Angels' Howie Kendrick comes up empty

BOSTON -- The Angels appear to be one bat shy of World Series caliber . . . again.

Only this October, that bat doesn't belong to a slugger the Angels failed to acquire at the trade deadline. It's right in their dugout rack and belongs to a player in their current employ, Howie Kendrick.

With two timely hits from Kendrick in the first two games of the American League division series, the Angels could be leading the Boston Red Sox, two games to none, instead of trailing, 0-2, the predicament they face going into Game 3 today in Fenway Park.

But Kendrick, a .306 hitter known for his gap power and ability to square balls up with remarkable regularity, hasn't hit a ball hard all series.

The second baseman, who sat out the first three weeks of September because of a left hamstring strain and had six games -- and 15 at-bats -- in the final week of the season to prepare for the playoffs, is hitless in nine at-bats with five strikeouts.

The burden of the Angels' 2-0 deficit shouldn't fall entirely on Kendrick. Shortstop Erick Aybar is hitless in nine at-bats, and the bottom four batters are a combined two for 31 (.065) in the series, a stark contrast to three-four-five hitters Mark Teixeira, Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter, who are a combined 14 for 23 (.609).

But Kendrick's timing has been terrible.

In the Angels' 4-1 loss in Game 1 on Wednesday in Anaheim, Kendrick grounded out with the bases loaded to end the first inning and grounded out with two on to end the third.

In the Angels' 7-5 loss in Game 2 on Friday, Kendrick flied out with two on in the fifth inning, struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh and struck out to end the game.

Kendrick, who averaged one strikeout per 6.2 plate appearances during the regular season, whiffed four times in Game 2.

Three came on low-and-away sliders that were well out of the strike zone, hapless at-bats that were reminiscent of Guerrero in the 2005 AL Championship Series, when the Chicago White Sox limited the too-anxious slugger to one hit in 20 at-bats.

Kendrick has stranded 13 runners in two games, but when asked whether he would consider replacing the second baseman in his Game 3 lineup, Manager Mike Scioscia didn't waver.

"Howie is going to play," Scioscia said. "He swung the bat well the last week of the season. He's hit a little soft spot now, but this guy can hit. He needs to plow through this if we're going to get where we want to be."