While the west coast is hoping and praying for a "Freeway Series", two east coast teams stand in their way. The Philadelphia Phillies are standing between the Dodgers and a World Series birth, while the Yankees are doing the same with the Angels.
Its Yankees and Angels starting Friday night in a best-of-seven series for the right to represent the American League in the World Series. This is the first time the Yankees and Angels have met in the American League Championship Series. The Yankees moved on to this ALCS after once again handling the Twins in a three game sweep. The Angels set up this matchup by sweeping the Red Sox in the Division Series.
Lets take a look at the teams:
Yankees
Manager Joe Girardi is in his second year as the leader of the Yankees, his third year of managing overall. This year is his first playoff appearance as manager. Girardi is a guy that is not afraid to make tough decisions. He believes in putting the guys on the field that he feels give his team the best chance to win. Being a former catcher, Girardi has seemed to be smart with his pitching staff. He does not shy away from making late innings moves, especially pinch running and defensive replacements.
Behind the plate, the Yankees mainly use Jorge Posada. Posada is a playoff veteran. While he may not have the best arm or defensive ability, he remains one of the best offensive players at his position. Posada has proven he can provide the big hit in key situations. Posada batted .285 with 22 home runs and drove in 81 runs during the regular season. He is 4 of 11 with a home run and 2 RBIs so far this post season. The only question is if Girardi will once again have backup catcher Jose Molina start the game that A.J. Burnett pitches. Molina has been Burnett's personal catcher the past couple months, including Game 2 of the ALDS against the Twins. Molina is a better defensive catcher, but his offensive production is nowhere near that of Posada.
The Yankees infield is probably the best in baseball. From first to thrid, the Yankees have four players with unbelievable talent. Mark Teixeira is arguably the teams MVP this season. The first baseman hit .292 with 39 home runs and 122 RBIs. Defensively, he has made the rest of the infield better with his play at first. Tex has been able to pick throws out of the dirt consistently. He was only 2 for 12 in the ALDS but one of his hits was a game winning line drive home run in Game 2. Robinson Cano is the second baseman. Cano is an underrated defensive player and also has a lot of pop in his bat. Cano has struggled in his postseason career, posting a .230 batting average in 16 games. He did however hit .320 with 25 home runs and 85 RBIs in the regular season. Cano is one of the few Yankees that have hit well against the Angels this year (.341). Derek Jeter continues to be Captain Clutch while playing shortstop. Jeter had a terrific season, batting .334 with 18 home runs and 66 RBIs from the leadoff spot. He also ran a bit more this season, stealing 30 bases. His hitting has continued into the postseason where he hit 4 of 10 with a home run and 4 runs scored in the ALDS. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the Yankees season is how relaxed third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been. A-Rod missed time due to an injury early in the season, but he still managed to bat .284 with 30 home runs and drive in 100. Rodriguez has remained hot heading into the ALCS. Against the Twins in the ALDS, he went 5 for 11 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI's.
In the outfield, Johnny Damon is in left field. Damon had a very good regular season in which he batted .282 with 24 home runs and 82 RBI's. He only had one hit in 12 at bats against the Twins however and he is sometimes removed late in games for a defensive replacement. Melky Cabrera remains the starting centerfielder despite striking out 5 times in 12 at bats during the ALDS. Cabrera is a very good defensive outfielder with a very good accurate arm. He batted .274 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI's in the regular season. If he continues to struggle, speedy Brett Gardner may get a start at some point. Nick Swisher starts in right field. Swisher, not known for his defensive ability, has made some nice plays defensively in the post season so far. He batted just .249 in the regular season but hit 29 home runs and drove in 82 runs. He has struggled this postseason, batting just 1 for 12.
The starting rotation for the Yankees is fairly solid but does have question marks. If the weather cooperates, the Yankees will most likely use a 3 man rotation which would allow ace CC Sabathia to pitch three times if the series goes all 7 games. Sabathia will pitch Game 1, followed by A.J. Burnett in game 2 and Andy Pettitte in game 3. If the Yankees needs a fourth starter, it will be between Joba Chamberlain and Chad Gaudin. All signs point to them giving the ball to Gaudin, mainly because Chamberlain has looked so good coming out of the bullpen.
The bullpen is a definite strength for this years club. Mariano Rivera is still one of the best closers in the game. Phil Hughes has become the main set up guy to Rivera. Hughes struggled in the ALDS but has had a dominant season since making the move to the bullpen. The addition of Joba Chamberlain has strengthened the already strong bullpen. Since moving to the bullpen during the final week of the season, Chamberlain's fastball velocity has gone from the low 90's to the high 90's once again. Phil Coke and Damaso Marte are the lefties. Alfredo Aceves can be a long man if needed, or also get some key outs. David Robertson looked impressive getting out of a bases loaded no out jam in the 11th innings of Game 2 of the ALDS.
While the Yankees do not have much offensive punch on the bench, they do have a lot of speed. Dont be surprised to see them do a lot of pinch running late in games. Brett Gardner can be the Yankees answer to the Angels Chone Figgins. Outfielder Freddy Guzman is also on the roster strictly for his speed. Jerry Hairston Jr is the utility player. The Yankees continue to carry a third catcher, Francisco Cervelli. Having Cervelli on the roster gives the Yankees more flexibility to pinch run for Jorge Posada late in games if needed.
Angels
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim finished the regular season with the second best record in baseball, behind only the Yankees. This club is managed by one of the best managers in the game, Mike Scioscia. Scioscia joins Girardi and Dodgers manager Joe Torre as former catchers who are now managing their teams in the LCS. The Angels are a well balanced team that uses both power and speed very well. Aside from their talent, the Angels are playing with a little extra motivation. They are playing for teammate Nick Adenhart who lost his life in a tragic car accident earlier this season. The Angels have carried him with them throughout the year and would love nothing more then to win it all, in his honor.
Behind the plate, the Angels use two catchers. Mike Napoli has gotten most of the work, but Jeff Mathis also sees some action. Napoli played a career high number of games this season and hit .272 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI's. Neither catcher is considered to be excellent defensively but they get the job done. Napoli is 1 for 4 in the post season this year.
Kendry Morales took over at first base when Mark Teixeira left the Angels via free agency. I dont think anyone expected the production that he has given this team. Morales led the team in home runs (34) and RBI's (108). He sported a .306 batting average, however his average drops 70 percent on the road. So far this post season, Morales is 2 for 10 with a home run and 3 RBI's. Howie Kendrick starts at 2nd base. Kendrick started off the season very slow and was eventually sent to the minors. Since coming back, he batted .358 in 48 second half games. For the season, he batted .291 with 10 home runs. Kendrick has a career .367 batting average against pitchers currently on the Yankees roster. Erick Aybar is in his first full season as the Angels starting shortstop. Aybar is a pesky switch hitter with speed. He bats in the #9 spot in the lineup, but led the team with a .312 batting average. He is 4 for 11 with 2 RBI's this post season. The Angels third baseman might be the most feared player on their roster. No, he doesnt pose a power threat. Chone Figgins can quickly change a game with his speed. The speedy slap hitting leadoff batter hit .298 this season. The Yankees will need to keep Figgins off the bases to stop them from manufacturing runs.
Two of the three Angels outfielders are former Yankees. Left fielder Juan Rivera is finally fully healthy after missing most of 2007 and 2008. He finished second of the team in home runs (25), while batting somewhere in the middle of the Angels lineup. His batting average in the regular season was .287 and so far in the playoffs he is 3 for 11. The other former Yankee is Bobby Abreu. Abreu now roams right field for the Angels after the Yankees made no attempt to re-sign him last off-season. Abreu has been the perfect fit for the Angels. He has provided stability to the aggressive lineup. The lefty batted .293 with 15 home runs and 103 RBI's. He also stole 30 bases. This postseason Abreu is batting 5 of 9 with an RBI and 4 rusn scored. The center fielder is Torii Hunter. Hunter has been a Yankee killer in the past. His power may have dropped a bit in the second half of the season but Hunter still finished the season batting .299 with 22 home runs and 90 RBI's. The .299 average is a career high. Hunter is still one of the best defensive center fielders in the game.
Mike Scioscia uses his bench a lot. As I mentioned before, you may see infielder Maicer Izturis and catcher Jeff Mathis get a start here and there. Gary Matthews Jr. provides an option off the bench as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement late in games. Matthews was originally the center fielder until the Angels acquired Torii Hunter. Also available off the bench is Reggie Willits.
The Angels have a talented starting rotation. John Lackey is the ace once again and looked sharp in his ALDS win over Boston. That was Lackey's first psotseason win since 2002. The game 2 starter is lefty Joe Saunders. Since returning from a shoulder injury in August, Saunders is 7-0 with a 2.55 ERA. Jered Weaver and Scott Kazmir will follow Lackey and Saunders. Weaver was 16-8 this season with a 3.75 ERA. Kazmir, another lefty, has a career record of 6-5 against the Yankees with a 2.67 ERA.
The Angels biggest question mark is their bullpen. Closer Brian Fuentes does not scare anyone. Its always an adventure when he is in the game. Fuentes blew seven saves this season and finished with a 1-5 record and a 3.93 ERA. Darren Oliver is the main lefty and set up man for the Angels. Kevin Jepsen is the right handed counterpart. Jason Bulger will also see some action out of the bullpen. 5th Starter Ervin Santana will be available as well. As a whole, the Angels bullpen had an ERA of 4.49 this season.
Prediction
I am a Yankee fan and will not be picking against my team here. The Angels are a hot team thats playing excellent ball and riding an emotional train. However, I think the Yankees match up well with them. Both of these teams are balanced and have good starting pitching. I have a feeling Alex Rodriguez stays hot and the Yankees bullpen makes the difference in this series. The cold weather in New York may help the Yankees power pitchers. The Angels will not make it easy however. Yankees in 7 games.