Angels Flying Under the Radar

by Chad Klassen
Love of Sports Correspondent

Despite boasting the best record in baseball and being the only ballclub to hit the 100 win mark, the L.A. Angels are flying under the radar as we close in on Wednesday’s first pitch to open the postseason.

It’s easy to see why the Angels are hovering above the clouds, out of everyone’s consciousness, but they are soaring as the top seed with home-field advantage throughout and should be favored to come out of the American League.

Albeit in the weakest division, the A.L. West, the club clinched their fourth crown in the last five seasons - and did it with 17 games remaining on the schedule.

The lack of a truly meaningful game from September 10th until the present day might affect the Angels’ performance in the first couple games of their division series against the Red Sox that begins Wednesday.

However, the team’s been here before and manager Mike Scioscia will have his guys ready to play ball and focused on the task at hand.

Boston will be the biggest challenger, a team that the Angels have had terrible difficulty with the past few Octobers, losing nine straight playoff games against the Red Sox. But if the Angels get past the defending World Series champs in the division series, they’ll be well on their way to the World Series because they matchup well against any of the remaining A.L. foes.

It all starts with a starting rotation that will give teams trouble at the plate offensively. Despite some early season injuries that held him back a little, John Lackey (12-5, 3.75 ERA) had more than a few dominant outings as the ace on the mound.

Lackey’s surrounded by quite the talented core of pitchers, with lefty Joe Saunders (17-7, 3.14 ERA), Ervin Santana (16-7, 3.49 ERA) and Jon Garland (14-8, 4.90 ERA).

The shutdown man taking up the rear is none other than K-Rod, Francisco Rodriguez, who set a single-season MLB record with 62 saves in 2008. The Venezuelan closer’s been money when L.A.’s posted a lead in the final innings and is a big reason why the franchise broke the 100-win plateau for the first time in its history.

While pitching is a great strength this year, the Angels offense is equally impressive. Looking at the pure numbers, there’s nobody on the roster who jumps out at you as a dominant superstar; it’s a group that gets the job done collectively with a lineup, from top to bottom, which can step to the plate and smack timely hits.

Vladimir Guerrero’s the go-to guy in the clutch when the game’s on the line and the team needs a big hit. He’s coming off a regular season that saw him hit .303 with 27 HR and 91 RBI. 

Fellow outfielders Garret Anderson, Gary Matthews, Jr. and Torii Hunter have also made it tough for opposing pitchers, who can’t pitch around anyone on that roster.

Adding to the offensive contributions has been Mark Teixeira, who, since the trade from Atlanta in late July, has been a difference-maker when he steps into the batters box, hitting for an average of about 3.50 in the last 10 games of 2008.

Teixeira’s been a tremendous compliment to Guerrero and the rest of the lineup, and he’ll have to continue playing a key role offensively if L.A. eyes a trip to the World Series.

And that’s not out of the question, even though the focus will continue to center on Tampa Bay’s Cinderella season and the Cubs’ excruciating 100-year drought. In fact, it’d be a surprise if the Angels aren’t the A.L. representative and competing for their second World Series title in seven seasons.