Angels Get the Boston Monkey off Their Backs

No, the Angels aren't the Cubs.

Oh, Torii Hunter and Co. did their best imitation of the Century Kids in the first two games of the Division Series and at various points Sunday night in Game 3.

But all of it is behind them now: The 11-game losing streak to the Red Sox in the postseason.

The absurd three-run bloop single by Jacoby Ellsbury that fell between Hunter and second baseman Howie Kendrick in shallow center field.

The 5-hour, 19-minute epic in which the Angels outhit the Red Sox, 16-7, yet needed 12 innings to defeat them, 5-4.

Maybe now the Angels can relax. Maybe now they can revive. I'm not sure I buy into the notion of a psychological shift in a short series, not when momentum in baseball rests with the next day's starting pitcher. But if ever there was a time for such a shift to occur, this is it.

In Game 3, the Angels scrambled to avoid getting swept.

In Game 4, the Red Sox will scramble to avoid playing a decisive Game 5 in Anaheim.

The Red Sox were on the other side of this equation in the 2004 American League Championship Series, rallying to defeat the Yankees after falling behind, three games to none.

Once those Sox got going, they were liberated. The same thing could happen to these Angels, who should take comfort in the knowledge that they cannot play much worse than they have already.

They left the bases loaded twice in the first innings against Josh Beckett on Sunday night. Hunter and Kendrick had their communications breakdown on what should have been an inning-ending popup. Hunter got thrown out at second trying to stretch a single leading off the ninth.

To cap it all off, closer Frankie Rodriguez nearly blew another one, loading the bases in the 10th and going 2-0 on Jed Lowrie before getting him to fly out.

But in the end, the Angels could celebrate.

Catcher Mike Napoli hit two homers and singled to start the winning rally in the 12th. Second baseman Howie Kendrick delivered a sacrifice to advance Napoli and produced his first two hits of the series after an 0-for-11 start.

Shortstop Erick Aybar delivered the game-winning hit—a flare to center off Sox left-hander Javier Lopez—to snap his own 0-for-13 start.

The Angels' bullpen, meanwhile, was magnificent, producing 7 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of left-hander Joe Saunders, striking out 11, allowing only seven baserunners.

The winning pitcher? None other than right-hander Jered Weaver in his first career relief appearance. Weaver walked David Ortiz to lead off the bottom of the 12th, but then retired Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay and Mike Lowell to close it out at 12:47 a.m. ET.

Three games, two epics, and the chance for at least one more on Monday night. Angels righty John Lackey faces Sox lefty Jon Lester, and Angels righty Ervin Santana would face Sox righty Daisuke Matsuzaka in Game 5, if necessary.

Suddenly, it's a series.

Thank goodness, the Angels aren't the Cubs.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

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