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Angels-Red Sox Preview

May 5, 2010 - 3:52 AM By MATT BROWN STATS Editor

Los Angeles (12-15) at Boston (12-14), 7:10 p.m. EDT

Four games below .500 and mired in their longest losing streak in more than three years, the Los Angeles Angels could use a stopper.

Unfortunately for them, John Lackey is now in the opposing dugout.

Seeking to avoid a sixth straight loss, the Angels will face their former ace for the first time Wednesday night as they continue their four-game set against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

The Angels (12-16), who have won the AL West three straight years and five of the last six, suddenly look quite vulnerable. They've dropped the first five contests on a 10-game road trip, including a 17-8 rout to the Red Sox on Monday and a 5-1 defeat Tuesday. If they lose again Wednesday, they'll be off to their worst start since opening 11-18 in 1994.

This is already the Angels' longest skid since April 12-18, 2007, when they dropped six in a row including a three-game sweep at Fenway.

Lackey (2-1, 4.50 ERA), whom Boston (13-14) signed to a five-year, $82.5 million contract in December, used to be the man who prevented such losing streaks from happening in Los Angeles. Since the start of 2006, he's 27-10 following a team loss - the best record in the majors among pitchers with at least 30 starts in those situations.

It's tough to overstate Lackey's importance to the Angels. He ranks in the top five in franchise history in starts, wins, strikeouts and innings pitched, and was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series to clinch the Angels' only title.

Now, he has a chance to show his old teammates what they're missing.

"He's a bulldog - you know he'll be up for it," center fielder Torii Hunter told the Angels' official website. "That's his nature. He loves to compete, and so do I. I've faced him a lot. So have Bobby (Abreu), (Hideki) Matsui. For other guys, like Mike Napoli, it's going to be different. He used to catch the guy, and now he'll be trying to hit him."

Lackey has been solid but not dominant thus far in Boston. The right-hander has yielded three runs or fewer in four of his five starts, but opponents are hitting .307 off him. He limited the Orioles to three runs - two earned - in seven innings Friday, but failed to earn a decision as the Red Sox lost 5-4 in 10 innings.

Boston will also take its hacks against a former teammate, albeit not one who made a major impact during his Red Sox tenure. Joel Pineiro (2-3, 5.76) posted a 5.03 ERA in 31 relief appearances for Boston in 2007, eventually getting traded to St. Louis for a minor leaguer.

The right-hander eventually rejuvenated his career, going 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA for the Cardinals in 2009, and parlaying that season into a two-year, $16 million deal with Los Angeles.

After a promising beginning for the Angels, Pineiro has given up 16 runs and 21 hits over 9 1-3 innings in his last two starts. He surrendered a career-high 10 runs in 3 1-3 innings of Friday's 10-6 loss at Detroit.

Pineiro is 3-5 with a 6.24 ERA in 10 starts against the Red Sox. David Ortiz is 9 for 23 with two homers and three doubles off Pineiro, but the former All-Star slugger increasingly appears close to the end of the line in Boston.

Ortiz, who has been losing playing time lately to Mike Lowell, saw his average fall to .149 on Tuesday after going 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and two double plays, including one that nearly squelched what became a four-run eighth-inning rally.

Despite all that, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia remains supportive of his teammate.

"David's fine," Pedroia said. "He's one of our teammates. We believe in him. He's going to come out of it. He's had 60 at-bats.

"A couple of years ago I had 60 at-bats and it was me hitting .170 and everybody was ready to kill me, too. Then what happened? Laser show."

Boston is seeking its seventh victory in nine home games.