Results tagged ‘ Yankees ’
Which CC will we see?
To me, that is one of the main questions heading into the ALCS. CC Sabathia will get the ball for the Yankees in Game 1. His assignment: beat John Lackey and the Angels and maintain home field advantage. His only other appearance in the ALCS went terrible, a memory that still haunts me. His playoff numbers have not been great. He looked great against the Twins in the ALDS, but you still have to wonder which CC will show up.
CC’s playoff numbers have down right bad. In the Postseason he is 3-3 with a 6.54 ERA. He has given up 41 hits and 22 walks in just 31.2 innings. Those numbers include his dominate win in against the Twins this year. He was especially bad in the 2007 ALCS. In that series he went 0-2 with a 10.45 ERA. The reason for this could be the number of innings he logged in those years. This year his innings were down a bit and the Yankees hope that this Sabathia does not resurface.
This is the pitcher the Yankees need, and if his first start is any indication this is the pitcher they will get. Over the last three years, Sabathia is 55-25 with a 2.92 ERA. He has racked up 657 strikeouts. He was the American League CY Young winner in 2007 and almost single-handedly took the Brewers to the playoffs in 2008. This is the man that the Yankees shelled out the cash for, and you better believe they expect greatness in all of his starts.
So which CC will we see? Option 1 or Option 2? I’m really excited to watch this series. It hurts to watch Sabathia pitch well for another team. Walks will be the key. If he puts Angels on base, it will come back to hurt him. The Yankees hope that the pressure doesn’t get to him, while the Angels hope that he amps himself up to much. The Sabathia-Lackey matchup is one I don’t want to miss.
And then there were 4
The LCSs are set, and we have two East Coast-West Coast showdowns. Angels and Yankees. Dodgers and Phillies. This is not how I thought the playoffs would play out, but I’m excited for both match-ups. This is not the year of the Wild Card as both were knocked out in the first round.
The key to both of these series is pitching and more specifically the bullpen. All four teams have the ability to score runs, and lots of them. They also have the ability to score runs late in ball games. In their three games, the Yankees score 8 runs in the 7th inning or later. That included a walk-off home run from Teixeira and an 8th inning rally to win Game 3. The Angles scored 10 runs in the 7th inning or later in their 3 games verses Boston. Including taking the lead in the 7th of Game 2 and beating Papelbon in their last at bat in Game 3. The Phillies totaled just 5 runs late in their games, but they pushed across 3 with 2 outs in the 9th of a stunning Game 4 victory. And finally, the Dodgers scored 3 late inning runs against the Cardinals, but had a walk-off of their own in Game 2. The ability of the bullpens to put zeros on the board will play a major factor in both the National and American League Championship Series.
Sweeps Week
6 games later and the ALCS is determined. That didn’t take very long. The Angles and Yankees both swept their opponents. Hopefully nobody is going back to my playoffs picks.
The Angels were very impressive. Lackey and Weaver gave them great starts and they got to Papelbon and the Red Sox bullpen in game 3. 1-9 that team can hit. They also have great speed. It might be the Angles year. They combination of pitching, speed, hitting and defense destroy one AL East opponent. Now they look to take down the team with the best record in baseball.
I’m looking forward to the ALCS. The showdown between the Angels and Yankees looks like a great one on paper. These two finished the season 1 and 2 in the American League so its only fitting that they might in the championship. I’m ready for this match-up, just wish I didn’t have to wait until Friday.
You look familiar
The 2009 MLB Playoffs official start in just about one hour. I cannot wait to be glued to my television for the rest of the night (well except for that hour class tonight, BOO!). I would love to be getting ready to watch my Cleveland Indians in the ALDS, but I obviously do not get that privilege. However, there are quite a few former Indians in this years playoffs.
What really seems strange to me is how I feel about both of these players. I continue to pull for Lee and wish him the best. CC is a different story. My sick mind hopes that he chokes in the playoffs. There are obvious reason for this. Lee has been on my fantasy team the last two years. Lee also plays on a Philadelphia team that I like. I have always liked Utley and Rollins. CC went to the Yankees. He did not pitch very well in big games when Cleveland needed him to.
So as I go into today’s games, I will be rooting for a great game from Lee and a poor performance from CC. I want to know how you feel about the players we traded away. Do you want them to succeed? Or flop? Or is it case by case like my example?
Playoff Picks
Yesterday’s game was awesome. I can only hope that the real postseason carries much of the same.
My picks go as follows:
Yankees over Twins in 4
Red Sox over Angels in 5
Cardinals over Dodgers in 5
Phillies over Rockies in 4
Yankees over Red Sox in 6
Cardinals over Phillies in 7
Yankees over Cardinals in 6
mlblogsbmiller
Recent Comments