In the beginning, a look at the end game for Angels and Dodgers

From Tempe, Ariz.

The Angels are the better team, no, the Dodgers.

They played each other Monday just for fun and exercise in front of a sellout crowd at Diablo Stadium, blue prevailing over red, but which team has the best chance to be the last standing in October?

Take it position by position, and it’s not only close, but how do you answer these questions?

Who has the better season, Brandon Wood or Blake DeWitt?

Which team has the better center fielder?

One playoff game, one more save to get a team to the World Series, and they hand the ball to Brian Fuentes or Jonathan Broxton? Do you watch?

So who really is better?

First base: Kendry Morales’ power is Mark Teixeira-like, and comes so much cheaper. The Dodgers, meanwhile, remain frustrated by James Loney’s inability to hit the ball out of the park. The edge here: Angels.

Second base: DeWitt, the former third baseman, has a chance to add some wallop to the Dodgers’ lineup. Does he hit more home runs than Loney? He’s a work in progress at second, and Manager Joe Torre places a premium on defense. Howie Kendrick may not be as good a defender as Maicer Izturis, but he gives the Angels more offense. Edge: Angels.

Shortstop: Erik Aybar might hang with Rafael Furcal while both are wearing gloves, but Furcal remains a potential game-changer for the Dodgers. Hard to believe it after last season, but it’s there — I’m sure of it. I think. Edge: Dodgers.

Third base: No contest. Wood, good glove and the promise of power, is still trying to prove himself. Casey Blake is not only solid in the game, but the clubhouse as well. Edge: Dodgers.

Catcher: The Angels have two guys who could be starting anywhere. The Dodgers have a mystery on their hands. GM Ned Colletti said Russell Martin did not inform the Dodgers’ training staff or Torre that he was bulking up this off-season. He was already a disappointment — two years running. Now Martin is hurt. Edge: Angels.

Left field: Juan Rivera hit 25 homers; does Manny Ramirez hit that many this year? He’d best do so, or it’s going to get ugly in Mannywood. Does Manny display the good attitude to win one more contract, or does he revert to Boston form and withdraw from everyone? Edge: Dodgers.

Center field: Tough call. If all this is based on what’s going to happen rather than what has happened, Matt Kemp steps forward as one of the game’s next superstars. But Torii Hunter not only gets the job done in center, but rules the clubhouse with incredible intangibles as team leader. The Angels will miss John Lackey and Chone Figgins; they’d have little chance to recover without Hunter. Edge: Angels.

Right field: Andre Ethier really wants to get better, and wants to do so every day. Bobby Abreu is dependable, has been so for some time and knows how to get on base. But once again, if this is all about what happens next, Ethier is star material. Edge: Dodgers.

DH/pinch hitter: The Yankees paid Hideki Matsui $13 million, the Angels get the World Series MVP for $6 million, but then the Rangers got Vlad Guerrero for $6.5 million. So who got the best DH? Garret Anderson has a minor league contract, but probably a spot in the Dodgers’ clubhouse if he has anything left. Edge: Angels.

Starting pitching: The Angels can send someone to the mound every night with a chance to win. The Dodgers cannot. Clayton Kershaw might be the only Dodgers’ starter who would have the chance of starting for the Angels. Decisive edge: Angels.

Closer: Fuentes led the majors in saves, and scares. He’s the Angels’ Achilles’ heel. Wouldn’t be surprised if Fernando Rodney eventually replaces Fuentes, although Rodney flopped against the Dodgers. The Dodgers just have to keep Broxton from facing Matt Stairs. Edge: Dodgers.

Division opponents: Some folks think Colorado is the team to beat, the Dodgers a notch better than San Francisco and Arizona. The Rockies will score and go five deep in starting pitching. The Angels are still the division’s best, but Seattle has closed the gap, with Texas gaining ground. The Angels are in a four-team division; the Dodgers in a five. Edge: Angels.

Both teams have advanced to the playoffs three out of the last four years, and the team with the best chance to do so again?

The Angels.

The biggest difference: starting pitching.

HAD A chat with Matsui and then Mike Scioscia before the game, finding it so much easier to communicate with Matsui, who speaks no English while relying on an interpreter.

Matsui didn’t pick up a glove last season because of sore knees, though he played 20-some games in the outfield two years ago.

The Yankees kept him only as a DH last year, Matsui named World Series MVP while starting three games on the bench, the other three as DH.

When he signed with the Angels, he said he did so in part because the Angels were open to him playing a couple times a week in the outfield. They had their fingers crossed, of course.

“He meant more to the Yankees in the batter’s box,” Scioscia said. “And he means more to us in the batter’s box than anywhere else.”

But Scioscia wouldn’t stop there. He said if Matsui’s knees are 100%, like they ever will be again, and he’s moving well, it’d be no more risky playing him than Hunter and Abreu. He actually said that.

There was that promise made, so Scioscia has to make it sound as if Matsui really does figure into the Angels’ outfield plans, although it makes no sense for the Angels to risk losing their DH.

As a result, more than usual, it makes Scioscia sound as if he’s incapable of offering a straight answer. And it’s only baseball, just imagine if it was something really important.

JUST BEFORE spring training began, the Angels’ Hunter took on a roommate, the Dodgers’ Kemp.

“He’s one of my best friends,” Kemp said. “You walk into his place, see all those Gold Gloves and it’s just motivation. He’s accomplished so many things.

“I’m telling you, he’s the coolest cat I know. He keeps it real, knows how to have fun and when his voice needs to be heard in the clubhouse, it’s there.”

For his part, Hunter was just thrilled at the opportunity to meet Kemp’s gal pal, singer Rihanna.

“She knew my name,” gushed Hunter.

t.j.simers@latimes.com