Yankees Flail and Fail to Decisive Game

Phil Hughes did everything the Yankees asked of him, Joe Girardi moved Alex Rodriguez down in the lineup, the bullpen was solid, and the Yankees still lost. The 13 inning, 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles forced a fifth and decisive game Friday afternoon. CC Sabathia and Jason Hammel will face off just as they did in Game 1 when the Yankees used a 5-run 9th inning to win 7-2.

Thursday night, however, the Yankees lineup couldn't take of any opportunities presented to it. The O's fared no better until Manny Machado doubled off David Phelps and scored the game winner when J.J. Hardy doubled to left-center.

The Yankees best opportunity came in the 8th inning when Ichiro Suzuki and Mark Teixeira opened the inning with back to back singles. Robinson Cano could only manage a weak grounder that basically worked like a bunt. As I have said before, no matter where you are in the field the ball will find you and no matter where you are in the order you'll bat in a big situation.

Sure enough A-Rod stepped to the plate with runners on second and third with one out. Buck Showalter quickly went to submariner/side-armer/over-the-top Darren O'Day, who has baffled the Yankees all series. Joe Girardi decided not to go to a pinch-hitter, figuring that Raul Ibanez or Eric Chavez would be intentionally walked  The boo birds were flying once again when O'Day struck out A-Rod and Nick Swisher meekly flied out to right.

Hughes looked to be in trouble when he walked the game's lead off man Nick McLouth and Hardy reached first on a bunt. But in just his fourth post-season start, Hughes worked his way out of it with three fly outs. He struck out nine through 6.2 innings and allowed just four hits, with the lone run coming on a McLouth solo home run.

The Yankees struggled against lefty Joe Saunders, with their only run coming in the 6th when Derek Jeter doubled and eventually scored on a Cano ground out.

Notes

Joba Chamberlain had off-season Tommy John surgery, then wrecked his ankle in a trampoline accident. Last night, bad luck struck again when Matt Wieters broken bat nailed Chamberlain in his right elbow. He threw a few warm up pitches, but the elbow began to swell and Girardi went to the pen. His status for Game 5 is up in the air.

Ibanez did hit for Rodriguez in extra innings, but Rodriguez wasn't okay with the move this time aroundl, mainly because everyone else had struggled and not been pulled.

Girardi's Greatest Loss

Baseball games are won and lost, and when it comes right down to it, don't mean all that much in life. Especially when you've lost a loved one.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi has a delicate balancing act to deal with after the passing of his father Jerry this past Saturday. Girardi notified the media this afternoon that his Dad had lost a long the battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

Girardi was extremely close to his Dad and visited him as often as possible, especially after his diagnosis more than a decade ago. While the decision to manage the playoffs was a tough one, Girardi knew what his Dad would want him to do -"to finish the job at hand."¹ Girardi has been part of championship teams that had the manager or players go through similar odysseys.

Joe Torre learned of the passing of his brother Rocco in 1996 while managing a doubleheader in Cleveland. The Yankees captured their first World Series title in 18 years that Fall, while another of Torre's brothers, Frank, underwent a heart transplant.

The 1999 championship team saw Luis Sojo, Scott Brosius, and Paul O'Neill all lose their fathers during the season, with O'Neill's Dad passing away during the World Series.

Playing the game is usually what an athlete will choose to do in times of crisis, much as the average person's use their job as a distraction from tough times.

My condolences go out to Joe, his Kim, and three children, as well as the entire Girardi family.

To find out how you can help support research into Alzheimer's Disease, go to alz.org.

1- Quote from ESPN.com

Yankees Bats Die In ALDS Finale

Detroit 3 Yankees 2

More tomorrow.

Nova Ready To Shine?

I had faith, albeit blind faith, in A.J. Burnett going into Tuesday's make or break Game 4 of the ALDS. Down two games to one, Burnett delivered and Curtis Granderson played the role of superhero with a very good catch and an amazing catch in the Yankees 10-1 thrashing of the Detroit Tigers.

So now the teams are back in New York tonight for the fifth an deciding game. Remarkably, the game is at 8:05 instead of the usual 8:37. It's a rematch of the Game 1 relievers Ivan Nova and Doug Fister. Of course, both pitchers were supposed to start Game 2 last Saturday, but instead had to pick up Game 1 after rain suspended play on Friday.

Nova was outstanding - he pitched into the 9th inning - and is brimming with confidence at the moment. Fister was outstanding down the stretch for the Tigers and finished with a 2.83 ERA. But in Game 2 he pitched with runners on base in all but one one of his 4+ innings of relief. He left in the 6th inning, down 4-1 and with the bases full of Yankees. His line got worse moments later when Al Alburquerque gave up a grand slam to Robinson Cano that broke the Tigers' backs.

Nova started his work in the 3rd inning and retired the six men he faced before he ran into trouble in the 6th. He got a break though when third base Gene Lamont waved home Alex Avila from second base on a Jhonny Peralta single to center. Granderson relayed to Derek Jeter, who fired home to Russell Martin to nail Avila.

Nova walked Austin Jackson to start the 6th, but got Magglio Ordonez to hit in a double play. He allowed just a single base runner over the next two innings before he tired in the 9th and was charged with some inherited runs allowed by Luis Ayala.

Detroit manager Jim Leyland said he will not use Game 1 and 3 starter Justin Verlander in relief tonight. Verlander said he would try to sneak down to the pen and talk Leyland into using him. Joe Girardi, on the other hand, said that he will use CC Sabathia if needed. As the cliche goes, "all hands on deck". Or in this case, in the batter's box.

Will the little glimpses of life that Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher showed in Game 4 carry over to tonight? Teixeira will be back batting from the the left side, where his OPS is far less than when he's facing a left-handed pitcher. Tex seems to be having trouble picking up breaking pitches from right-handers and the overshift teams deploy against him has not helped him. He's hit some pitches the opposite way over the last couple of games, which is good sign, even if means a single or double rather than a home run.

The Yankees first baseman isn't the only who hasn't done a lot of damage in the series. Tigers' first baseman Miguel Cabrera had a big 2-run home run in Game 2, but has gone just 3-12 overall. Victor Martinez homered off of A.J. Burnett in Game 4, but is just 3-14. In fact, the leading hitters on the Tigers are players you wouldn't expect to be at the top of the list- Brandon Inge, Don Kelly, and Ryan Rayburn.

I feel just as I did before the series started; that either team could win it. And I stand by my original prediction of the Yankees winning the series in five games. I believe tonight will come down to a battle of the bullpens in the late innings...and anything goes.

Hopefully, it goes the Yankees' way.

Baseball Digest | Beltre Powers Texas Back To ALCS

Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre was just 1-11 entering Tuesday afternoon’s ALDS Game 4 match with the Tampa Bay Rays, but by the time the game was over, Beltre had put his name alongside the likes of Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson. Beltre became the sixth Major Leaguer to hit three home runs in a single playoff game to propel the Rangers to a 4-3 victory and a second consecutive trip to the ALCS.

The Rangers other run was their first run, a lead off home run by Ian Kinsler off of Jeremy Hellickson in the bottom of the 1st inning. One frame later, Beltre crushed one deep into the left field seats for a 2-0 Rangers lead. The Rays got the run right back in their half of the 2nd inning when Matt Joyce doubled off Texas starter Matt Harrison to score Sean Rodriguez from first base. Joyce was stranded in scoring position though when Harrison struck out Desmond Jennings for his third K of the inning. (Harrison would strike out nine batters in just five innings and earned the win.)

Read the rest of this free story at BaseballDigest.com.

Young Homer Puts Season On Arm Of A.J.

First cliche of the day - the Yankees have their backs to the wall. That's because Monday night, the Detroit Tigers' Delmon Young snapped a 4-4 tie in the 7th inning with an opposite field home run to give the Tigers a 5-4 victory. For the second straight night the Yankees rallied against Jose Valverde in the 9th inning, but came up short. So what do we know going into tonight's Game 4.

A. The game rests on the arm of A.J. Burnett. He can a hero or a zero. He came up with a huge game in the 2009 playoffs and he'll need to again tonight to send the series back to New York.

B. CC Sabathia was affected more from Friday's rain out than Justin Verlander. While Verlander wasn't sharp early, he dominated in the middle innings. Sabathia was off from the start. As good as he looked in the first two innings on Friday, that's how bad he was last night. Which plays in the next item...

C. Home plate umpire Jerry Davis was horrendous. His strike zone favored Verlander. Whether this was a case of seeing pitches from a lefty or righty differently or home field umpiring, Davis squeezed Sabathia and stretched the zone for Verlander. The proof is in the pudding via Brooks Baseball. Check out the pitch FX from the game.

D. Rafael Soriano was public enemy number one in New York at the start of the season. But after returning from the DL he pitched lights out baseball. That was until he surrendered Young's home run last night. Back to New York's Not Most Wanted list.

E. The Yankees big guns look more like water pistols. Mark Teixeira (1-11), Alex Rodriguez (0-10), Robinson Cano after Game 1 (1-8), Nick Swisher (2-12)

F. If indeed this is Jorge Posada's last hurrah, he's going out on top as an individual. The much maligned DH has been the most consistent Yankee through the first three games, going 4-8 with four walks (.667 OBP). Yes, he made a bad base running mistake in Game 1, what else is new, but he's shown that he should be moved up in the lineup for the remaining games.

G. Joe Girardi has done a horrible job of managing the series. He seems to be managing to not make a mistake, but he's made a bunch. Some examples - Bring in Luis Ayala in for the second straight day in Game 2. The Yankees were down 4-1 and could not afford to fall any further behind. But instead of bringing in one of his shut down relievers, he brought Ayala, who became less trustworthy as the season went on and had done a terrible job in Game 1. Sure enough the Tigers scored what proved to be a huge insurance run in the 5-3 win.

Girardi also left Sabathia in too long last night; clearly you don't want to go to the pen too early, but the left-hander's goose was cooked in the 5th inning. Yet Girardi sent Sabathia back out for the 6th and didn't pull him until he had given up another run.

Girardi made a smart move by flip flopping Cano and Teixeira in the lineup prior to the start of the series, but he's made no adjustments to the lineup to ride the hot hands.

H. Derek Jeter is overmatched against hard throwers. Though he has four hits in the series, Jeter has looked horrible against the power pitching of Max Scherzer, Jose Valverde, and at times, Verlander.

I. The Yankees are in big trouble.

Baseball Digest | For Napoli, The Price Was Right

The pitcher is tall and lean, fluid and precise; a baseball magazine cover boy. The batter is average looking, the guy next door changing the oil in his driveway. But the batter can mash and today he did. Mike Napoli’s 2-run home run off of David Price in the 7th inning gave the Texas Rangers their first lead of the day en route to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The victory also gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead in the best of five series.

Price had scattered five hits and a walk through six innings before Adrian Beltre led off the top of the 7th with a single. After a wild pitch moved Beltre into scoring position, Price threw a 2-2 fastball right into Napoli’s wheelhouse and the catcher turned on it and sent it into the left field seats. The Rangers grabbed the momentum by the horns and used their speed to gain another two runs. After Craig Gentry’s two out single knocked Price from the ball game, Brandon Gomes walked Ian Kinsler and the two base runners pulled off a double steal.

When Gomes walked shortstop Elvis Andrus as well, Rays’ manager Joe Maddon brought in left-hander J.P. Howell to face the left-handed hitting Josh Hamilton. But the career .278 hitter against southpaws came through with a line drive single to right to plate two more for a 4-1 Rangers’ lead.

Read the rest of this free story at BaseballDigest.com

Cano and Yankees Have A Blast

I had to admit I was more tense before the continuation of Game 1 than I was before the actual start. Even though Justin Verlander had started for Detroit, the Yankees had answered with CC Sabathia. Then, as you know, the rains came and 23 hours and 29 minutes later play resumed.

It actually looked tenuous for a while - it was pouring a little less than two hours before game time. But once things got underway the weather was cold and damp, but dry. There was some heat though, in the bat of Robinson Cano. He nearly homered in the 5th, but settled for an RBI double. Then with the Yankees leading 4-1 on a Brett Gardner 2-run single earlier in the 6yh, Cano came to bat with the bases loaded.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland Doug Fister, whom the Yankees had waited out, and went to strike out pitcher Al Alburquerque. Leyland had lefty Phil Coke ready in the pen, but figured with Cano's prowess aginst lefties, his right-hander had a better shot at retiring Cano. Boy was he wrong.

This time Cano hit a no doubt about it blast into the second deck in right, through the team of the wind for a game breaking 8-1 lead. Cano wasn't done though, he'd had an RBI double to deep center in the 8th to make a 9-1 game and a team record tying 6 RBI.

Cano wasn't the only one dealing with a hot hand, starter turned reliever in this case, Ivan Nova shut down the Tigers for the most part. He ran into trouble when he put two aboard with one out in the 6th, but Alex Avila got a bad jump off of second base on Jhonny Peralta's base hit and was thrown out at home on a relay from Curtis Granderson to Derek Jeter to Russell Maritn.

He would pitch into the 9th, when he loaded the bases and left to a standing ovation. Detroit put a brief scare into the Yankees when they scored a pair of (inherited) runs off of Luis Ayala, forcing Joe Girardi to call on Mariano Rivera. The Yankees' closer made easy work of it with a three pitch strikeout of Wilson Betemit.

Girardi Sets His Lineup And His Starter

The great national crisis is over...Joe Girardi has chosen his ALDS Game 3 starter and it is...Freddy Garcia. The 13 year veteran surprised everyone with a 3.62 and 12 wins in 25 starts, 17 of which were quality starts.

The move also confirmed that CC Sabathia would work on three days rest of pitch a Game 4 and Ivan Nova would go in a Game 5 against Justin Verlander if all came down to one game.

Girardi has also set his lineup with four right-handed starters going for Detroit. Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira have been flip-flopped between the three and five spots and Jorge Posada has been given the DH spot.

AL Playoff Rotations Forming

The Yankees' Joe Girardi knows he has CC Sabathia to start Game 1 of the ALDS against either the Detroit Tigers or Texas Rangers (or by some miracle the Los Angeles Angels) and Ivan Nova to go in either Game 2 or 3. But the rest is up in the air.

Perhaps Freddy Garcia solidified a spot on Saturday afternoon with six shutout innings in a win against the struggling Boston Red Sox. So who starts Game 4? Bartolo Colon? A.J. Burnett? CC Sabathia on 3 days rest?

Colon has allowed five or more earned runs in four of his last seven starts. He's been particularly bad in his last two starts; he allowed six earned runs in four innings against Tampa Bay (after eight days off) and followed that up with a seven run (five earned) outburst in three innings against Toronto.

Burnett's been miserable the entire second half with a couple of sprinkles of decent thrown in. In a word: non-trustworthy.

So that means CC Sabathia on three days rest for Game 4; something the big guy hasn't had a problem with in the past. There's no question that Sabathia hasn't been as sharp in the second half as was in the first. Some blame coming back from not one, but two rain delays in the same game, while others point to the use of a six man rotation. Whatever the reason, the Yankees will need Sabathia to be on top of his game if they are to make any kind of a run this post-season. Which means he'll likely be the Game 4 starter with Nova, on regular rest, starting the "if necessary" Game 5.


Detroit's Jim Leyland has made it easy. He has steadfastly said that his ace and the sure winner of the AL Cy Young, Justin Verlander, will not be brought back on three days rest. That means Verlander in Games 1 and 5, Doug Fister in Game 2, Max Scherzer in Game 3, and Rick Porcello in Game 4.


The Texas Rangers will use C.J. Wilson to start things off, but then Ron Washington has some decisions to make. It's likely he'll call on left-handers in the first three games with Derek Holland and Matt Harrison pitching Games 2 and 3 (possibly in the reverse order). If Washington doesn't want to go with Wilson on three day's rest, he'll choose from right-handers Colby Lewis and Alexi Ogando. Lewis is the likely choice with the way Ogando has struggled in the second half. Washington could also mix things up by starting Lewis in Game 2 since his numbers are much better on the road than at home. Ogando, meanwhile, will move to the pen where he was outstanding in 2010.


If Boston holds on to the wild card, they are two games ahead of Tampa Bay after Saturday's play, Josh Beckett goes in Games 1 and 5, followed by Jon Lester. John Lackey is likely to be the number three starter with Erik Bedard in Game 4. Tim Wakefield will step in if any of the starters have a physical issue.

Terry Francona has to be worried about the normally reliable Lester, who is 0-3 in his last three starts with 18 earned runs allowed in just 13.2 innings pitched. In years past Beckett would have gone on three days rest in Game 4, but with his back issues that is not a scenario Boston can/should use.

The Outsiders

If Tampa Bay does ease Boston out of the final spot, David Price, James Shields, and Jeremy Hellickson are likely to get the five starts. It all depends, of course, on if the final playoff spot comes down to the final day. If Tampa Bay needs a fourth starter, they'll go to Jeff Niemann. If Niemann's back isn't healthy, than Wade Davis will get the nod.

The easiest thing for any team do is just go out and win three straight and then we don't have to all worry about who is pitching when.

Yankees Smack The Twins With A Broom...Again

For the second straight post-season, the New York Yankees have swept the Minnesota Twins in the American League Division Series.

While the first two games were loaded with drama, the clincher seemed to be in the bag from the start. Phil Hughes was dominant; his fastball blew past hitters, his curveball broke off nastily, and his occasional change up did it's work. All told it was seven innings of shutout baseball for Hughes in his first post-season start. Hughes allowed just four hits, walked one, and struck out six.

Hughes' counterpart, left-hander Brian Duensing wasn't so lucky. Also making his first post-season start, Duensing departed in the 4th with a 5-0 deficit.

The Yankees MVP was in the middle of things as usual and got things started in the 2nd inning. Robinson Cano drilled a triple to center field and came home with the game's first run on a Jorge Posada single. One inning later Nick Swisher doubled to center and scored on Mark Teixeira's frozen rope single to left.

The Yankees delivered the knockout punch in the 4th. It was Cano again starting things off with a single. Then Marcus Thames pounded a sinker into the bleachers in right-center field for a 4-0 lead. Duensing retired Posada, but was sent to the showers when Curtis Granderson walked. The final run of the inning would be added to Duensing record when Granderson stole second base and moved to third on Joe Mauer's throwing error. Brett Gardner brought his outfield partner to the plate with a sac fly to left off Matt Guerrier.

Hughes, meanwhile, was cruising. He retired the first nine hitters of the game and faced the minimum number of batters through four innings. The Twins put two aboard with one out in the 5th, but Hughes struck out Michael Cuddyer and got rookie Danny Valencia to fly out. An inning later Orlando Hudson and Mauer stroked back to back two out singles, but Hughes blew away Jason Kubel for the third out.

Hudson would finally get Minnesota on the board in the 8th with an RBI single off a shaky Kerry Wood, but the Twins left the bases loaded. Boone Logan came on to get Kubel on a pop up and David Robertson retired Delmon Young on an inning ending fly ball. Then it was down to Mariano Rivera who, though it was not a save situation, retired the Twins in order with relative ease.

The Yankees now will wait to play until Friday when the ALCS starts in either Tampa Bay or Texas. The Rays avoid a sweep this afternoon by defeating the Rangers 6-3.

For the Twins, different year, same old story.

Vintage Pettitte Gives Yankees 2-0 Edge

Andy Pettitte was concerned about his back and a lack of sharpness in his last two regular season outings. But his performance tonight against the Minnesota Twins should alleviate any of those fears. Pettitte gave up a 2nd inning run, but shut down the Twins the rest of the way as the Yankees won 5-2 for a commanding 2-0 ALDS series lead.

With the game tied 2-2 in the 7th, the Yankees took control against former teammate, if you can really call him that, Carl Pavano, but not before a bit of controversy. Lance Berkman got an extra chance to hit after an apparent called third strike was ruled a ball by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected from the game and the former Astro took advantage of the situation, drilling an ankle high pitch to deep center for a go ahead RBI double. The Yankees added an insurance run later in the inning when Derek Jeter's liner dropped in front of a diving Jason Kubel for a 4-2 lead.

The Twins had a chance to break the game open early when they loaded the bases in the 2nd inning on singles by Delmon Young and Jim Thome and a one out walk to Kubel. Danny Valencia gave the Twins a 1-0 lead with a sac fly, but Pettitte got out of further trouble when J.J. Hardy lined out to Robinson Cano.

Alex Rodriguez tied the game with a sac fly in the 4th, but Pavano got out of his own jam by inducing an inning ending double play from Nick Swisher.

Berkman drilled a 423-ft home run in the 5th inning for a 2-1 Yankees lead, but the Twins tied it back up in the 6th on Orlando Hudson's round tripper.

Kerry Wood and Mariano Rivera recorded the final six outs in a row to put the Twins' backs up against the wall for Game 3 in New York on Saturday.

Twins Got A Loss Before They Started

Pitching is the key to winning in the playoffs - just look at the 2009 New York Yankees for a surefire example - but in this year's Yankees-Minnesota Twins division series it is the loss of an offensive player that could sway the series heavily in the Yankees' favor.

Twins 1st baseman Justin Morneau is one of the best hitters in baseball; a perennial 30-HR, 100-RBI guy who hits .300 to boot.

But there will be no Morneau in the ALDS or beyond. Morneau missed the remainder of the season after suffering a concussion July 7. At the time he was hitting .345 with 18 HR and 56 RBI in 80 games. The Twins hoped Morneau could be back at some point in the post-season, but that was ruled out as well after concussion symptoms returned this past Saturday.

The loss is devastating to a lineup which scratches out runs and is not laden with big boppers. Though they finished sixth in the major leagues in runs scored, the Twins rely heavily on the M duo of Morneau and Joe Mauer (I refuse to call them the M&M boys, there was only one set of them). The latter has also been banged up and returned to his pre-2009 power (when he banged out 28 dingers) of just 9 home runs.

Morneau's absence for the second straight post-season, he missed last year with a bad back, will certainly put more pressure on a Twins starting rotation that was not a model of consistency this year. Other than Francisco Liriano, who re-established his ace stuff, most of the remainder of the staff did not perform up to their usual ability and fell short of expectations.

The Twins will most certainly rely on small ball and their running ability to score runs against the Yankees. Teams have stolen with ease this year against the Yankees rotation and catching duo of Jorge Posada and Francisco Cervelli and the Twins should continue that trend. Delmon Young (.826 OPS 21 HR 112 RBI) could be an 'X' factor in the series after finally living up to the hype surrounding him while in Tampa Bay and Minnesota.

The Twins lost Joe Nathan to Tommy John surgery during spring training, but 6'11" Jon Rauch filled those big shoes as a steady closer. When he faltered, GM Bill Smith went out and got closer Matt Capps from the Washington Nationals to deepen the pen.

Finally, reading is fundamental and so are the Twins. The organization is the best at teaching the basics and no one has utilized those lessons in the majors better than old manager Tom Kelly and current skipper Ron Gardenhire.

Position Comparison

1B Mark Teixeira > Michael Cuddyer
Cuddyer was in RF until Morneau's injury; his production dropped off substantially from last year (32 HR - 14 HR .862 - .753 OPS). Teixeira struggled all season until Kevin Long straightened him out and he went on a second half tear. Though he slowed in September due to thumb and foot injuries, he still finished with an .846 OPS and 33 HR, 102 RBI.

2B Robinson Cano > Orlando Hudson
Cano should either win the AL MVP award or finish second to Texas' Josh Hamilton. He had 200 hits for the second straight season and posted career highs in HR (29), RBI (104) and OPS (.914). He also played gold glove 2nd base. Orlando Hudson is a solid defender, but doesn't have much of a stick.

SS Derek Jeter > J.J. Hardy
Jeter had the worst offensive seasons of his career, but still managed to score 111 runs and was solid defensively, with a career low six errors. He started to come on in September after working with Long, finishing with 25 hits in his last 72 at-bats (.347). Hardy has been a disappointment after breaking out in 2007-2008 while with Milwaukee. He was limited to 101 games by injury and posted just a .714 OPS.

3B Alex Rodriguez > Danny Valencia
A-Rod put up another 30-HR 100-RBI year despite playing in just 125 games (123 RBI). He was also solid defensively. Valencia is developing into a nice player- his rookie campaign consisted of a .799 OPS, .311 AVG, 7 HR, 40 RBI in 85 games.

LF Delmon Young > Brett Gardner
The two are on par defensively, but Young's offense had a much greater impact on his team's lineup, especially when Morneau went down. Young posted career highs in virtually every offensive category. Gardner's speed can be a difference maker, but he must be more aggressive on the bases.

CF Curtis Granderson > Denard Span
Granderson was having a miserable season until Long once again worked his magic in mid-August. The result was a much more productive and powerful Granderson. Span had a horribly disappointing season after hitting .311 in 2009. This year he posted a sub-.700 OPS.

RF Nick Swisher > Jason Kubel
It's not by a lot, but Swisher wins out. He was a secondary MVP to Cano on the Yankees for much of the season. Kubel has good power, is a clutch hitter, but is better at DH.

C Joe Mauer > Jorge Posada + Francisco Cervelli
Mauer's power may be down, but the hits keep on coming. The health of his left knee could play a factor, but just like Jeter, he'll downplay it. Posada and Cervelli have had mediocre years on both sides of the ball.

DH Marcus Thames/Lance Berkman - Jim Thome
It's a toss up. Thames has been hammering righties and lefties. Berkman has hit better from the left side since a DL stint in September. Thome is still mashing the long ball, though Gardenhire might use someone else against lefties Sabathia and Pettitte.

Yankees Starting Rotation > Twins Starting Rotation
CC Sabathia should win the Cy Young. Andy Pettitte is a rock if healthy and Phil Hughes had a breakout year with 18 wins. Liriano has ace stuff and has backed it up. Carl Pavano has been a revelation. But the Twins have to be worried about a game 4 match up of Sabathia vs. Nick Blackburn.

Yankees Bench > Twins Bench
Yankees have more pop potential when called upon.

Yankees Bullpen - Mariano Rivera, Kerry Wood & Company a little > Twins Bullpen Matt Capps, Jon Rauch & Company
Rivera's post-season work speaks for itself and Wood has put up amazing numbers since joining the Yankees.

Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire > Yankees Manager Joe Girardi
Girardi has the World Series ring, but Gardenhire is the better in game manager. But he still hasn't figured out how to beat the Yankees, especially in New York.

Prediction: Yankees in Five.

Tigers, Twins - Pick Your Poison

While the Yankees get their regulars some rest this week, they'll also be keeping an eye on the Detroit Tigers-Minnesota Twins series that could determine the AL Central winner and the Yankees first round opponent in this year's post-season.

The Tigers entered the four game series with a two game lead. After a rain out on Monday, the two teams are meeting in a day-night doubleheader today, followed by single games on Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.

While the Twins have been red hot down the stretch, they are still the team the Yankees should want to play in the division series. And the reasons are pretty obvious.

1. The Yankees have dominated the Twins in recent years, including this season, winning all seven games between the two teams.

2. The Twins have no clear cut ace. While they have solid, dependable pitchers, none of them stands out as does the Tigers' Justin Verlander does.

3. The Twins have likely MVP Joe Mauer in their lineup as well as the hot hitting Michael Cuddyer. But there will be no Justin Morneau. Though the Twins scored more runs than the Tigers during the season, the Tigers have a more threatening lineup.

4. While Tigers' closer Fernando Rodney has converted 35 of 36 save opportunities, he's not an intimidating presence. The same can be said for Twins' closer Joe Nathan, whom the Yankees have had success against in previous post-seasons.

5. Some people are concerned about the Twins running game, but Minnesota had only 83 stolen bases entering today's play (the Tigers have 72). Really nothing to worry about.

So there you have it, the main reasons the Yankees should want to play the Twins. The top reason is the top reason for a reason. Okay, that sentence made me dizzy. The bottom line is that the Yankees beat up on the Twins and should want to play them over Detroit.

But what do you think? Take the new poll and let me know.

The Hunt for Pinstriped October

It's never too soon to start figuring out the Yankees roster for the AL Division Series. Of course 90% is set in stone, health permitting, with just a handful of question marks.

First a look at the most obvious:

Catchers

Jorge Posada

Infield

Around the Horn - Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez

Outfield

From left to right - Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, Nick Swisher

DH

Hideki Matsui

Bench

Brett Gardner, Jose Molina, Eric Hinske

Starting Pitchers

CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte

Bullpen

Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, Damaso Marte, Al Aceves


And...

So this is where the questions begin. We've sewn up 20 spots, which leaves five more to be determined.

For the bench, Jerry Hairston Jr. is a given IF he is healthy. And that's a major question after he heard something pop in his wrist yesterday out in Anaheim. If Hairston can't go, that means the much less experienced Ramiro Pena would be the backup infielder.

The Yankees are probably set in the outfield. Gardner will most likely get some starts in the playoffs and hopefully Hinske will never see the field, but be used strictly as a pinch-hitter with pop off the bench. Michael Kay keeps trying to sell us on Joe Girardi taking the speedy Freddy Guzman to be this year's Herb Washington. And we all know how that worked out.

The starting rotation is set for the division series. Beyond that, the Yankees will need a fourth starter if they advance to the ALCS, and subsequently, to the World Series. It's hard to imagine Joba Chamberlain being that guy right now. He's a mess, both pitching-wise and psychologically. Right now, a game four could go to Chad Gaudin. (At this point, Sergio Mitre should not be any part of the mix.)

The bullpen should include Chamberlain if he is not going to start. There's no reason why he couldn't face a couple of batters here or there late in the game. At this point, we would kick Brian Bruney to the curb, and we hope David Robertson will be ready to go. However, if his sore shoulder doesn't allow him to pitch much in the final 10 games, then we would skip him as well.

So, who do I go with for those last five spots?

Hairston, Pena, Chamberlain, Gaudin, Robertson. If Hairston can't go, then Guzman probably is a go. If no Robertson, then I would actually take Jonathan Albaladejo over Bruney.

The Pennant Race - 10/2

Three of the four playoff series got underway yesterday, with some good games right off the bat.

Cole as Ice

It may have only been his second career playoff game, but Cole Hamels looked like Whitey Ford yesterday for the Phillies. Hamels limited the Brewers to just two runs over eight innings as the Phillies beat Milwaukee, 3-1.

Brad Lidge may have been 41-41 in save situations this season, but we still don't trust him in big spots. His performance yesterday did nothing to change that. Lidge struck out the side, but not before allowing a run on two hits and a walk.

Game 2 is tonight with CC Sabathia facing off against Brett Myers.


Loney Slams Cubs

It's a managerial match up of ex-Yankees managers. Joe Torre in his first year with the Dodgers and Lou Piniella in his second season with the Cubs. The Cubs sent 17-game winner Ryan Dempster to the mound in game one and things looked good as Chicago led 1-0 through four innings.

But James Loney, who was 3-4 in his only other playoff experience, hit his first career playoff grand slam to give the Dodgers the lead for good. Manny Ramirez added a solo shot for good measure, as did Russell Martin.

Dempster struggled with his control, walking seven Dodgers, while Dodgers starter Derek Lowe allowed two runs in six innings of work for the win. The series continues tonight at Wrigley with Chad Billingsley facing Carlos Zambrano.


Manny Who?

Everyone knows Jason Bay is very talented, but when you're in a deal for Manny Ramirez, you don't get a lot of attention. That may change after last night, when Bay's 2-run home run put the Red Sox ahead and catapulted them to a 4-1 win.

The Angels had taken a 1-0 lead in the third inning against Boston starter Jon Lester, but Bay made his first playoff appearance a memorable one, hitting a John Lackey pitch over the left field wall.

Lester breezed through seven and the Red Sox gave Jon Papelbon room to work with, scoring a pair of runs off of Scot Shields in the ninth. The series continues on Friday night with Dice-K facing Ervin Santana.

The Pennant Race - 10/2

Three of the four playoff series got underway yesterday, with some good games right off the bat.

Cole as Ice

It may have only been his second career playoff game, but Cole Hamels looked like Whitey Ford yesterday for the Phillies. Hamels limited the Brewers to just two runs over eight innings as the Phillies beat Milwaukee, 3-1.

Brad Lidge may have been 41-41 in save situations this season, but we still don't trust him in big spots. His performance yesterday did nothing to change that. Lidge struck out the side, but not before allowing a run on two hits and a walk.

Game 2 is tonight with CC Sabathia facing off against Brett Myers.


Loney Slams Cubs

It's a managerial match up of ex-Yankees managers. Joe Torre in his first year with the Dodgers and Lou Piniella in his second season with the Cubs. The Cubs sent 17-game winner Ryan Dempster to the mound in game one and things looked good as Chicago led 1-0 through four innings.

But James Loney, who was 3-4 in his only other playoff experience, hit his first career playoff grand slam to give the Dodgers the lead for good. Manny Ramirez added a solo shot for good measure, as did Russell Martin.

Dempster struggled with his control, walking seven Dodgers, while Dodgers starter Derek Lowe allowed two runs in six innings of work for the win. The series continues tonight at Wrigley with Chad Billingsley facing Carlos Zambrano.


Manny Who?

Everyone knows Jason Bay is very talented, but when you're in a deal for Manny Ramirez, you don't get a lot of attention. That may change after last night, when Bay's 2-run home run put the Red Sox ahead and catapulted them to a 4-1 win.

The Angels had taken a 1-0 lead in the third inning against Boston starter Jon Lester, but Bay made his first playoff appearance a memorable one, hitting a John Lackey pitch over the left field wall.

Lester breezed through seven and the Red Sox gave Jon Papelbon room to work with, scoring a pair of runs off of Scot Shields in the ninth. The series continues on Friday night with Dice-K facing Ervin Santana.

Battle of the Windy City

It would be the Civil War, Illinois style (maybe they'll make one of these neat replica chess sets). As we see it, the World Series won't be leaving the Windy City this year as the Cubs and White Sox will meet in the championship.

What better way for the Cubs to end their miserable streak of losing then to beat their hated crosstown rivals?

Here's our round by round break down.


ALDS

Red Sox vs. Angels - Wow this is tough. The defending champs are banged up. Josh Beckett may not be able to go. At the very least he won't start until game three. Mike Lowell (hip) and J.D. Drew (back) are also having lingering issues.

The Angels have had trouble beating the Red Sox in the past, but this year they should be able to handle them. Which is why we are picking the Red Sox in 5. Yes, you read that correctly. The Angels clinched the AL West very early, and their starting pitching hasn't looked so terrific the last month of the season. Being that we hate the Red Sox, we hope we're wrong, but we think Dice-K and Jon Lester make the difference in this one.
Red Sox in 5.

White Sox vs. Rays - The Rays are in their very first post-season while their opponent won the World Series just three years ago, and much of that team is still intact. We think the Rays starting pitching and bullpen will take on water in some of the cracks we've started to see. Dan Wheeler and company just are not that great, and Troy Percival is banged up.

Scott Kazmir is great, but isn't always on. Garza and Shields are good, but hittable. Sonnanstine and Jackson? Nah.

Mark Buerhle, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks should be the difference here, as well as the White Sox set up men to Bobby Jenks. The Sox also have a lot of momentum coming off of Monday's huge win and last night's one game playoff with the Twins.
White Sox in 4


NLDS

Brewers vs. Phillies - Unfortunately for Milwaukee, CC Sabathia cannot go every day. He is slated to come back on three days rest again for game two and is also scheduled for game 5. We don't see this going that long though.

The Phillies have tremendous hitting, good starting pitching, and a solid pen. They also have the experience of last year's playoff failure to build off of. The Brewers haven't been in the post-season since they won the World Series in 1982.
Phillies in 4

Dodgers vs. Cubs - We're sure Manny will have a huge series and Joe Torre will be the talk of the town...for a bit. We expect another first round exit by Torre, though it will be no fault of his own. The Cubs are just a better, deeper ball club than the Dodgers.

Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden are the keys to the series. Their health and ability to pitch. And Ted Lilly is on a roll.
Cubs in 5


ALCS

Red Sox vs. White Sox - Sox it to me. Should be a well pitched game, but the number games will take its toll on the banged up Red Sox.
White Sox in 6

Phillies vs. Cubs - This should be a great one that could go the distance. We think it will come up just shy of that, however, with the Cubs sacrificing a goat and Bartman before game six.
Cubs in 6


World Series
White Sox vs. Cubs - Brother vs. Brother. This one goes the distance, with the Cubs winning by a knockout late.
Cubs in 7

World Series MVP Prediction - Aramis Ramirez

Battle of the Windy City

It would be the Civil War, Illinois style (maybe they'll make one of these neat replica chess sets). As we see it, the World Series won't be leaving the Windy City this year as the Cubs and White Sox will meet in the championship.

What better way for the Cubs to end their miserable streak of losing then to beat their hated crosstown rivals?

Here's our round by round break down.


ALDS

Red Sox vs. Angels - Wow this is tough. The defending champs are banged up. Josh Beckett may not be able to go. At the very least he won't start until game three. Mike Lowell (hip) and J.D. Drew (back) are also having lingering issues.

The Angels have had trouble beating the Red Sox in the past, but this year they should be able to handle them. Which is why we are picking the Red Sox in 5. Yes, you read that correctly. The Angels clinched the AL West very early, and their starting pitching hasn't looked so terrific the last month of the season. Being that we hate the Red Sox, we hope we're wrong, but we think Dice-K and Jon Lester make the difference in this one.
Red Sox in 5.

White Sox vs. Rays - The Rays are in their very first post-season while their opponent won the World Series just three years ago, and much of that team is still intact. We think the Rays starting pitching and bullpen will take on water in some of the cracks we've started to see. Dan Wheeler and company just are not that great, and Troy Percival is banged up.

Scott Kazmir is great, but isn't always on. Garza and Shields are good, but hittable. Sonnanstine and Jackson? Nah.

Mark Buerhle, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks should be the difference here, as well as the White Sox set up men to Bobby Jenks. The Sox also have a lot of momentum coming off of Monday's huge win and last night's one game playoff with the Twins.
White Sox in 4


NLDS

Brewers vs. Phillies - Unfortunately for Milwaukee, CC Sabathia cannot go every day. He is slated to come back on three days rest again for game two and is also scheduled for game 5. We don't see this going that long though.

The Phillies have tremendous hitting, good starting pitching, and a solid pen. They also have the experience of last year's playoff failure to build off of. The Brewers haven't been in the post-season since they won the World Series in 1982.
Phillies in 4

Dodgers vs. Cubs - We're sure Manny will have a huge series and Joe Torre will be the talk of the town...for a bit. We expect another first round exit by Torre, though it will be no fault of his own. The Cubs are just a better, deeper ball club than the Dodgers.

Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden are the keys to the series. Their health and ability to pitch. And Ted Lilly is on a roll.
Cubs in 5


ALCS

Red Sox vs. White Sox - Sox it to me. Should be a well pitched game, but the number games will take its toll on the banged up Red Sox.
White Sox in 6

Phillies vs. Cubs - This should be a great one that could go the distance. We think it will come up just shy of that, however, with the Cubs sacrificing a goat and Bartman before game six.
Cubs in 6


World Series
White Sox vs. Cubs - Brother vs. Brother. This one goes the distance, with the Cubs winning by a knockout late.
Cubs in 7

World Series MVP Prediction - Aramis Ramirez