So, the last time the Angels faced Cabrera, Hatcher said he did preach patience. In the first four innings, the Angels sent 13 men to the plate.
Ten took the first pitch. Seven took until Cabrera threw a called strike. One walked. One got a hit. None scored.
"It was ridiculous," Hatcher said.
Cabrera worked into the eighth inning, on 102 pitches. He walked two.
They are who they are.
The Red Sox put a premium on plate discipline. They value that skill as they decide which players to sign, to draft, to promote to the majors.
The Angels put a premium on contact hitting and aggressive baserunning. They're not going to turn into the Red Sox for a night, just because Matsuzaka is pitching. They can't change their stripes.
Chone Figgins, the Angels' leadoff hitter, takes pitches. So does Mark Teixeira, who showed up two months ago. That's about it for the home team.
And so much for the theory that Teixeira's approach magically would rub off on his new teammates, that they would see his success and work the count themselves.
Be like Mark? Since his arrival, according to STATS LLC, the average number of pitches per plate appearance is down for just about every player in the lineup -- down for Vladimir Guerrero, down for Garret Anderson, down for Torii Hunter, down for Howie Kendrick, down for Figgins, way down for Juan Rivera.
But, since Teixeira's arrival, the Angels have scored more runs per game, and that was the point of the trade.
The object of the game is to win, and the most runs wins.
Matsuzaka wins too, so the Red Sox do not fret even when he does not get into the seventh inning. He started 29 games this season. He won 18. He lost three.
He faced the Angels once.
He lost.
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bill.shaikin@latimes.com
