stuff. The bullpen for the Red Sox is their major strength with flame throwers like Jonathan Papelbon and Billy Wagner coming in. Once they get into the later stages of the game, it is extremely tough to get a hit on them.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have a pretty strong team of their own coming into the ALDS. The lineup features two power hitters in Torii Hunter and Vlad Guerrero. They can be counted on to drive in some runs as Guerrero is quickly climbing up the all-time home run list. Leadoff man Chone Figgins is second in the AL with 114 runs. He does a good job of getting on and getting around the bases.
The pitching staff is led by John Lackey who has put up another solid season. When he’s on, he is one of the best in the game. The game one matchup between him and Lester will be a classic battle between two great pitchers.
Outlook
If you’re looking for free MLB picks, expect this one to go down to the final game. We’ve got two fantastic teams in the AL going head to head and any time that happens, you should be in for a show.
Make sure you check out Vernon Croy’s Expert MLB Playoff Picks this post season.
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