2008 American League Playoff Preview

by Bodog Sportsbook | Oct 6 2008

Angels vs. Red Sox

One team has the best record in baseball, the other is the defending World Series champion. It’s a shame this is only a five-game series.

Series Breakdown:
These two teams are very similar in terms of their makeup. Both teams have a strong defense to back up solid pitching staffs. The bullpens for both teams are also extremely talented with two of the game's premier closers in "Little Papi" and K-Rod. You can run down the numbers from the regular season and try to find an edge for this team or the other, but the bottom line is that these two teams are probably No. 1 and No. 2 in baseball no matter how you look at it. Even though the Sox swept the Angels in the postseason last year, this year might be different: The Angels have beaten the Red Sox eight of nine times this season. Add to the Angels Mark Teixeira and the record-breaking season K-Rod is putting together, then subtract Hall of Fame hitter Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox lineup, and you have an Angels team that is as ready as they have ever been to knock off the World Series champs. This one should be a manager’s duel and a dandy to watch.

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Rays vs. White Sox or Twins

The Tampa Bay Rays wait patiently as the winner of the one-game playoff and 163 games of the regular season to see whether it will be the White Sox or the Twins they play on Thursday.

Series Breakdown:
Either way you look at it, the Rays will be the favorite, as the bullpens for both the White Sox and the Twins have been shaky at best. The Swiss cheese White Sox defense could haunt them if they make it past the Twins. On the other hand, the Twins have put together an impressive late-season spurt, including a dramatic sweep of the White Sox, to put themselves in position to get into the postseason. One thing is for sure, whichever team emerges will have a tired pitching staff to face the Rays; that said, that team will have one or two playoff-type games under its belt heading into Thursday. Momentum and emotion can be tricky factors in the game of baseball. People have been expecting the Rays to crack all season long, and they haven’t. The question is, will this postseason be the time for the young Rays to establish their legacy in the shrines of baseball?    

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