As we sit just minutes from the start of the 2009 NLCS, tomorrow night's opening game of the ALCS features what many people believe are the two best teams in baseball - the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees.
Weather permitting, the series gets underway tomorrow night in New York. C.C. Sabathia takes the mound against Angels righty John Lackey. Game two will pit A.J. Burnett and lefty Joe Saunders. When the series moves west to L.A., Yanks lefty Andy Pettitte will be opposed by Jered Weaver.
On paper this looks like a great match up. The Yankees have been the league's best team all season and the Angels have seemed to have the Bombers' number in recent years. For certain, the Angels are not intimidated by the Yankees. In fact, not much scares this team since they have overcome a tremendous amount of adversity throughout the year.
Still, the Yankees have the edge in almost every category but managerial experience. The Yankees front two starting pitchers are better, though the Angels boast a deeper rotation. The Yankee bullpen has been significantly better and the difference between Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and Angels stopper Brian Fuentes is astronomical. The Angels feature a potent lineup, but the Yankees are even better. Even the Yankees' bench is superior, with Brett Gardner and Jose Molina more useful than Jeff Mathis and Macier Izturis.
To boot, the Yankees start the series at home in front of their raucous home crowd. I wish the series would turn out like it says it should on paper, but I don't see it. The Yankees will pound Lackey and Saunders to take a 2-0 lead to L.A. where they will beat Weaver to go up 3-0. I see the Angels grabbing a game at home before the Yankees finish it off in front of 50,000 people holding thunder sticks and wondering what happened.
Yankees in 5
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Dodgers - Phillies II
For the second straight season, the Dodgers and Phillies will meet in the NLCS. This time around, the Dodgers have the home-field advantage although the two teams remain largely unchanged.
This promises to be solid match up, with this Dodgers team improved from the squad that was eliminated in five games a year ago. Additionally, the Phillies have had a myriad of issues with their bullpen and especially closer Brad Lidge.
Both lineups are potent, with both speed and the ability to hit the ball out of the park. The Dodgers will trot out two lefthanders - Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw - at least four times during the series in an attempt to neutralize the Phillies' lefthanded power. It appears that Kershaw and not Wolf will get the nod tomorrow night, a wise move by manager Joe Torre. Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley is MIA and was left off the NLDS roster. Reports indicate he will be available in relief in this series. Regardless, the Dodgers are not counting on Billingsley to fill a rotation spot. Instead, Hiroki Kuroda will take his place.
I can't see this being a one-sided series like last year. I think the Dodgers will get the early 1-0 lead behind Kershaw tomorrow night and then drop game two heading back to Philly. There, I see the Phils taking two of three and then wrapping things up in Game six in LA.
There's something about the resilience of the Philadelphia Phillies. I firmly believe they are less talented than a year ago, yet more mature and more capable of winning it all. Despite their issues with the bullpen, Charlie Manuel seems to be able to steer the club around them and into the win column. They're going to repeat as NL champs.
Phillies in 6.
This promises to be solid match up, with this Dodgers team improved from the squad that was eliminated in five games a year ago. Additionally, the Phillies have had a myriad of issues with their bullpen and especially closer Brad Lidge.
Both lineups are potent, with both speed and the ability to hit the ball out of the park. The Dodgers will trot out two lefthanders - Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw - at least four times during the series in an attempt to neutralize the Phillies' lefthanded power. It appears that Kershaw and not Wolf will get the nod tomorrow night, a wise move by manager Joe Torre. Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley is MIA and was left off the NLDS roster. Reports indicate he will be available in relief in this series. Regardless, the Dodgers are not counting on Billingsley to fill a rotation spot. Instead, Hiroki Kuroda will take his place.
I can't see this being a one-sided series like last year. I think the Dodgers will get the early 1-0 lead behind Kershaw tomorrow night and then drop game two heading back to Philly. There, I see the Phils taking two of three and then wrapping things up in Game six in LA.
There's something about the resilience of the Philadelphia Phillies. I firmly believe they are less talented than a year ago, yet more mature and more capable of winning it all. Despite their issues with the bullpen, Charlie Manuel seems to be able to steer the club around them and into the win column. They're going to repeat as NL champs.
Phillies in 6.
Monday, October 12, 2009
On to the second round
After Brad Lidge struck out Troy Tulowitzki Monday night, the first round of the MLB postseason came to a close. The four higher-seeded teams all prevailed and in remarkably easy fashion. Fans can only hope the LCS match-ups provide a bit more drama then the first round did.
The next round starts Thursday night when the Phillies and Cole Hamels head to LA to take on the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw. The NLCS is a rematch from last year in which the Phillies won in five games. Each team remains largely unchanged, with the biggest difference being the ineffectiveness of Brad Lidge this year compared to his stellar 2008. On paper, it appears to be an excellent match up, but it did a year ago as well and turned out to be disappointing.
In the American League, the Yankees and Angels have cruised through their first opponents on a collision course for each other. In the last ten years, no team has given the Yankees more problems than the Angels. Still, that was before the Yanks added C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira. This looks like a fantastic pairing of two nearly-equal teams. It's going to come down to starting pitching, as it always does this time of year. Game one is Friday night in the Bronx.
The next round starts Thursday night when the Phillies and Cole Hamels head to LA to take on the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw. The NLCS is a rematch from last year in which the Phillies won in five games. Each team remains largely unchanged, with the biggest difference being the ineffectiveness of Brad Lidge this year compared to his stellar 2008. On paper, it appears to be an excellent match up, but it did a year ago as well and turned out to be disappointing.
In the American League, the Yankees and Angels have cruised through their first opponents on a collision course for each other. In the last ten years, no team has given the Yankees more problems than the Angels. Still, that was before the Yanks added C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira. This looks like a fantastic pairing of two nearly-equal teams. It's going to come down to starting pitching, as it always does this time of year. Game one is Friday night in the Bronx.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)