Well I sat down to take a quick look at the numbers and this ended up ensuing.
Angels Game 1 starter, John Lackey.
What the hitters have to do, get hits, get them often and cash in, stats don’t lie.
What’s important here is that the Yankee line-up goes Jeter, Damon and Teixeira to lead off a game, they are hitting .341, .333, and .388 respectively against him. This should lead to early base runners and hopefully quick runs. Arod though is not particularly inclined to do great things against Lackey hitting at a .176 clip. But the guys following, Posada and Matsui hit him to the tune of .414 and .286. Hopefully they can get to Lackey early and get into the underbelly of the bullpen.
Angels Game 2 starter, Joe Saunders.
What the Hitters have to do, grind, grind and get the timely hit.
Now the Yankees have not seen Saunders as much as Lackey, in fact 6 hitters have more then 10 at bats and 6 have less then 10(that includes bench players) but the numbers are pretty good to say the least. The guys who lead off for the Yanks bat .467, .286 and .125, Tex disappoints but Arod makes up for that batting .500 with 2 homers. Guys following Arod, Posada and Matsui, .500 and 1.000 but that’s in les then 5 plate appearances. Nick Swisher in more plate appearances than anyone else on the team, with 21, has a .238 average but makes up for it with a .360obp, but it looks like they see good things off him and have his number as a team. Because of the limited experience against Saunders I can see this starting off slow but in the end with the way Jeter, Damon and Arod hit against him I can see the Yankees getting timely hits and pulling out in front.
Angels Game 3 starter, Jered Weaver.
What the hitters have to do, sit back and hope to get that tater with a few runners on.
The key to success here is mashing the ball. Jeter, Damon, Posada, Matsui and Melky flat out stink against weaver, Jeter hits .118, Damon .158, Tex .261, Arod .333, Cano .400, Matsui .200, Posada .143, Melky .083. The top of the line up can’t get on, the bottom of the line up can’t get on, but the middle of the line can and they can mash. Arod has 4 homers off Weaver and could be a big player in this one.
Angels Game 4 starter, Scott Kazmir.
What the hitters have to do, grind, grind, grind and don’t crap their pants.
The Yankees stink, I say STINK against Kazmir. It’s ugly, real ugly. As a team it’s a collective .222 with a .307obp. Melky Cabrera and Tex are the only guys with averages worth noting at .400 and .636. Pray, hope, whip out the superstitions and just wait this one out.
When it comes to the Yankees and their 3-man rotation I feel pretty confident with CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte. As a team the Angels hit .297 against CC. It’s a bit disheartening but I think CC rewrites the chapter, he’s with the Yankees this time not the Indians. AJ has better numbers compared to CC and Andy(Andy’s coming up next) against the Angels. As the team they hit a .258 clip off Burnett. The long ball threats, Vlad, Morales and Hunter are held to a .214, .167, .087 average. He just has to contain Figgins, Abreu and Napoli to have greater success. Andy however has gotten smacked around by the Angels to the sound of .307, Vlad smacks him to a .391 average, Erick Aybar a pesky hitter and a speed threat hits .438, and a few other guys have shellacked him around too. What the Yankees need from Andy is the typical Andy post-season performance. And we know what Andy’s post season rep is.
Be sure to check back in the afternoon for more weather updates, Joe's ALCS breakdown, Greg's game thread and make sure you don't miss 1st pitch, tentatively scheduled for 7:57pm.
