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Yankees first to punch ticket to League Championship Series



A different roster. A different year. But the result was the same. Coming into their League Divisional Series match against the American League Central champions in a bit of a tailspin, the Yankees made quick work of the Twins on Saturday night, sweeping them away in a 6-1 final. Question marks abundant regarding the state of the Yankees rotation heading into this year’s postseason have all been answered - in 20 innings, the trio of CC Sabathia (1-0, 4.50 ERA), Andy Pettitte (1-0, 2.57 ERA) and Phil Hughes (1-0, 0.00 ERA) combined for 20 innings of 5 run baseball (3-0, 2.25 ERA). A balanced, well rounded lineup pounded out 9 hits in 25 at-bats with runners in scoring position (.360 BA), and a Twins team that led the league in that category managed just 2 hits in 20 at-bats (.100 BA).

The Yankees will now wait 6 days until their American League Championship Series kicks off, either in St. Petersburg or Arlington. A quick look at each potential match-up:

Yankees @ Rays

The Yankees lost 10 of 18 match-ups against the Tampa Bay Rays, accumulating a 5.29 team ERA in that stretch. Their team average was just .256. Conversely, the Rays accumulated a team ERA against the Yankees of 4.84, and a team batting average of .269. Now, for a look at potential pitching match-ups:

Game 1 @ Rays

CC Sabathia - In 2010, CC pitched to a 1-2 record and a 3.38 ERA against the Rays. In Tampa, he was 1-1 with a 1.21 ERA.

David Price - In 2010, Price pitched to a 2-1 record and a 4.39 ERA against the Yankees. In Tampa, he was 9-2 with a 1.96 ERA for the year.

Game 2 @ Rays

Andy Pettitte - In 2010, Pettitte pitched to an 0-1 record and a bloated 11.05 ERA against the Rays. He did not face the Rays in Tampa, but is 8-3 with a 3.84 ERA there lifetime.

James Shields - In 2010, Shields pitched to a 2-1 record with a 3.35 ERA against the Yankees. In Tampa, he was just 5-7 with a 4.53 ERA.

Game 3 @ Yankees

Matt Garza - In 2010, Garza pitched to an 0-1 record with a staggering 8.10 ERA against the Yankees. In New York, he was 0-1 with an even more staggering 9.00 ERA.

Phil Hughes - In 2010, Hughes pitched to 1-2 record and a 4.74 ERA against the Rays. In New York, he was 11-4 with a 4.66 ERA (12-4, 4.37 ERA including the ALDS).

Game 4 @ Yankees

Wade Davis - In 2010, Davis pitched to 2-1 record and a 3.43 ERA against the Yankees. In New York, he was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA.

A.J. Burnett - In 2010, Burnett pitched to a 1-3 record with a lousy 6.27 ERA against the Rays. In New York, he was 5-7 with a 4.59 ERA.


Yankees @ Rangers

The Yankees split 8 games down the middle, winning 4 and losing 4 to the winners of the American League west. In the 8 contests, the Yankees’ team ERA was 4.20, while they batted .269. The Rangers, on the other hand, pitched to a 4.62 team ERA, and batted just .241. Once again, a look at potential match-ups:

Game 1 @ Rangers

CC Sabathia - In 2010, CC pitched to a 1-0 record and a 1.50 ERA against the Rangers. He did not start in Texas, but is 4-2 with a 4.71 ERA lifetime there.

Cliff Lee - In 2010, Lee pitched well against the Yankees, going 2-0 with a beautiful 3.09 ERA. In Texas, he was 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA.

Game 2 @ Rangers

Andy Pettitte - In 2010, Pettitte was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA against the Rangers. He did not start in Texas, but is 2-4 with a disturbing 8.22 ERA in his career there.

C.J. Wilson - In 2010, Wilson was 0-1 with a 5.65 ERA against the Yankees, but in Texas he was 11-3 with a 3.70 ERA.

Game 3 @ Yankees

Colby Lewis - In 2010, Lewis did not make a start against the Yankees, but in his career his is 0-2 with a 6.89 ERA against them.

Phil Hughes - In 2010, Hughes did not make a start against the Rangers, but in his career he is 2-0 with a clean 0.00 ERA.

Game 4 @ Yankees

Tommy Hunter - In 2010, Hunter had no record, but threw to a 3.60 ERA against the Yankees. He has never started a game in Yankee Stadium.

A.J. Burnett - In 2010, Burnett was 1-0 with a 2.50 ERA against the Rangers. In his career, he is 4-3 with a 3.66 ERA against them.


On paper, if you’re a Yankee fan, you have to like facing the Rays more than the Rangers. As has been shown in the past, Cliff Lee dominates the Yankees in postseason play (2-0, 2.81 ERA, 1.00 WHIP). The potent lineup of the Rangers (Guerrero: .312 BA, 10 HR and 54 RBI in 285 AB’s lifetime vs. Yankees, Cruz: .250 BA, 3 HR and 6 RBI in 32 AB’s this year vs. Yankees, Young: .294 BA, 6 HR and 41 RBI in 337 AB’s lifetime vs. Yankees) could pose a real threat to the likes of Burnett and Hughes at hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium. The Yankees’ lineup, in contrast, is no slouch vs. Texas (Rodriguez: .316 BA with 18 HR and 76 RBI in 412 lifetime AB’s, Cano: .309 BA with 4 HR and 26 RBI in 181 lifetime AB’s, Teixeira: .307 BA with 9 HR and 35 RBI in 192 lifetime AB’s). Despite better offensive numbers from the Rays against Yankees pitching, I just think the Rangers have more consistency. Cruz and Kinsler have certainly gotten the job done.

The Rays’ offense attack vs. the Yankees looks like this - Longoria: .282 BA with 9 HR and 29 RBI in 156 lifetime AB’s, Crawford: .301 BA with 5 HR, 66 RBI and 47 steals in 568 lifetime AB’s, Pena: 21 HR and 49 RBI in 295 lifetime AB’s. Their series vs. Texas has been a microcosm of their year - scoring in spurts, and being far too easy to shut down.  Longoria has done nothing against the Rangers, and their anemic production has shown through.

The X factor  for the Rays would be the exact same as it has been in the ALDS between the Rays and Rangers - can Matt Garza and James Shields be consistent? So far, Garza stepped up in a must-win, and kept the Rays’ season alive. But Shields continues to struggle, and against the Yankees lineup, that simply won’t fly. The X factor for the Rangers would be Lee’s ability to neutralize guys like Granderson and Gardner, and whether the youth in their bullpen would hold up against the Yankees, especially on the road.

Both Raphael Soriano (in his first ever postseason), and Neftali Feliz have shown shakiness in their playoff appearances. It makes you truly appreciate what Mariano Rivera (41 saves, 0.73 ERA) has accomplished in his Hall of Fame career. If the Yankees face the Rangers (and it would take a small miracle for that to NOT happen), I like the Yankees in a thrilling 6 game series. A split in Texas would give the Yankees a chance to take the series back to Texas, and if they can replicate their success in Minnesota, they’d have a shot at another pennant at home. A CC vs. Cliff Lee duel would be pretty special to watch, and I like Pettitte in a face-off against Wilson. You really don’t know how certain guys would handle 2 games in New York (Elvis Andrus, Julio Borbon, Tommy Hunter, Neftali Feliz, Alexi Ogando), but the talent is certainly there. If the Yankees were to be pitted against the Rays, a 7 game series seems almost inevitable. These 2 clubs bring out the best in each other, and having to face Price twice in a series (potentially even 3 times), is not something to pull for…unless, of course, you appreciate heart palpitations. As a Yankee fan, of course I pull for them to win that series, and I just can’t allow myself to pick against them…so, Yankees in 7.

Lets see what YOU have to say.