Angels try to stay alive in Game 5

One day after the Phillies eliminated the Dodgers from their World Series bid; the Angels will try to stay alive in Game 5 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees tonight.

It’s do-or-die for Anaheim after a 10-1 shellacking in Game 4 on Tuesday, giving New York a 3-1 lead in the series. It was the second-worst postseason beating in Angels’ history. They lost Game 5 of the 2002 World Series, 16-4, to the Giants.

Now Anaheim will need to win three in a row. Six of 28 teams have rallied from a 3-1 deficit in a league championship series – most recently in 2007, when the Boston Red Sox came back against Cleveland on the way to a World Series title.

Game 4 was a disaster for Anaheim as they faced a well-rested CC Sabathia and fared no better against him than they did in Game 1. Sabathia surrendered just one run on five hits over eight innings, while Angels LHP Scott Kazmir struggled with his control allowing five early runs on six hits and four walks, and was pulled midway through the fifth inning.

But overall the bullpen hasn’t been the problem for Anaheim. It’s the fact the Angels are only hitting .201 in the first four games of the ALCS and have scored just 10 runs in the series’ 42 innings. All this from a line up that set a team batting record of .285.during the regular season.

For the Yankees it’s all been pretty much perfect right down to Alex Rodriguez’s ability to solidifying his status as one of the best in the game. Rodriguez has helped his critics dismiss their concerns by hitting five home runs in the postseason, tying Reggie Jackson and pulling within one of Bernie Williams’ team record.

The Angels will go with RHP John Lackey tonight on the mound. Lackey is 3-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 13 postseason appearances, and is 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts this year. He is 5-7 lifetime against the Yankees in 16 starts.

New York’s A.J. Burnett. Burnett is still looking for his first playoff win despite two decent outings in the same number of starts. He has a no-decision in Game 2, allowing just three hits and two earned runs over seven innings. He has had six-career start against the Angels, going 2-2.

The odds makers have the Angels at –1½ favorites in Game 5 with a total of 8 ½.

The Yankees will try and end the series tonight at Anaheim and capture the club’s first World Series berth in six years. The Angles will need to wake their slumbering lumber and provide some much need offense behind a solid pitching performance from John Lackey.

Matt Martz is a sports writer for the Bakersfield Californian located in Central California. Blessed is the gambler who expects nothing, for ye shall not be disappointed.