Angels' Mike Scioscia doesn't criticize Vladimir Guerrero
ANGELS FYI
Manager says team needs to stay aggressive on the bases to beat Red Sox.
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said he did not consider using Reggie Willits to pinch-run for Vladimir Guerrero on Wednesday night after the slugger reached on a one-out single in the eighth inning, with the Angels trailing the Red Sox, 2-1.
Guerrero, slowed in September by an irritated right knee, tried to go from first to third on Torii Hunter's bloop hit over first baseman Kevin Youkilis' head, running through third base coach Dino Ebel's stop sign, and was thrown out by about eight feet.
"Vlad is running well, and once he gets going, he can go from first to third," Scioscia said. "Unfortunately, that was a tougher read than what it looked like from the press box and stands. If Youkilis doesn't get that ball on one hop, Vlad gets to third."
Though Guerrero's gamble backfired, Scioscia, who has stressed aggressive baserunning since he took over as Angels manager in 2000, wouldn't criticize the attempt.
"When you're aggressive, some outs are going to be ugly, but I can't tell you how many times we've swung the momentum our way or won a game because of aggressive baserunning," Scioscia said.
"It happened countless times in the 2002 playoffs. If you go station-to-station, you're not going to beat those guys with 12 hits."
Penciled in
If the decision was up to Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell, Josh Beckett would start Game 3 of the series Sunday in Boston.
Beckett, scratched from Wednesday's opener, hasn't pitched since Sept. 22 because of a strained muscle in his right side, an injury that can take weeks to heal. But he threw a 67-pitch bullpen session Thursday that left Farrell impressed. "From the look of his bullpen today, he's ready to go on Sunday," Farrell said.
Manager Terry Francona, who is responsible for naming Sunday's starter, was equally enthusiastic, though he stopped short of a prediction.
"He needs to know going into a start what pitches he has available, what he needs to win," Francona said. "So today was a very productive day. Nothing was cut short, his fastball had some finish to it, he threw all his pitches."
Beckett, the Red Sox's top playoff pitcher with a 6-2 record and 1.73 ERA in 10 postseason appearances, was a bit more modest in his assessment, saying the session went "all right."
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