Before the first game of the American League Championship Series even starts, the battle begins over a slightly more trivial matter: who will wear the label of the underdog over the course of the next set of games.
Both the Anaheim Angels and the Minnesota Twins meet many of the criteria for a Cinderella team. Each has a payroll among the lowest in the league, is comprised mainly of young, inexperienced players and neither have been to the playoffs in more than 10 years. Due to their shared scrappy style of play, though, both teams have a legitimate chance to advance to the World Series.
\We have a lot in common,' Twins first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz said. ""Us and the Angels, we play the game right. You watch this series, you'll see bunts and sacrifices, small ball, guys doing all the little things your coaches used to try to teach you. It'll be great.""
Shared run production throughout the lineup has proven to be a hallmark of victory for both teams nobody on the Twins had more than 100 RBIs during the regular season, and the Angels only had two. But, as it often does in the postseason, the series will probably come down to the consistency of the pitching staffs.
The Twins starters, led by Brad Radke, have performed better than the Angels staff in both the regular season and the playoffs. Radke, who pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-run baseball Sunday on three days' rest, has dominated the Angels. He is 11-4 with a 1.72 ERA against them and 6-1 with a 1.38 ERA at Edison Field, where he is projected to get the start in Game 3.
If the Angels can force this series into a late-inning affair, though, the inadequacies of the Twins bullpen will be exposed. Johan Santana and ""Everyday"" Eddie Guardado, although solid during the regular season, showed inconsistency during their first- round series with the Athletics. This contrasts with the bullpen of the Angels, especially Francisco Rodriguez, who only had 5 2/3 innings of major league pitching experience when Scoscia placed him on the postseason roster. After a rough appearance in Game 3 of the Division Series where he allowed a home run to Alfonso Soriano, Rodriguez settled down to gain the wins in both Game 3 and 4.
The Twins narrowly captured the season series 5-4, but all but two of the games were decided by three runs or less. Both teams now face the task of keeping their nerves together in the postseason with little or no playoff experience.
Minnesota left fielder Jacque Jones alluded to this. ""We just need to be patient, make him throw the ball where we can hit it,"" Jones said. ""We can't be over-anxious. We've been over-anxious this whole series, this whole season.""
The Angels also showed signs of nerves during their series-clinching game against the Yankees, allowing a run in the ninth inning, and most of their players have little to no playoff experience as well.
In the end, though, with teams as reliant on intangibles as these two, the series could hinge on any number of factors. Perhaps Denny Hocking's injury during excessive celebration will prove decisive, or the impulsive managing of Mike Scoscia, or the Twins' lack of success against lefthanders. One thing, however, remains certain.
As Mientkiewicz said, ""This is great for baseball. It shows it's not all about the money.""
