Here's part two of the three part series comparing the Yanks and Angels in the three categories most important to postseason success. Today we take a look at the back-end of the bullpen of the two teams.
Yankees- The bullpen started off as a major weakness for 2009. The Yanks were giving up leads late and their seemed to be no answer. Brian Bruney started off the year hot but was hurt before long. Luckily though, the Yankees ended up finding the right mix with a combination of Phil Coke and Alfredo Aceves in the middle innings. Mariano also settled down after a rough start to put in another great year. Things really came together when Phil Hughes made the switch to the bullpen. His emergence there has been well documented and he is a weapon in the eighth inning that can't really be matched by any other team in baseball, despite his shaky ALDS. Joba Chamberlain is still an unknown but he could be a dominating prescence in the middle innings, as well. People have forgotten about him, but David Robertson also has been fantastic for the Yankees. All in all, this is a major strength for the Yankees and I think that if the Yankees have a lead late, the Angels are going to have a tough time coming back.
Angels- The Angels took a big hit in this area when K-Rod left them in free agency last year. Brian Fuentes had a down year to make the fall off even worse from what the Angels had in past years. I have to say Fuentes has gotten the job done but he doesn't exactly strike fear in the hearts of the opposition. They also are lacking another familiar face out in that bullpen. Scott Shields has been out since May and they've struggled to fill the void he's left as well. Jason Bulger got the call and he's done a good job. He finished the year poorly though and he has a tendency to give up walks. Kevin Jepsen also figures to get some big innings in this series. He was a top prospect that found a niche in the bullpen. All in all, its a solid relief corps. Its not the fearsome combination of Shields and Rodriguez that the Angels have had for years but they'll get the job done more often than not. That said, if I were an Angels fan I'd be worried about the Yankees prospensity for comeback wins.
