ANAHEIM – The Angels now head to Chicago, their third city in three days for the first game of the American League Championship Series.
If they are feeling fatigued, they certainly did not show it last night. After dispatching the Yankees, 5-3, to close out the ALDS, the Angels players and coaches celebrated, then prepared for another flight, this one to the Windy City where Ozzie Guillen’s White Sox awaited them.
The White Sox are well rested, having beaten the Red Sox on Friday to advance. Guillen has his pitching staff lined up and surely has his nobody-respects-us rhetoric in high gear.
“We’ve got to just keep playing baseball,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “We have to deal with it. We’ll have enough arms to go hard.”
The Angels burned through a lot of their pitching staff over the last two nights. Starters Jarrod Washburn and Bartolo Colon are both question marks due to a throat infection and inflamed right shoulder, respectively. Their other top starter, John Lackey, pitched on three days’ rest Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
Paul Byrd, who started ALDS Game 3 in the Bronx, will likely get the nod from Scioscia tonight. Pitching coach Bud Black said they planned to figure out the Game 2 starter on the plane last night.
The Angels’ bullpen also got plenty of work against the Yankees. Francisco Rodriguez worked 1 1/3 innings last night and Kelvim Escobar pitched each of the last two nights. Scioscia did not use his other setup man, Scot Shields, last night after he pitched terribly Sunday night in the Bronx.
Ervin Santana probably is unavailable tonight after throwing 5 1/3 innings of relief last night. Kevin Gregg is the Angels’ other long reliever.
The Angels are sure to say the cross-country flight Sunday night followed by the trip to Chicago today will be no factor, but don’t be surprised if it takes a few innings for them to wake up when they see the White Sox’ Jose Contreras on the mound tonight.
“You can forget about sleep right now,” first baseman Darin Erstad. “We’ll sleep when we’re done playing, whenever that is.”