According to Tyler Kepner in The New York Times, the Yankees have asked and received permission to speak with Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone. It might be pie-in-the-sky day-dreaming but it sure would be exciting to see Mazzone, who along with Johnny Sain is probably the most famous pitching coach in baseball history, working (and rocking) alongside Joe Torre in the Bronx.

And speaking of Joe, the Yankee manager is expected to address the media soon, possibly as early as this afternoon. At the same time, Brian Cashman is working behind-the-scenes with the Yankees about possibly returning as the team’s GM next year. Fortunately, Cashman’s current deal expires at the end of the month, which means that things will pan out soon enough.

I’m not saying nuthin, I’m just sayin: Pettitte, Clemens, Contreras, Duque. Maybe the White Sox are exorcising the spirit of the Black Sox cause they benefitted from every call–good and bad–in the ALCS. Four consecutive complete games? Wow, take a bow, that’s impressive.

Alex Rodriguez is one of the greatest players of all-time. In his second year in New York he had one of the ten best seasons any third baseman has ever had yet his poor showing in the ALDS will haunt him throughout the off-season. Some writers act as if Rodriguez’s lousy series is some kind of character defect or moral failing on his part, suggesting that Rodriguez doesn’t have what it takes, doesn’t have the toughness, the right stuff, in order to perform well in a pressure situation. Rodriguez’s playoff history shows that while he’s never had a career-defining monster series in October–though the 2004 ALDS sure wasn’t bad–he’s been anything but a bust (he was batting .330 in the postseason coming into this year). To Rodriguez’s many critics, it’s as if last year’s ALDS and the first three games against Boston simply didn’t exist. Or at least it didn’t fit their angle.

I don’t think Rodriguez helps himself either. When he fails, it looks as if he’s trying too hard. It feels as if he’s pressing. How else can we explain why the best player doesn’t play the best ball in the biggest spots? Rodriguez was quick to give himself the beatdown after the series ended, which was the correct move. He understands that he’s the highest-paid, most-talented and best-looking star on the most famous team in the sport. If he is anything but brutally honest and accountable, he gives fans and journalists another reason to pile on. But Luis Sojo is probably just one member of the team who thinks that Rodriguez is being too hard on himself and I agree. Had his teammates picked him up, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I don’t mean to minimize how his performance contributed to the Yankees’ loss, but I don’t think he needs to take all the heat either.

Steven Goldman, as usual, gave this issue some historical perspective earlier in the week:

The Yankees wouldn’t have gotten anywhere at all without Alex Rodriguez. The press and the fans can pillory him for his poor postseason performance, but it’s just scapegoating. A lot of Yankees didn’t hit in the Division Series. These things happen. Babe Ruth went 2-for-17 in the 1922 World Series. Joe DiMaggio went 2-for-18 in the 1949 World Series (though the Yankees won). Yogi Berra was 1-for-16 in that same series. The key for both Berra and DiMaggio is that their teammates picked them up. A-Rod’s didn’t. We could go on: Mickey Mantle, 3-for-25 in the 1962 World Series (Yankees won), 2-15 in the 1963 classic (Yankees lost).

Reggie Jackson was a homerless 2-for-16 in the 1977 ALCS against the Royals, but the Yankees covered for him and went on to the World Series. It was there that he earned the “Mr. October” appellation by hitting .450 with five home runs in six games. It wouldn’t have happened without support from his teammates. The great Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post cited the Yankees, “Dysfunctional Culture of Blame,” and called the “Are You a Real Yankee?” discussion that Rodriguez must not be subjected to “self-defeating foolishness.” He’s dead on.

I felt badly for both the team and for Rodriguez after the ALDS was over. That double play in the ninth really hurt. But as my partner Cliff mentioned to me on the phone, for the Yankees it should have never come down to that. The series should have been won already by that point. And you know what? If Rodrgiuez manages to stay healthy, and if he is fortunate enough to have some more opportunities to play in October, I think he’s going to be just fine. How long did it take Bonds to get the playoff monkey off his back? A looooong time. If he gets the chance, Rodriguez will eventually have his day in the sun. I’ve little doubt about that. In the meanwhile, he’ll come back next year more motivated than ever to prove his worth. I don’t think he needs to prove anything to anyone, but until he has a great post-season, I’m not so sure he’d agree. And there are a lot of people out there who’ll take his side in this one. So be it.

But if I ran into homeboy on the street, I’d tell him, Chill out, dog. You had a great season. It was very much appreciated. You had a forgettable playoff series. That was disappointing. Keep your head up, you are going to be just fine.

While the Yankees collectively lick their wounds over the teams first round exit, the first order of Hot Stove League business concerns the immediate future of General Manager Brian Cashman whose contract is up at the end of the month. Cashman, Torre and Stick Michael have been a successful management team for New York, but in recent years they have been competing with a trio of advisors (Billy Connors, Damon Oppenheimer and Bill Emslie) in Tampa who are close to George Steinbrenner. The Yankees proved this year that they could out-perform huge off-season mistakes, but you have to wonder if that can continue to happen indefinitely.

In a perfect world, Cashman and Stick Michael would be allowed to run the team without interference, but we do not like in any kind of world as simple or clean as that (as a matter of fact, George King reports in the Post today–without any direct quotes–that Michael wants out). There is too much money and too much ego involved. Nobody really knows what kind of mental and physical condition Steinbrenner is in but it is evident that a nasty power-struggle is going on behind the scenes with the Yankees.

Mike Lupica thinks that Joe Torre would be nuts to commit himself before Brian Cashman’s situation is resolved

Understand something: Cashman doesn’t hate working for Steinbrenner. He hates working around the weasels in Tampa, guys who would be getting Brian Cashman coffee if they worked in the same office. Steinbrenner is the one who made the weasels matter as much as they do. Now he has to make them matter less.

It is why Cashman’s play is the one to watch now, why Torre should wait before saying anything to anybody. Because if Cashman stays, with the authority he deserves and the authority that would make this thing run a lot better than it does, then I believe Torre’s situation becomes a lot less dramatic. And he no longer feels as if he is the last man standing, with all his top lieutenants gone.

I’m not saying that the Yankees won’t continue to do well after Cashman and Torre leave, but my hunch is that it could get a lot worse before it got better. We’ve seen George screw up his good thing before so there is every reason to think he’s capable of allowing it to happen again.

The season is over. The season has just begun. Here in the northeast we look forward to the leaves turning colors and then gradually falling to the ground. This year, due to the steady rain we’ve seen for the better part of the last week, the foliage may not be so wunnerful after all. Though we need the water, all this rain is bound to sperl the autumnal beauty as it were.

As usual there are a lot of changes to be expected in Yankee land (Bernie, Girardi, Ruben, Leiter, Torre, Cashman). The first significant move happened yesterday when pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre officially stepped down. This comes as no particular surprise as Stottlemyre has been chided by George Steinbrenner and his Tampa Faction for several seasons now. Some fans will be quite happy to see Stottlemyre leave. Yet the main concern is how will this effect Joe Torre and Brian Cashman if at all. The word is that Torre will most likely stick around and manage the team again next year while it looks as if Cashman is done. That would be an unfortunate development. Disrupting the Torre-Cashman alliance could be far more damaging than splitting up Torre and Stottlemyre.

Torre will eventually speak with reporters and address his situation as well as his feelings about what went down this season. Whether that happens this week or next week, your guess is as good as mine. Needless to say, the local media is waiting with baited breath.

The Yankees’ cockamamie season came to a fitting conclusion the other night in California. In a game that decidedly pitted the Baseball Gods against the Bronx Bombers, the Yanks lost one that they should have won. Give the Angels credit for being opportunistic and taking advantage of the Yankees’ mistakes and blame New York for not playing their best ball when it counted most. Alex Rodriguez is getting killed here in New York, and he’ll just have to take the hit. He’s the teams’ marquee player and he had a bad series, so it comes with the territory. It doesn’t take away from his great season, but it sure was a lousy way to end it.

Still, as disappointing as losing to the Angels is, I feel curiously peaceful. The Yanks rebounded after a horrid start and played well enough down the stretch to win their divison and make the playoffs again. That is nothing to sneeze at. I’ve said this before but I think part of what distinguished the 96-01 teams was that they collectively appreciated how hard to was to win a World Series. It was a quality that made their run even more impressive because it wasn’t lost on the players how special their accomplishments were. However, I think some Yankee fans began to buy into the sense of entitlement that is peddled by George Steinbrenner and think the Yankees had somehow patented winning baseball. Now, the Yanks are becoming more like the Braves with each passing season–and I don’t mean that as a diss (or as literal comparison between how the two organizations are run). Ain’t so easy to win it every year. And as the old refrain against Steibrenner goes, you can’t arrange for success.

(more…)

As a whole, the players that made up the New York Yankees overachieved this year. Hamstrung by the worst offseason in franchise history and besieged by injuries to their pitching staff, the Yankees dug themselves out of a 11-19 hole, building momentum as the season went on, finally breaking free of .500 as July began, posting a 56-28 (.667) record from July 2 through the end of the regular season. As the season drew to a close, they played their best baseball, winning 15 of 18 at one point in September and clinching their eighth-straight AL East title by defeating the Red Sox in the penultimate game of the season.

Ever since the Yankees won four of five World Series from 1996 to 2000, it has become common for those around the organization, both in and out of uniform, to say that any season that does not end in a World Championship is a failure. I disagree. That the Yankees were unable to win the American League Division Series, while certainly a tremendous disappointment to fans, players and front office alike, should not be seen as a failure, but as the inevitable outcome of a season that extended beyond it’s rightful endpoint.

(more…)

After last night’s stirring Yankee victory, both teams are making the long haul back out to the coast for tonight’s Game Five. Both starting pitchers–Mike Mussina and Bartolo Colon–are already in California, and presumably well-rested. My gut feeling is that tonight could be a lot like Game Three–wide open. I felt good about Moose in Game One, but I can’t imagine he’ll be that impressive this time out. Sure do hope I’m wrong. And just why can’t the Yanks catch up to Colon again? Randy Johnson could play a big role out of the pen. Let’s hope that the bats do their thing–Mr. Rodriguez we turn out eager eyes to you. So long as it is a clean-played game like the one we saw yesterday, I’ll be able to live with the outcome. May the best team win.

Go Yanks. Bombs away.

In a taut game that was in almost every way the polar opposite of Game Three, the Yankees beat the Angels 3-2 to force a Game Five tomorrow night in Anahiem. John Lackey and Shawn Chacon were both outstanding, the Yankees scratched out just enough runs against the Angels bullpen and Mariano Rivera pitched two scoreless innings to prolonge the season for the Bombers.

Chacon and Lackey have different approaches but both were stunningly efficient through the first five innings. Chacon finessed the Angels, getting them to chase balls out of the strike zone, and keeping them off balance. Lackey was far more aggresive throwing strikes. His curve ball had a tight spin and it looked great, particularly as it was mixed with a fastball that was clocked in the low nineties. Lackey froze Matsui with a breaking pitch to start the second, buckling the slugger’s knees but good, and caught Rodriguez looking with a 2-2 curve–that was flat-out nasty–to end the third. Chacon wasn’t throwing as hard and yet, according to the Fox broadcast, after five full innings, each pitcher had thrown exactly 68 pitches (and their splits 42 strikes and 46 were the same too). Each had allowed just a single hit.

(more…)

Jarod Washburn will evidentally not start tonight. From what I can tell, he’s been scratched due to a fever. John Lackey will start instead. Shawn Chacon hopes that his magic carpet ride in the Bronx isn’t over just quite yet. The Yankees have their backs up against the wall. It’s do or die for our boys tonight.

Go get ’em Bombers. We luh yas.

It’s still raining up here in the sticks. Another day of sitting on our hands hoping that they’ll be able to get in Game Four tonight down in our beloved Bronx.

“One thing about what’s gone on in sports, because of the scheduling, is that you just accept whatever comes down,” Yankees Manager Joe Torre said. “Because if you start getting lost there, you’re going to wind up getting distracted and using it as an excuse, and this is no time for excuses.”

…”We’ll cut right to the chase: it’s big for us,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. “This day off is big for us.”

(N.Y.Times)

Chacon v. Washburn and–rain or no rain–what promises to be another late night for Yankee fans close to home.

From our pal Rich Lederer in sunny L.A…

Tomorrow’s headline?

“Who’ll Stop the Rain?”

There’s actually quite a bit you could do with those CCR lyrics…

Long as I remember the rain been comin’ down.
Clouds of myst’ry pourin’ confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, tryin’ to find the sun;
And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain.

I went down virginia, seekin’ shelter from the storm.
Caught up in the fable, I watched the tower grow.
Five year plans and new deals, wrapped in golden chains.
And I wonder, still I wonder who’ll stop the rain.

Heard the singers playin’, how we cheered for more.
The crowd had rushed together, tryin’ to keep warm.
Still the rain kept pourin’, fallin’ on my ears.
And I wonder, still I wonder who’ll stop the rain.

***

Play ball!

With today’s game cancelled and rescheduled for tomorrow evening, I will be joining the Pinstriped Bible‘s Steven Goldman and the Futility Infielder‘s Jay Jaffe at Coliseum Books today at 6:00 to promote the new Baseball Prospectus book Mind Game. I made a small contribution to the book and thus will be appearing as a co-author, my first in-store appearance!

Anyone in the NYC area with some extra time on his or her hands this evening, please come out and say “hi.” Coliseum Books is at 11 West 42nd Street in Manhattan (between 5th and 6th).

“If I would have paid a ticket to watch me pitch, I probably would have booed me, too,” said Johnson, who made the shortest postseason start of his career. “They’ve come to expect a little more out of me. I’ve come to expect more out of myself.”

…”That guy, did you see the movie ‘Multiplicity,’ with Michael Keaton?” Jeter said. “I think they keep making a bunch of Chone Figginses. He keeps making big plays no matter where they put him.”
(N.Y.Times)

The best news for Yankee fans came before the game yesterday when the White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the defending champion Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Former Yankee El Duque Hernandez was the hero, working out of a nail-biting bases-loaded, one-out jam in the seventh inning and pitching three innings of relief in all. So Boston is done. Right now the Yankees are one game better than their arch rivals and are alive to play one more day, and that’s about it. With a loss today they will join the Sox as a first round loser.

Cruising around the papers here are a few links of note: Lupica and Verducci on the Big Unit, John Harper on El Duque, and Chris Snow on the Red Sox.

I’m in Vermont with Emily for the weekend. It hasn’t stopped raining since we arrived late yesterday afternoon. I can only imgaine it is still coming down in New York. Though I am not overly confident in the Yankees chances today, my mood is certainly colored by the weather. And hey, they pull one out today and anything can happen tomorrow. So, nertz to the pessimissm and Go Yanks!

On a thoroughly miserable night for baseball in the Bronx, the Angels out-slugged the Yankees 11-7 to grab a 2-1 series lead. It rained throughout, and though the grounds crew did an admirable job of keeping the field in order, there were puddles on the warning track and the fielders consistently had problems getting a good handle on the ball all night long. This was a game that Yankee announcer Michael Kay would no doubt call “unmanagable.” It featured awful starting pitching, and some predictably sloppy fielding, however it also boasted some fine hitting, timely relief pitching and a few crucial defensive gems too.

Neither starting pitcher was sharp. Randy Johnson, in one of his worst games of the year, had nothing. In his biggest start as a Yankee, he decidedly came up empty. After getting two outs in the first, Vlad Guererro singled to right and then Benji Molina hit a high fastball (out of the zone but over the plate) into center for a base hit. Garret Anderson followed and golfed a long three-run dinger into the bleachers (the first of four terrific “guesses” he’d have on the night). In the third, Orlando Cabrera drove an 0-2 fastball that was around his eyes into right for a double. Two batters later, Molina–having the time of his life–hit his third home run in as many games, and the Halos were quickly up 5-0.

(more…)

There’s a 90 percent chance of heavy rain starting tonight around the scheduled first pitch of Game Three and continuing through Sunday. In downtown Manhattan it’s been overcast and unseasonably humid all day and as I look out the window now at 4:00, there are darker clouds rolling in and the wind has picked up considerably. The odds of the Yankees getting rained out to night seem very high. Still, on the off chance that the game is played tonight, here are my thoughts entering Game Three:

This is the eleventh time in eleven years that the Yankees have participated in a best-of-five ALDS, so we all know the deal by now. The road team is pleased to come home with a split, but Game Three is crucial. Much like on a 1-1 count to a batter, the difference between being up 2-1 or down 1-2 is tremendous. Thus, outside of the actual clincher itself, Game Three is easily the most important game in the series.

Good thing then that the Yankees have their ace ready to take the hill. Randy Johnson has faced the Angels twice this year. The first time he pitched six strong innings, but caught his spikes on the Angel Stadium mound, tweaking his back and forcing Joe Torre to turn to his bullpen early. After a classic case of Torre’s bullpen mismanagement, Vlad Guerrero hit a grand slam off of Tom Gordon to hand the Yankees a 6-5 loss. In Johnson’s next outing against the Angels, this time in New York, he had less success, allowing a pair of homers to the Molina brothers which drove in four runs. That time it was the Angel bullpen that blew the game, leading to an 8-7 Yankee win in eleven innings. Take away those two mistakes, however, and Johnson’s line in that game improves to 7 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

As Johnson has allowed just three home runs in his last eight starts of the season (two legitimate shots to Vernon Wells and Manny Ramirez and Tony Graffanino’s fly ball to the red line atop the Green Monster) one hopes he’ll be able to keep the Angels in the park tonight. Over those eight starts, Johnson has gone 6-0 with a 1.93 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP, proving to be the ace the Yankees traded, ultimately, Dioner Navarro, Brad Halsey, Randy Choate, Nick Johnson and the Angels’ Juan Rivera for. Take out his ejection-shortened start in Toronto and his line improves to 49 2/3 IP, 27 H, 8 R, 2 HR, 11 BB, 42 K, 1.45 ERA, 0.77 WHIP in seven starts.

Paul Byrd, meanwhile, faced the Yankees just once this year, allowing three runs on nine hits and a walk over seven innings. Byrd is essentially Jon Leiber. Not only is he a righthanded sinkerballer who pitches to contact, owns righties (.211 GPA this year), struggles with lefties (.271 GPA), and absolutely refuses to walk anyone (just 28 walks on the season, 1.23 per 9IP), but since 2003 his career has followed the exact same path as Leiber’s. Both pitchers signed a free-agent deal with a perennial playoff team before the 2003 season, then missed that season due to Tommy John surgery, finally joining their new club with the 2004 season underway. Both then became a crucial part of that team’s rotation, pitching them into the playoffs where they made their postseason debuts, only to sign with a different club for 2005. What’s more, the two pitchers were born just six months and one day apart in 1970 and were later drafted out of college. Of course, Byrd is smaller than the 6’3″ 220-pound Leiber, and Leiber in no way resembles Kelsey Grammer.

(more…)

Well, rain is definitely in the forecast for the next five days here in New York. It is uncommonly muggy and warm for this time of year and we can only hope that games Three and Four will be able to be played without too much disruption from Ma Nature. (All I can think about this morning is how there was a one-day delay between games Six and Seven of the ’86 Serious between the Mets and Sox.)

According to Tyler Kepner in The New York Times:

The weather has emerged as a factor. According to the Penn State Department of Meteorology, rain will start falling about the time Game 3 begins at 8:19 tonight in the Bronx, and it might prevent play. Steady rain is expected to continue through tomorrow afternoon, which means the scheduled 4 p.m. start of Game 4 could be pushed back several hours.

Tonight’s game could be postponed altogether and played tomorrow, meaning that Game 4 would be at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. If a Game 5 were necessary, the two teams would play Monday in Anaheim.

The chief concern for the Yankees has to be not wasting Randy Johnson in an aborted game. Nothing much for us to do but grind out teeth, look up to the heavens and pray for the best.

(more…)

Today gives a day of rest for the Yankees and Angels, as well as the New Yorkers who stayed up late to catch Game Two. As discouraging as last night’s loss was, Yankee fans must feel good that Randy Johnson will start Game Three. The obvious hope is that the Bombers offense will get rolling against Paul Byrd, the veteran pitcher who bares an unusual resemblance to Doctor Frasier Crane.

I had a nightmare last night that perhaps the good doctor could have helped me with. I dreamt that the Yankee and Red Sox were playing late into the night and that I fell asleep with the Bombers ahead 12-11. When I awoke, Emily and I were surprised that the game was still going on even though it was eleven o’clock in the morning (by which time Boston had a 18-12 lead). I was beside myself. Shortly thereafter, I found myself on the kitchen floor, red in the face, throwing a bonafide tantrum. I just couldn’t believe the Yanks were blowing it. Then a foul ball was hit toward the Yankee dugout where George and Barbara Bush were sitting. Jorge Posada tried to make the catch but missed the ball, which smacked Barbara in the head. This refocused my rage and I laughed at Barbara Bush. Emily scolded me for taking pleasure in someone else’s pain, and that even if I didn’t like Babs it was plain bad vibes to mock her. Em told me to stop crying and get my act together or else.

(more…)

Chien-Ming Wang and John Lackey both brought their A-game to Angel Stadium last night, but Game Two of the ALDS wasn’t decided by pitching, it was decided by defense, third-base defense especially. The Angels played errorless ball, lead by several outstanding plays by Chone Figgins at third and Darin Erstad at first. The Yankees turned a number of excellent plays of their own, but also committed three errors, two of which, including a crucial one by Alex Rodriguez, led directly to four of the five Angels runs. The result was a 5-3 Angel victory to even the series at one game apiece.

(more…)

The big question entering tonight’s match-up between Chien-Ming Wang and John Lackey concerns whom Joe Torre should start at first base, designated hitter and in center field. I’ll take the third part first. Torre should start Bernie Williams in center, there’s really not much debate to be had. Wang’s ground ball rates are so extreme that Williams could play the entire game without having more than a chance or two in the field. Most of the action Bernie’s likely to see will come on base hits, most of which either shoot through the holes to the corner outfielders, or will be grounders up the middle (assuming they can get past Wang himself) that will be hits long before Bernie gets to them, and which Bernie will be charging anyway, reducing the length of whatever throw he’ll have to make. Thus there’s no need to force the Yankee line-up to carry Bubba’s bat against a man many consider the Angels’ best pitcher entering this series.

Before I get to the 1B/DH situation, let’s explore that belief. Among the four men in the Angels’ ALDS rotation, Lackey is first in K/9 (8.57) and homers (a mere 13), and second in ERA (3.44), but last in BB/9 (3.09) and WHIP (1.33, tied with Jarrod Washburn). None of those numbers are terrible. What they really tell us is that there’s no clear ace on this staff. I still believe Bartolo Colon has the most potential to be dominant, as he was last night after the first two innings. An argument could even be made for Paul Byrd, who despite missing the entire 2003 season due to injury, has been a top-line pitcher ever since his break-out campaign with the Royals in 2002 at the age of 31.

What has everyone so excited about Lackey is likely his age and potential for improvement. Just 26, Lackey experienced a dramatic up-tick in his strikeout rate this year to combine with a two-year decrease in home runs allowed from 31 in 2003 to just 13 this year. He also recovered from a shaky April to post a 2.57 second-half ERA, going 8-1 over the season’s final three months

That said, I doubt Jason Giambi had those stats in mind when he remarked after last night’s game that Lackey was sure to win a Cy Young award if he kept improving his game the way he has. Nor do I think Giambi was basing that evaluation on his personal experiences hitting against Lackey. Giambi is 10 for 20 with a double and a pair of homers against Lackey, which is one reason I think the Yankees can afford to stick him at DH tonight. Giambi’s production may decrease when he sits between at-bats, but his success against Lackey should counteract that. Meanwhile, though Tino Martinez hasn’t actually been all that much better than Giambi in the field this year (91 Rate to Giambi’s 88, with both men at -8 Fielding Runs Against Average), the sheer volume of ground balls the Angels are likely to hit tonight will likely expose Giambi’s inferiority in the field, no matter how slight. For evidence, all we need to do is look back to Wang’s last start.

The only problem with starting Tino at first is that unlike with the centerfield situation, where Bubba can come in as a defensive replacement if Wang hands a lead to the bullpen (and make no mistake, Bubba should come in as soon as Torre takes the ball from his starter unless the Yankees are behind—Bernie has hit a solid 5 for 17 against Lackey with two doubles and a homer), Torre can’t move Giambi into the field in the late innings without sacrificing the DH. Still, I think it’s worth a shot. Yes, Ruben Sierra has gone 3 for 8 against lackey with a home run, but that makes even the other tiny samples I’ve quoted seem large. What’s more, the Ruben Sierra the Yankees have this postseason is not the same one that produced that line against Lackey, even if the Angel starter has only been in the league since 2002. Sierra missed most of the season due to a pair of injuries and has yet to find his stroke since returning. It would be a Scioscia-level mistake for Torre to put Ruben’s name in the line-up regardless of how well he matches up against a given pitcher.

Tonight will be Lackey’s first postseason start since his Game Seven win as a rookie in the 2002 World Series. He’s faced the Yankees twice this year, picking up a win both times and assembling this line: 11 2/3 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 12 K. The one thing to watch out for with Lackey facing the Yankees is that the Yanks have been able to make him work, both times driving him from the game in the sixth due to a pitch count over 100. Indeed, Lackey is the one Angel starter that the Yankees can effectively work the count against (Byrd, for example, is almost Wellsian in his refusal to issue a base on balls). The only problem there is that the Angel bullpen is so dominant that the Yankees actually decrease their chances of scoring by driving Lackey from the game after the fifth inning.

As for Wang, this is not only his first postseason start, but also the first time he’s face the Angels. Of course, as a rookie, Wang’s season has been full of firsts, and he’s taken them all in stride. The lone exception being a brief bout of nerves in the first inning of his previous start against the Red Sox, but, other than a brief issue with his control, he pitched well enough to win that game, holding the majors’ best offense to three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. My only concern is that the Angels are exactly the type of team that can cause trouble for a groundball pitcher such as Wang. They make a lot of contact, which is fine as Wang pitches to contact, but they also have a lot of speed throughout their line-up. The only team that really managed to get to Wang this season was the Devil Rays. Of course the D-Rays got to all of the Yankee pitchers, but against Wang it was their speed, not their power that was the problem. The Devil Rays were the only team other than the Cardinals (against whom Wang was abandoned by his defense) to collect more than a hit per inning against Wang this season.

Game time is 10 p.m. eastern. If the Yanks can pull out another win they’ll return home with a chance to sweep with Randy Johnson on the mound.

Update:

Here are the line-ups. Torre got it right again. Scioscia drops Erstad behind Molina and Rivera, but there appears to be some confusion as to where Anderson and Rivera are starting [Update: Anderson’s in left again, Erstad is actually hitting ahead of Rivera, cleary YES’s Angels sources are not as reliable as their Yankee sources]:

(more…)