Keith Czechanski/Icon SMI

Scott Kazmir has been excellent for the Angels, going 2-2 with a 1.73 ERA.

By Peter Gammons, ESPN

The Wall is something every pitcher faces in this, the seventh month, and this year with the elongated spring training and the World Baseball Classic. It makes pitching even more daunting.

Two years ago, we saw the Indians march through the Yankees and go up 3-1 on Boston in the ALCS when CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona hit The Wall. Back in the late '80s, Boston's best October pitcher was Bruce Hurst, not Roger Clemens; Hurst was an exceptional pitcher, but he had the advantage of missing a month in 1986 and 1988 because of groin strains.

So when Aaron Cook was recently sidelined for nearly a month and came back for two starts, Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd said, "He may really help us in the postseason because he's a fresh arm."

Yes, of course it was different 30 years ago with four-man rotations and 300-inning starters. Jim Palmer and Mike Flanagan used 150 innings as a benchmark for the All-Star break. Today, the Angels look at the 147 1/3 innings thrown by Scott Kazmir for the entire season as a big deal. Plus, when he steps onto the Fenway Park mound this weekend to face Clay Buchholz, he has a chance to be a major factor in ending Boston's October dominance of the Orange County Kids.

So here are four fresh arms who could be series-changers.

The first is Cook. He is an All-Star who won 16 games and threw 211 innings last year and was on pace to top the 200 mark again this season when he strained his right shoulder and was placed on the disabled list on Aug. 22. That gave Cook what essentially amounted to a month off, and when he returned, he made two starts to prepare for the Phillies series.

In his first outing, it was clear his sinker was back, as 12 of his 14 outs were ground balls. Against a fly-ball, power, home run-hitting team like the Phillies -- and with arguably the best middle defense in the National League behind him -- Cook can be a significant player in this series.

The second is Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. He is a 21-year-old kid who threw 107 2/3 innings in the majors last year, so the fact that he had to be shut down and is now at 171 innings may be a blessing.

Few pitchers in the game have better stuff. In those 171 innings, he allowed 119 hits and struck out 185, ridiculous numbers. But he can struggle with his command and run up his pitch count, which makes his innings longer and tougher than any raw number.

One of Kershaw's catchers says the kid "has that look." In other words, when you're facing the best 1-2 starters in the league in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, Kershaw is the one Dodgers pitcher who can win his two matchups. If they're both against Wainwright, we're looking at instant classics.

The third is Scott Kazmir, whom the Angels got from Tampa Bay at the trading deadline. Earlier in the season, Kazmir was shut down by the Rays to work on his delivery. He came back cleaner and closer to the delivery that got him to the big leagues so quickly, got it back, and his numbers for his last seven starts with the Angels include a 1.73 ERA. "He has that power arm that plays in October," says Mike Scioscia. At 147 1/3 innings, Kazmir will be at his physical peak.

Kazmir likely will face Clay Buchholz, who has but 92 major league innings since returning from Triple-A Pawtucket. Buchholz's stuff is as good as any right-hander in the American League: a great change, two swing-and-miss breaking balls, and a 92-95 mph fastball that is a ground-ball machine when he gets it down.

In his two prep starts for the Red Sox, Buchholz reverted to his former self, rushing his delivery and getting the ball up, resulting in 13 runs in eight starts. But they came off six straight wins and quality starts in which he allowed seven runs in 41 innings. He also has live feet and is quick to the plate, which may help with Boston's ongoing battle against the Angels' speed.

The Kazmir-Buchholz matchup is Sunday night at Fenway, and could be the fulcrum game. No one can use the excuse that he's at The Wall.

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