updated 6:54 p.m. ET Oct. 7, 2007

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Where in heaven did the real Los Angeles Angels go in the playoffs?

You know, the ones who earned the AL West title with small-ball offense — hitting singles, drawing walks and running the bases with abandon despite a lack of home-run power. That team disappeared against Boston in the AL division series, losing 9-1 Sunday to close out a three-game sweep.

The first-round defeat was identical to 2004, when the Red Sox ushered the Angels out in three consecutive games on their way to winning the World Series.

Even coming back to California didn’t help. The Angels’ 54 home victories were the most in baseball this season, and they hit .305 in their home park during the regular season.

But they could not have gone more quietly against Boston, scoring just four runs in 27 innings. They were 2-for-22 with runners in scoring position and hit .192 overall.

“We beat a lot of good clubs, a lot of good pitchers without hitting the ball out of the ballpark for long stretches of this season,” said manager Mike Scioscia, “but unfortunately, we weren’t able to carry that continuity into the playoffs.”

Vladimir Guerrero failed to live up to his slugging reputation. He was 0-for-3 with a walk Sunday, and finished 2-for-10 in the series with no runs and no RBIs.

“They pitched Vlad very, very tough,” Scioscia said. “But you have to beat good pitchers even when they’re on and we weren’t able to do that.”

The Angels were banged up, too, although Scioscia refused to use that as an excuse.

Garret Anderson had to quit after two innings because conjunctivitis in his swollen right eye made it difficult seeing the ball in left field. Gary Matthews Jr. didn’t make the division series roster because of injury and leadoff hitter Chone Figgins was banged up, too.

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First baseman Casey Kotchman missed the game because of a non-baseball-related injury.

“Not having really any protection behind Vlady with G.A. going out with the eye injury, Kotchman going down and Matthews not playing in this series kind of put a little damper on the offensive situation,” Weaver said.

“At the same time, it’s not just an offensive game. It’s a pitching and defensive game. You can’t put the blame on one thing.”

Of course, Boston’s pitching had a lot to with the Angels’ feeble offense.

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Josh Beckett tossed a four-hit shutout in the opener. The Red Sox bullpen combined to hold the Angels hitless in Game 2 after they saw rookie starter Daisuke Matsuzaka for the first time ever.

Then Curt Schilling dissected the Angels with the kind of stuff he had been going over in his head for the last 12 days. Pitching in the postseason for the first time since 2004, the 40-year-old right-hander retired 10 of 11 batters during one stretch.

The third and seventh innings typified things for Los Angeles, which stranded eight runners.

The Angels loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but defensive replacement Reggie Willits popped up to the catcher in foul territory, ending the threat.

“I wish I could’ve got a hit right there, but it just didn’t happen,” he said.

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In the seventh, with the Rally Monkey hopping on the big screen, Maicer Izturis doubled to lead off and took third on Howie Kendrick’s groundout. Designated hitter Juan Rivera followed and popped up to first base, slamming his bat in the dirt and shattering it.

Then Schilling struck out Mike Napoli, ending the inning and silencing the plastic noisemakers that sounded a hopeful beat.

“We just kind of fell into a little funk,” Kendrick said.

The Red Sox impersonated the Angels in the bottom of the seventh, charging around the bases and ringing up seven runs as many of the 45,262 fans streamed toward the exits.

Things started promisingly enough for the Angels.

Weaver made his playoff debut by retiring the side, including striking out David Ortiz. After allowing runners on second and third in the second, the 25-year-old right-hander retired three straight — two on strikeouts.

Weaver retired the side in the third, notching his fifth strikeout. But he made two huge mistakes in the fourth, allowing back-to-back home runs to Ortiz and Manny Ramirez that deflated the anemic Angels.

“We’re not happy,” a grim-faced Scioscia said. “We fully felt we were going to come in and play better and we didn’t.”

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