Numbers

Game 2 - ALDS

Red Sox 7, Angels 5
Red Sox lead 2-0

After a thoroughly entertaining undercard, the tale of the definitive heavyweight portion of last night's pivotal Game 2 was told by a simple mathematic equation.

58>57

Jonathan Papelbon faced 6 batters and retired them all, and while he did allow an inherited runner to score (from 3rd, with nobody out, on a sacrifice fly), he was dominant.

Francisco Rodriguez faced 8 batters, allowing hits to 4 of them, including the decisive 2-run homer to J.D. Drew. He was not dominant.

So even as Daisuke Matsuzaka continues to shred nerves, and even when Playoff Tito hiccups ever so slightly (Papelbon should have started the 8th inning instead of Justin Masterson), the Sox postseason train keeps rolling. The Angels and their fans really must be shaking their heads in disbelieving misery. Friend of MLC Mike emailed me this morning to say that he felt sorry for the Halos, whose frustration against the Sox calls to mind the grating way in which the Oakland A's circa early 1990s dominated Boston. As I told him, while I see his point, I'll only start feeling pity for the boys from SoCal if and when they're vanquished.

No point in changing 38 years of superstition now.