A look at the best-of-seven American League championship series between the Anaheim Angels and Minnesota Twins.

       Schedule: (All times Eastern) Game 1, Tuesday, at Minnesota (8:20 p.m., Fox); Game 2, Wednesday, at Minnesota (8:20 p.m., Fox or Fox Sports Net); Game 3, Friday, at Anaheim (8:20 p.m., Fox); Game 4, Saturday, at Anaheim (7:50 p.m., Fox); x-Game 5, Sunday, at Anaheim (4:50 p.m., Fox); x-Game 6, Oct. 15 at Minnesota (8:20 p.m., Fox); x-Game 7, Oct. 16 at Minnesota (8:20 p.m., Fox).

        x-if necessary.

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       Season Series: Minnesota 5-4.

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       Projected Lineups
       Angels: SS David Eckstein (.293, 8 HRs, 63 RBIs, 21 SBs, 27 HBP), CF Darin Erstad (.283, 10, 73), RF Tim Salmon (.286, 22, 88), LF Garret Anderson (.306, 29, 123, 56 doubles), 3B Troy Glaus (.250, 30, 111, 144 Ks), DH Brad Fullmer (.289, 19, 59) or Shawn Wooten (.292, 3, 19), 1B Scott Spiezio (.285, 12, 82), C Bengie Molina (.245, 5, 47), 2B Adam Kennedy (.312, 7, 52) or Benji Gil (.285, 3, 20).
       Twins: LF Jacque Jones (.300, 27, 85, 96 runs), SS Cristian Guzman (.273, 9, 59), 3B Corey Koskie (.267, 15, 69, 37 doubles), DH David Ortiz (.272, 20, 75), CF Torii Hunter (.289, 29, 94, 23 steals), Doug Mientkiewicz 1B (.261, 10, 64), RF Michael Cuddyer (.259, 4, 13 in 112 ABs) or Dustan Mohr (.269, 12, 45), C A.J. Pierzynski (.300, 6, 49), 2B Luis Rivas (.256, 4, 35).

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       Projected Rotations
       Angels: RH Kevin Appier (14-12, 3.92 ERA), RH Ramon Ortiz (15-9, 3.77, 40 HRs allowed), LH Jarrod Washburn ( 18-6, 3.15), RH John Lackey (9-4, 3.66 ).
       Twins: RH Joe Mays (4-8, 5.38, missed 3 months with elbow inflammation), RH Rick Reed (15-7, 3.78, 26 walks in 188 IP), RH Brad Radke (9-5, 4.72, missed 2 1/2 months with pulled groin), LH Eric Milton (13-9, 4.84, missed a month with knee injury).

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       Relievers
       Angels: RH Troy Percival (4-1, 1.92 ERA, 40/44 saves, 68 Ks in 56 1-3 innings), RH Francisco Rodriguez (5 2-3 scoreless innings), RH Brendan Donnelly (1-1, 2.17, 1), RH Ben Weber ( 7-2, 2.54, 7), RH Scot Shields (5-3, 2.20), LH Scott Schoeneweis (9-8, 4.88, 1), RH Al Levine (4-4, 4.24, 5).
       Twins: LH Eddie Guardado (1-3, 2.93, 45/51 saves), LH J.C. Romero (9-2, 1.89, 1, 81 appearances), RH LaTroy Hawkins (6-0, 2.13), LH Johan Santana (8-6, 2.99 in 27 games, 14 of them starts), RH Kyle Lohse (13-8, 4.23 in 31 starts), RH Bob Wells (2-1, 5.90), RH Mike Jackson (2-3, 3.27).

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       Matchups

        Twins better get to the Angels early because they've had no luck late against Percival. He hasn't allowed an earned run in 35 innings against Minnesota — the most innings any active pitcher has against a team with a 0.00 ERA. Percival is 1-0 with 18 saves against the Twins. ... The Angels got a lot of offense out of the bottom of their lineup against the Yankees. Molina could be big this series. He has a .412 career average against Minnesota. ... Eckstein, the Angels' table-setter, has just a .170 career average against Minnesota. ... The Twins struggled against left-handers this year, batting .252, and will face the difficult Washburn, who went 2-0 against them this year. ... Kennedy batted .355 against the Twins. ... Minnesota held Glaus to a .171 average without a homer. ... Pierzynski hit .400 against the Angels. ... Reed pitched a three-hitter in his only start against Anaheim, winning 5-1 on May 24.

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       Big Picture

        Angels: Ended 42 years of frustration in stunning fashion in the first round by routing the four-time defending AL champion Yankees. The no-name Angels hit .376 — the highest ever in a postseason series — against a vaunted pitching staff Yankees manager Joe Torre had called his best in his seven-year tenure. ... Everyone contributed from Glaus' three homers to Salmon's seven RBIs to Anderson's .389 average. ... Starters struggled against the Yankees with a 6.41 ERA, but bullpen and big bats helped make up for it. ... Manager Mike Scioscia was second-guessed for not using Percival in the eighth inning of the opener, but did just about everything else right. ... Back in the ALCS for the first time since 1986, when they were one strike away from going to their first World Series before Dave Henderson homered off Donnie Moore in Game 5 to start Boston's comeback. ... After franchise-worse 6-14 start, Anaheim went on to club record 99 victories this season. ... Finished 75-87 and 41 games behind AL West champion Seattle in 2001. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no team has ever made the postseason one year after finishing so far out of first. The previous record was held by the New York Giants, who finished first in the NL in 1954 after finishing 35 games out the previous year. ... The Walt Disney Co. has been trying to sell the Angels and the NHL's Anaheim Mighty Ducks for about three years, and recently stepped up efforts to find potential buyers. ... In the Angels' only other playoff appearances, they lost to Baltimore in four games in 1979 and to Milwaukee in five games in 1982. They finished tied with Seattle for the West title in 1995, but lost a one-game playoff game to the Mariners. ... The lineup was much the same this year as for the last several seasons, but injuries were not a major factor, unlike past years — no sign of “Angels' curse.” ... While Salmon and Erstad bounced back from off years in 2001, Anderson again was the most consistent hitter for Anaheim, the AL's top hitting club at .282. ... The maturing of their younger pitchers, notably Washburn and Ortiz, and the addition of Appier and Sele helped added up to a dependable rotation. The starters' 4.00 ERA ranks second in the league, and their relievers had an AL-best 2.98 ERA.

        Twins: Manager Ron Gardenhire and his Contraction Kids just won't go away. The team commissioner Bud Selig tried to eliminate last winter is in the ALCS for the first time since 1991. Minnesota rallied from 2-1 to Oakland to win the five-game series. ... Radke won twice with a 1.54 ERA against the A's but won't pitch until Game 3 after winning the decisive Game 5 in Oakland. ... Pierzynski hit .438 in the first round and Mientkiewicz homered twice. ... The bullpen was strong despite Guardado's near meltdown in Game 5. ... Backup INF Denny Hocking injured the middle finger on his throwing hand during the Game 5 celebration and will miss the series. ... It would be easy to write off their first playoff appearance since 1991 as one of those happy-to-be-here deals, but the Twins know in back of their minds that the roster — most of them started playing together in the minors — might not be kept together for too long as their earning power goes up. ... Twins overcame a slew of injuries — their top four starters all missed outings for health reasons — and cruised to the division title. But their record against non-AL Central opponents was just 44-42. ... The Metrodome affords the Twins many advantages: opposing fielders often lose balls in the dirty ceiling; they know how to beat the ball into the lively turf and run around the bases; those Homer Hankies whip up the crowd; and, of course, it's noisy. All-time playoff record at the Metrodome is 12-2. ... The bullpen, thought to be a weakness in the spring, turned out to be one of the best in the league. Guardado, Romero and Hawkins will need to be every bit as good against the Angels. ... Reed and Jackson are the only players with postseason experience before this season.

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       Watch For

        — Two-strike hits. The Angels were the hardest team to strike out in the majors this season and they were even tougher against the Yankees. Anaheim fanned just 18 times in the four games and had an unbelievable .361 average in 61 at-bats with two strikes.

        — Little ball. These teams are not typical AL bashers — neither club had a player hit more than 30 home runs. Instead, they like to hit-and-run, bunt, take extra bases on balls in the dirt, and be patient at the plate. The team that does the little things best will have a big edge.

        — Frankie's Fire. Rodriguez, a 20-year-old rookie who made his major league debut in September, earned his first two career wins against the Yankees. His electric arm could be a key in the late innings as Scioscia tries to bridge the gap between his starters and Percival.

        — Homer Hankies. The Metrodome might be the toughest — and loudest — place to play in the playoffs. Twins are 12-2 at home in their past three trips to the postseason.

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