John Lackey

Reporting from Boston -- John Lackey does not seem bitter about his departure from the Angels after 7 œ years because they "definitely made a run to try to keep me, for sure," he said. But the former Angels ace, who will face his old teammates for the first time in Fenway Park on Wednesday night, couldn't help but notice some irony in the Angels' failure to match the Boston Red Sox 's bid for his services last winter. "It is different," Lackey said, when asked about the Angels' tendency to let their own veterans leave as free agents.

An Angels camp that has been buoyed by the uplifting story of Kelvim Escobar's remarkable recovery from shoulder surgery was hit by a double dose of bad news Wednesday. Ace John Lackey was shut down because of elbow tightness, an injury that could jeopardize his opening-day start against Oakland on April 6. And Torii Hunter was knocked out of Wednesday's 18-11 exhibition victory over Colorado in the first inning when Jeff Baker's long drive hit the wall and caromed into Hunter's nose.

Torii Hunter was unaware of the reports that free-agent pitcher John Lackey was on the verge of signing a five-year deal with the Boston Red Sox when a reporter phoned him Monday morning. "Oh man," the Angels center fielder said. "That's not good." But, Hunter pointed out, at least the Angels were still in the hunt for Toronto ace Roy Halladay, "and if we get Halladay, it would be awesome," he said. A few hours later, the Blue Jays reportedly agreed to a blockbuster three-team deal that would send Halladay to Philadelphia.

Matt Holliday is not coming. Jason Bay might be coming. John Lackey and Chone Figgins are not coming back -- not together, anyway. Those were the highlights of the state of the Angels address delivered by owner Arte Moreno on Thursday, after baseball's owners concluded their meetings here. The free-agent shopping season opens today, with owners citing an uncertain economic forecast in suggesting players might linger on the market well into the winter. Yet Moreno left one thing absolutely certain: The Angels have no interest in outfielder Matt Holliday, perhaps the best position player available in free agency.

Monday through Thursday: Red Sox at Boston Friday through Sunday: Mariners at Seattle This is the week for fans who voted thumbs down on the Angels off-season. John Lackey is scheduled to face Joel Pineiro in Boston on Wednesday, matching last year's Angels ace against the veteran who replaced him in the starting rotation. Lackey is 2-1 with a 4.50 earned-run average for the Boston Red Sox; Pineiro is 2-3 with a 5.76 ERA for the Angels. In Seattle, the Angels and new third baseman Brandon Wood (.176 through Friday, one home run, two walks, 21 strikeouts, five errors)

John Lackey is out there. So is Roy Halladay. The Angels could use either one. "Or do both," Torii Hunter said. We laughed. He was not kidding. "I want to do both," he said. "Why not be greedy and do both?" We hadn't really thought about that, any more than we had thought about the Angels signing Jason Bay and Matt Holliday. Too expensive, too implausible, too fanciful. Yet, for a pitching-first team desperate to return to the World Series, Hunter might have stumbled onto an intriguing solution: Beat the New York Yankees at your game, not theirs.

John Lackey sat on a sofa in the Angels' clubhouse Thursday afternoon, calmly putting the finishing touches on his first-week picks in the team's football pool. "A little healthy competition in the clubhouse is fun," Lackey said. "It's good for the team, for sure." But that's not the only competition going on in the Angels' clubhouse. For the last two weeks, the five pitchers in the Angels' rotation have been waging an impressive game of one-upmanship, with each starter trying to outdo the others.

The moment will live forever in Angels lore: John Lackey, four months removed from the minor leagues and four days after his 24th birthday, won Game 7 of the 2002 World Series. In the 2,538 days since then, Lackey has not won a playoff game. This is his time to establish himself as an elite pitcher, on the eve of free agency. This is the night he ought to put the Angels on his back and carry them to victory. Just win, baby. "There's only so much you can do as a starting pitcher," he said to a small group of reporters Wednesday.

For right-handed pitching bulldog John Lackey, the Red Sox had gone quietly, but he didn't want to. It was 9:22 p.m. in a raucous Angel Stadium. He had held Boston scoreless for 7 1/3 innings in this first game of a best-of-five American League division series. Torii Hunter had hit a three-run homer in the fifth. His Angels had added two more in the seventh. Ghosts were being exorcised all over the place. And yet, at his first sight of Manager Mike Scioscia heading his way, Lackey tossed his head back in disappointment, then slapped the baseball hard into his glove.

Staff writer Mike DiGiovanna examines five issues facing the Angels as they head into the winter meetings, which begin today in Indianapolis. (Keys in boldface correspond to boldface in lineup): Ace in the hole The top priority is to fill the void at the front of the rotation , at the top of the team's list are John Lackey, the free-agent right-hander who has been an Angels mainstay since 2003, and Roy Halladay, the Toronto Blue Jays right-hander who has been a trade target since last July.