Healthier, deeper Angels test the Red Sox again

Torii Hunter was still a Minnesota Twin at the time, but even he was struck by the spate of injuries that ravaged the Angels last October against the Boston Red Sox in the American League division series.

“Garret Anderson’s eye was swollen, [Gary] Matthews Jr.’s knee, Vladdy [Guerrero’s] back … they had a lot of guys banged up,” recalled Hunter, who watched the series on television.

And that’s only a partial list.

First baseman Casey Kotchman spent Game 3 in an Anaheim hospital, so weak from food poisoning that he was barely able to stay awake. Reggie Willits, who finished the series as the Angels’ cleanup hitter after Anderson had to leave Game 3 following one at-bat because of an eye infection, was playing with a defective gallbladder that was eventually removed over the winter.

Guerrero played with a large knot on his upper back after being hit with a pitch in Game 2, and Matthews was sidelined the entire series by a knee injury. Infielders Chone Figgins (sore left wrist) and Maicer Izturis (tight left quadriceps) also played with minor injuries.

The results were predictable. Boston outscored the Angels, 19-4, and swept them in three games. The Angels hit .192 with no home runs and held a lead in all of three innings.

“It’s tough to play in the playoffs like that,” Hunter said.

The Angels return to Fenway Park tonight for the first time since the postseason, bringing with them a mostly intact batting order missing only second baseman Howie Kendrick (strained left hamstring). Starting pitchers John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar are both out because of injuries as well, but the Angels say they’re better equipped to play the defending World Series champions this time around.

“Obviously, we’re healthier and that’s first and foremost the most important thing,” Matthews said.

The Angels are also a tad deeper offensively after signing Hunter to a five-year, $90-million contract in November, plopping a player capable of hitting 30-plus homers and driving in more than 100 runs into the middle of a lineup that already included sluggers Guerrero, Anderson and Matthews.

The early returns are encouraging. The team’s .293 batting average is among the best in the majors and its 20 home runs in April are already three more than it hit during the entire month last season.

Do the Angels feel they now have the kind of offense that can measure up to Boston’s one-two punch of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez?

“I think we can,” said Hunter, hitting .319 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 18 games. “I mean, when I was with the Twins we won in Boston when we played. We beat them, and this team is better than the Twins, I can tell you that now.”

Winning in Boston has been difficult for the Angels, who are 14-25, including three playoff losses, at Fenway since 2000. Normally reliable setup man Scot Shields has been hit especially hard at Fenway, where he is 0-3 with a 17.65 earned-run average in 11 appearances.

Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said beating the Red Sox entails shutting down their fearsome lineup.

“Against their club, you really have to focus on how you pitch because it doesn’t matter what you’re doing offensively,” Scioscia said. “I think the important thing is to give yourself a chance to win the game. They’ve got a guy [Jonathan Papelbon] who can close games as well as anybody; they want to grab a lead early and pitch well and get into their bullpen, and they’ve got an explosive offense.

“You’ve got to get into your game and pitch well to give yourself a chance to get into your game, and hopefully we’ll start off with that [tonight].”

Scioscia said the Angels would face what he considered Boston’s top three starters– Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett, who will oppose Jered Weaver in tonight’s series opener. Does playing a team that has won two of the last four World Series qualify as a big series even though it’s only 20 games into the season?

“Some people are going to say, ‘Well, it’s early and it doesn’t matter,’ ” Matthews said. “The truth is, when we get between the lines, your ego and your competitive desire kind of take over and you don’t want to lose any games. It doesn’t matter if it’s Feb. 28 or April 15. So obviously, we’d like to go in and handle business.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com