Guerrero seeks playoff pop at plate

His knack for putting the ball in play, even as he chases pitches outside the strike zone, can bewilder pitchers.

"The stuff he can hit out of the ballpark blows my mind," says Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley, who has allowed Guerrero just one hit, a home run, in six at-bats. "He's got great plate coverage and he can get the bat on the ball with the pitch being anywhere, any speed."

Give him a bat and glove

One concession Guerrero has made to age is filling the designated hitter role more often, an average of about 141 at-bats the last three seasons, which pleases him not a bit.

"You see him walking funny, and he's probably tired, hurting or whatever. But Vladdy wants to be on the field every day, and he hates DHing," Hunter says. "I didn't know Vladdy's love for the game was like that."

Even with their revamped offense, the Angels have not deviated from their aggressive, opportunistic mind-set. They tied for the major-league lead by advancing 105 times from first-to-third on a single.

They also bring to the playoffs a starting trio - ace John Lackey, Ervin Santana and lefty Joe Saunders - who combined for a 45-19 record and a 3.50 ERA in the regular season, backed up by a solid bullpen. That unit is anchored by Francisco Rodriguez, who set a single-season record with 62 saves.

What's different this postseason is their ability to counter the opponents' heart of the order with one that's just as dangerous, with Teixeira, Guerrero and Hunter.

"We have balanced power," Matthews says. "At just about every spot in the lineup, somebody has an opportunity to change the game and take you deep, and that's something we didn't have throughout our lineup last year."

Guerrero certainly welcomes it.