If the Red Sox see the Rally Monkey in Anaheim, it means they have the lead. If the Red Sox have a lead, it is less likely that the Angels treat the base paths as a race track. If the Angels aren't stealing bases, they likely aren't scoring runs either.
Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz all had the same answer when I asked them how to control the Angels running game. They said to keep them off the bases. While that scenario is ideal, it's also tough to do.
I asked Torii Hunter what the Angels see from the Red Sox pitchers or catchers that may make them extra-aggressive on the bases. He said it's not about the Red Sox — the Angels run on everyone. Hunter went on to say the running game is a friendly competition within the Angels team. He said if someone gets thrown out going first to third, they are heckled badly by teammates.
Players on both teams say that the Angels' terrible postseason record against the Red Sox has no bearing on this series. They dismiss the notion of a hex or a curse. They say that this is a new year, a new team, and they don't care what happened last year … or in 2007 or in 2004.
This is a new Angels team, and this is a new Red Sox team. The Angels have the best offense they've had in years. The Red Sox offense is also improved with the addition of Victor Martinez in the middle of the order. The Angels' starting pitching is hot heading into the postseason. The Red Sox have two of the best starters in the league at the top of their order in Lester and Beckett, though Beckett has been inconsistent for the past month.
I've been asked over and over who is going to win the series. I can't answer that. Of course, I want it to be the Red Sox, but you can't count out this Angels team.
I guess we can all just hope to see a lot of the Rally Monkey.
