Angels Hitting: The Angels are the least powerful offence in terms of home runs in the AL post season by a considerable margin. In fact, only the Twins and Royals hit less round trippers than the Angels who hit 121 in contrast to the 200 hit by the Yankees.
What the Angels don't have in power, they make up with in base stealing. The Angels were second in the AL in the category, and are third in on-base percentage. Garret Anderson has hit 13 of his 16 home runs since the All-Star break and is looking to lead the Halos to another World Series title.
Vladimir Guerrero will be forced to play at DH due to a triceps injury and a bruised forearm. If he can't carry play the way he normally does, the Angels will be without their only truly feared bat.
Red Sox Hitting:
On the season, the Red Sox were one of the better offences in the league. Somewhat unexpectedly, they finished ninth in the AL in home runs, but they supplemented that by leading the league in doubles, and being second in .OPS behind the New York Yankees.
After a rough start to the season, David Ortiz has hit .354 after the all star break to go with 21 home runs in the second half. A hot Ortiz, along with Mike Lowell (who has been the most consistent bat all season long) means the Red Sox should have enough offence.
The big offensive questions surround Manny Ramirez, who missed 24 games with an oblique injury and has only hit 20 home runs during the season. J.D. Drew has also been a major disappointment. If the Sox don't get offensive production from their corner outfield spots, it could be short postseason.
Angels Pitching:
John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar are both talked about as CY Young Award contenders and for good reason. Lackey has a 3.01 ERA and 19 wins, while Escobar has 18 wins and a 3.40 ERA. After their big two, the Angels will likely turn Jered Weaver and the inconsistent Earvin Santana.
The bullpen is anchored by Francisco Rodriguez, who notched 40 saves and an ERA under 3.00. Scot Shields has struggled a bit, but Justin Speier and the rest of the bullpen have done a solid job.
If the Angels can't get wins out of Lackey and Escobar or both men are hit around early, there should be some legitimate questions about the teams' ability to win especially in a short series.
Red Sox Pitching:
After stumbling in 2006, Josh Beckett found his groove as a member of the Red Sox winning 20 games and being in the discussion for the CY Young Award. Despite having one of the best ERAs among starters in the AL, there are some questions in the rotation after Beckett.
Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was terrific in the first half of the season has looked tired down the stretch and has a 5.19 ERA since the All-Star break. Curt Schilling has battled injuries and is posting his lowest strikeouts per-nine inning ratio since 1992.
The bullpen has also experienced some recent trouble with Hideki Okajima suffering a tired arm. Eric Gagne, who was brought in to be an eighth inning bridge to lights-out closer Jon Papelbon, has been less than stellar. If Okajima isn't back to his earlier season form, the Sox could have a great deal of trouble getting to Papelbon.