Race Day: Looking at the A.L. Playoff Races

About the Wild Card Race

Boston: This series is being billed in New England and southern California as a Division Series preview. RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-5, 8.23) will make his ninth start of the year and his first since mid-June, a seven-run outing against Atlanta that landed him on the disabled list with a bum shoulder. In his only game this season against the Angels, he lasted five innings and gave up six runs on seven hits.

The Red Sox’s 50-21 mark at Fenway is the best home record in baseball. C-1B Victor Martinez had three multi-hit games in July, his last month with the Cleveland. With the Red Sox, he had 11 in August (one with five hits) and already four through half of September. 2B Dustin Pedroia, on the current homestand against Baltimore and Tampa Bay, is 8-for-19 with six RBIs in five games. DH David Ortiz is 7-for-13 in his last five games. RHP Jonathan Papelbon has given up runs in only two of his last 17 appearances since late July.

About the AL West Race

Los Angeles: RHP Jered Weaver worked into the eighth inning on Monday night at Yankee Stadium, throwing 112 pitches, and suffered his first loss in four starts to drop to 15-6. With Yankees RHP Joba Chamberlain pulled after four innings and 67 pitches in a 1-1 game, the Angels managed only four hits the rest of the way off four relievers.

The Angels have won four of six from the Red Sox this season, all of those games played in Anaheim. In Tuesday night’s series opener at Fenway, RHP John Lackey (10-7, 3.53) comes off his eighth career shutout last week against Seattle. He has allowed only one run in his last 26 innings. In his career against the Red Sox, he’s 3-6 with a 5.54 ERA. In eight starts at Fenway, he’s 2-4 with a 6.34 ERA.

The Angels have the best hitting team in the majors, but over the last 25 games their RISP average is only .239. DH Vlad Guerrero had a three-hit game on Monday night, his first since Aug. 31. Likewise, he hit his first home run since Aug. 31. CF Torii Hunter has a 10-game hitting streak. 3B Chone Figgins is hitting .190 in September with eight hits and nine strikeouts.

On Wednesday night, Angels LHP Joe Saunders will face RHP Paul Byrd. On Thursday night, it’ll be RHP Ervin Santana vs. RHP Josh Beckett.

If The Playoffs Started Today

Detroit @New York; Boston @Los Angeles