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October 5, 2007
By GREGG PATTON
The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.)
BOSTON - Whatever arsenal of pitches Daisuke Matsuzaka brings to Fenway Park tonight, one thing is for sure.
The Angels haven't seen it.
"You're not going to be totally prepared until you experience it," said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia Thursday of the Boston right-hander's bag of tricks.
"The edge goes to the pitcher until you see some pitches, get in the batter's box. We need more batter's box offense."
That's for sure. The Angels offense put only four of 31 batters on base against Josh Beckett in their American League Division Series opener, which gave new meaning to their "small ball" offense. Wednesday night it was more like "microscopic ball."
So that must mean the Angels will, at least for this one night, change their approach, right? As a team, they don't take many pitches, but isn't this one of those exception-to-the-rule things? As a general philosophy, the Angels have never met an 0-0 pitch they didn't like. But if you haven't seen a pitcher, doesn't it make sense to take the first pitch? Wait until you see a strike?
Apparently not.
Not even for leadoff hitter, Chone Figgins.
"I don't want to get down in a hole," said Figgins. "We want to get on him before he gets on us. We want to create the tempo, don't let him create his."
Spray-hitter Reggie Willits is the one Angel known for working a count. Surely, the rookie outfielder sees the value in being patient against a pitcher you haven't seen before. Easy for me to say.
"I don't think anyone's approach will be any different," he said. "You can't change yourself or the team because of one guy.
"Everybody has an individual thing they do well. Asking guys to change what they do is like asking me to go up there and hit home runs."
Live by the early hack, die by the early hack. Even for a pitcher who frequently loses touch with his control.
Matsuzaka was the wildest of the Red Sox starting pitchers this year. He walked at least three batters in 17 of his 32 starts.
By comparison, Beckett walked three batters only three times in 30 starts. Curt Schilling walked three guys once in 24 starts.
Even knuckleballer Tim Wakefield put the ball through the strike zone more efficiently, walking just 64 guys in 31 starts. The Japanese rookie walked 80 batters. Wakefield's dancing floater hit only four hitters all year. Matsuzaka plunked 13 batters with pitches.
But the Angels gotta be what they gotta be.
When asked if he thought the team would be more patient tonight, hitting coach Mickey Hatcher mused, "I think we will, probably, the first time around (the order)."
Then he smiled.
"Yeah, write that we'll be taking the first pitch. In fact, write that we'll be taking three pitches. Get that out there."
The stubborn Angels clearly are ready to follow their game-plan right off the postseason cliff. Another loss to Boston puts them down 0-2 in this five-game series.
If it seems a little loony, so be it. Attacking pitches is what got them this far. Suddenly they're going to be the walk-don't-run Red Sox?
The Angels pride themselves on their aggressiveness at the plate, and it isn't as statistically depressing as you might expect. Five teams in the American League walked fewer times than the Angels, so we know they have a discerning edge.
Even more telling is the team's on-base percentage. Only Boston and New York in the AL were better at reaching base than the Angels and their .345 mark.
Slashing at good pitches early has its benefits - happy hitters with higher averages.
"I know a lot of leadoff hitters see a lot of pitches," said Figgins, who gleefully admitted he isn't one of them. "I get a 1-0 pitch, I'm ready to swing."
They don't swing at everything, just strikes, with the obvious exception of Vladimir Guerrero, who has his own notion of what's hittable, and what isn't, and who's going to tell him any different?
"The one guy we know won't back off is Guerrero," said Hatcher. "He might hit one on the bounce out of the park."
Like everyone else, the team's best hitter has no plans to adjust his postseason approach.
"No, I always swing hard and I'll continue to swing hard," said Guerrero through an interpreter Thursday.
Anyway, it sounds like a showdown for the ages - the team that won't walk against the pitcher who hands out free passes like Halloween candy.
It's crazy, but whoever loses that battle.will probably win.
Posted by Mike McDermott 
at 9:05 AM | Permalink
