Angels show there's no hex factor in 5-0 win over Boston  —  Torii Hunter's three-run home run and John Lackey's superb outing give them a 1-0 series lead over their playoff nemesis.  —  Don't bring any talk of a “hex” by Torii Hunter's locker.  That was the center fielder's stern message …

ALDS Game 2: Twins at Yankees  —  YANKEES  —  Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (13-9, 4.04 ERA regular season)  —  TWINS  —  Pitching: RHP Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.03 ERA regular season)  —  WEATHER: Mostly cloudy and cool with showers in the forecast during the evening.

Phillies name Pedro Game 3 starter  —  Veteran of Red Sox-Yankees battles goes in pivotal game  —  Pedro Martinez, Boston's warhorse in four postseasons from 1998-2004, was named by Phillies manager Charlie Manuel on Friday to be the starter in Saturday's Game 3 of the National League Division Series in Colorado.

Ninth-inning nightmare  —  October 8, 2009 — Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday is unable to catch a fly ball off the bat of Los Angeles' James Loney for an error in the ninth inning (Chris Lee/P-D)  —  LOS ANGELES — What couldn't happen did happen to the Cardinals Thursday afternoon.

Why C.B. Bucknor is not a good umpire  —  How you know he's a bad ump:  —  1. Umpires that are in consistent spats with coaches, players.  —  Both coaches and players, for the most part, understand the job is hard as hell while hoping they (the umpires) know it's the height of competition, adrenalin and testosterone during a game.

Pop Quiz  —  Over the years, many Baseball Prospectus staffers have been hired away by major-league teams, which is a source of pride for us.  We've gained a reputation as being a source of bright, dedicated people whose approach to baseball can be of considerable value to front offices …

A.J. Burnett gets advice from Andy Pettitte as he prepares for first playoff start … RELATED CONTENT  —  Video: Yankees beat writer Marc Carig and columnist Steve Politi preview ALDS Game 2  —  Politi: Matsui keeps getting big hits, but are his days in Pinstripes numbered?

Eastern League Top 20 Prospects  —  To be eligible for a league's list, a pitcher must have thrown 1/3 inning for each team game or have made 20 appearances (10 in short-season and rookie-level leagues).  Hitters need one plate appearance for each team game.

LA finalizes Garland trade, deals Abreu  —  Infielder is player to be named in Aug. 31 pact with D-backs  —  ST. LOUIS — The Dodgers finalized the acquisition of Jon Garland on Friday, sending switch-hitting infielder Tony Abreu to Arizona as the player to be named in the Aug. 31 trade.

Phillies' Manuel keeps everyone guessing; more notes (cont.)  —  Game 2 hero Yorvit's inspiration is his son  —  Yorvit Torrealba's two-run home run off Hamels gave the Rockies a 3-0 lead in Game 2.  But no matter what happens in the NLCS, Torrealba will continue a daily tradition that began this summer.

Towers moving on after time with Padres  —  Former GM in no rush to find new job after dismissal  —  You ask Kevin Towers, the ousted general manager of the San Diego Padres, what happens now, and he has a quick, one-word answer: “Exhale.”  —  Towers says the word and you can all but sense …

White Sox talk new deal with Scott Podsednik's agent  —  Carlos Quentin healing, Dewayne Wise heads to free agency  —  NEW YORK — The White Sox and the agent for Scott Podsednik held a preliminary discussion this week with the aim being to bring the leadoff hitter back to the South Side.