IMPORTANT BLOG ANNOUNCEMENT

PLEASE CHANGE YOUR BOOKMARKS AND FEEDS TO THE NEW URL, YANKEEANALYSTS.COM. TYU IS IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH THE NEW YORK YANKEES OR YANKEES UNIVERSE.

WS G3: Yankees @ Phillies

Posted by Chris H. at 7:49 pm 45 Responses »
Oct 312009

Lineups via LoHud:

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF
Andy Pettitte P

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (2-0, 2.37 postseason ERA)

PHILLIES
Jimmy Rollins SS
Shane Victorino CF
Chase Utley 2B
Ryan Howard 1B
Jayson Werth RF
Raul Ibanez LF
Pedro Feliz 3B
Carlos Ruiz C
Cole Hamels P

Pitching: LHP Cole Hamels (1-1, 6.75 postseason ERA)

TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

Here are Hamels’ numbers against the Yankees, via Baseball-Reference.

Here are Pettitte’s numbers against the Phillies, via Baseball-Reference.

I think Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter will both have big nights against Cole Hamels.

It’s raining pretty hard right (I’m basing this on what I see on TV). Hopefully, we’ll have baseball tonight.

Tagged with: , , , ,

CC to start Game 4

Posted by Chris H. at 5:30 pm 3 Responses »
Oct 312009

Today, Joe Girardi announced that CC Sabathia will start Game 4 of the WS on short-rest.

Also, Nick Swisher is back in right field for Game 3.

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Hitting Hamels' changeup

Posted by Chris H. at 5:00 pm 3 Responses »
Oct 312009

Cole Hamels’ best pitch this year is, once again, his changeup. The pitch, which generally clocks in around 78-81 mph, on average, was thrown just over 30% of the time in 2009. It serves as Hamels’ main strikeout offering and, according to pitch value data, was 11.7 runs above average, the second best changeup value in the NL (only Tim Lincecum’s changeup was better). He’ll throw the changeup to right-handed hitters—low and away—as well as left-handed hitters—low and away—and, when facing righties, Hamels is not afraid to come inside with the pitch to induce a weak groundout. Therefore, while Hamels doesn’t have an overpowering fastball (90 mph, on average), his changeup is deceptive enough to help him strike out 7.81 batters per nine innings. Basically, expect to see a lot of fastballs—just under 60% of the time—and changeups, with the occasional curve mixed in.

So, Hamels’ changeup is good, that much is clear. However, who can we expect to have success against it?

Here are the Yankees’ season numbers against changeups, according to pitch type value data (runs +/- average).

Jorge Posada 6.7
Derek Jeter 4.9
Mark Teixeira 2.6
Melky Cabrera 1.4
Nick Swisher 1.1
Johnny Damon 1.1
Alex Rodriguez 0.8
Hideki Matsui 0.1
Robinson Cano -1.9

With the exception of Cano, everyone on the Yankees can hit a changeup, as they’re either average (e.g., Matsui, A-Rod) or above average (e.g., Posada, Jeter) against the pitch (and even Cano isn’t far off from average territory).

Do these numbers indicate that the Yankees will do well against Hamels’ changeup? Not necessarily, as these are season numbers that aren’t exactly predictive with regards to one outing against a specific pitcher. Hamels changeup is also one of the best in baseball, therefore, it’s problematic to assume that they’ll do well given the aforementioned value data (I’m also not sure as to how a pitcher’s left or right-handedness affects these numbers). However, what we can glean from these figures is that the Yankees, in general, can hit changeups, collectively. Based on pitch value data, they were actually the second best hitting team against changeups this season (the Blue Jays were first). They’re not like the Cardinals, for example, or the Royals, two teams that weren’t able to hit the changeup at all in 2009.

Hopefully, tonight, the Yankees will be able to show Cole Hamels just how good they are at hitting his favorite pitch.

Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Tagged with: , , , , ,

By the Numbers: A.J. and Pettitte on 3 days rest

Posted by Tom Gaffney at 3:13 pm 7 Responses »
Oct 312009

My gut instinct, upon looking at the schedule, was to dig in my heels against it.  I had heard, as most of you have, the famous 4.65 ERA statistic for pitchers on 3 days rest since the wildcard era began (see here – prior to 2009).  A closer examination of that arguments, however, shows just how insufficient and misleading that statistic actually is. Yes, since 1995, ERA’s on short rest have been bad, but that statistic does not tell the entire story.  There are some serious problems with using that statistic in a blanket fashion, as most sportswriters have been doing.

It’s still a fairly small sample size.  If you look at games since 1969, here, ERA on 3 days rest is  3.85, which is only a fraction higher than 4 days rest (3.60).  Yes, each era is different but this statistic shows that, physiologically, there isn’t a huge problem with pitching on short rest.  Naturally, then, some guys are going to be able to do well in this situation, while others will struggle.

So, naturally, we have to look at each guy and judge each case individually to see whether it’s a good idea.  You have to examine each pitcher’s size, body type, throwing motion, stuff, makeup, and work load, as well as their track record on short rest.  Fortunately, each of these pitchers has something of a history on 3 days rest that we can look at.  I already examined CC, here, and it’s become even more obvious since then that he is one of those rare guys who is built for this exact type of scenario.  Even if he doesn’t have his absolute best fastball, he has a fantastic makeup and 2 other plus plus pitches to go to.  So, how does AJ Burnett stack up?

One pitcher who DOES rely on sheer power, however, is AJ Burnett.  He’s the guy who initially concerned me when I looked at the schedule.  AJ has more of a lanky build than CC or Andy, and went through a variety of nagging injuries throughout his early career which made some question his toughness.  His makeup has also been frequently targeted as his statistics have never matched up to his stuff.  His lack of focus in allowing big innings would seem to make him one of the last guys you would want on short rest, battling without his very best stuff.

His numbers, however, would seem to bely these observations.  He is a career 4-0 with a stellar 3.25 ERA and 1.074 WHIP on 3 days rest.  His stuff does not seem to suffer much on short rest (8.0 k/9 vs 8.7 on 4 days).  The only cause for concern is the miniscule baBIP of .233 (compared to .293 on normal rest) which could indicate luck or it could mean that guys aren’t getting good swings off of him. Regardless, though, his numbers (small sample size notwithstanding) are much better than I would have thought.  As we saw on Thursday, he is capable of throwing his curve at a high volume and still be unhittable.  It may be that, when he doesn’t have his best heater, and he’s a little tired, he throws more curveballs and is even less hittable (though I don’t have access to those numbers to back that up).  It could simply be the case that, in a big spot, when he’s tired and anxious, he’s actually focusing more than in a typical game on 4 days rest.  Or this could be a simple case of sample size.  I’d have to say, though, looking at the numbers makes me think that Joe should take the plunge and give AJ a shot on short rest.  We seem to have a better chance of getting a good start out of him than Gaudin, who hasn’t pitched regularly in a long time.

So what do you guys think?  If  Pettitte is good tonight, do we start A.J. and hope he continues his recent form, or try Gaudin and the pen for multiple innings?

Update: Sorry, I ran out of time to cover Andy Pettitte on short rest. Here we go:

Andy Pettitte:

Andy, in many ways, profiles as the exact opposite to A.J. Burnett.  His body, pitching style and makeup are all ideally suited for coming back on short rest.  He has the prototypical wide shoulders and beefy lower half (yes, that’s exactly what you think it is) that characterizes a workhorse.  He’s thrown 200+ regular season innnings on 10 separate occasions.  His makeup is also off the charts, with a reputation as one of the toughest pitchers in the game, he is the ultimate battler.  He once went through a whole season in Houston while clearly needing elbow surgery and only able to throw an n 85 mph fastball.  Even if he does get tired and lacks his best stuff on 3 days rest, he can find a way to grit through the outing on sheer guts.

His numbers, however, unlike Burnett, suffer noticeably on short rest (4-6, 4.15 ERA, 1.43 WHIP in 14 career starts on 3-day rest).  These statistics, however are possibly a little deceiving.  He had two seasons which spike all of his stats: 1995, he allowed 7 earned runs in two starts (9.2 innings).  I think it’s safe to toss out that season, however, as it was his rookie season and he’d thrown far more innings than he’d ever thrown in his career.  His awful 2001 start against the D-backs in the World Series, however, you have to, at least, take into consideration.  That was his second start on short rest, however, while this would be the first time he’d be asked to do this by Girardi.  Joe has also been very careful to keep Andy well rested and he’s had many extra rest days in the postseason so the danger of a real stinker should be lessened.  Take out those two bad years and you have ERA’s of 3.46, 3.66, 2.01, & 3.79 – not too shabby.

Tagged with: ,

Random Thoughts-Happy Halloween!

Posted by Steve S. at 9:07 am No Responses »
Oct 312009

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Possibly the greatest Halloween costume ever. Teddy Ballgame always was described as a ‘heads up’ ballplayer.

-I suspect that Charlie Manuel has set the pitching rotation for the remainder of the World Series with his announcement yesterday of Joe Blanton as his Game 4 starter and Cliff Lee for Game 5. Here’s how I see things shaking out:

Game 3-Pettitte vs Hamels

Game 4-CC Sabathia vs Joe Blanton

Game 5-Chad Gaudin vs Cliff Lee

Game 6-AJ Burnett vs Pedro Martinez

Game 7-CC Sabathia vs Cole Hamels

I think the Yanks have an edge in every game except the obvious Lee-Gaudin mismatch. As Mo detailed yesterday, Blanton is a decent pitcher who numbers facing the Yanks are a bit deceiving. But CC is an elite pitcher, one who is relatively unaffected by short rest. I think the only way the Yanks don’t pitch Gaudin in Game 5 is if they’re down 3-1 and facing elimination. Then you would have to go Burnett-Pettitte-Sabathia, all on short rest. But at 2-2 or up 3-1, I think it’s Gaudin. Girardi would very much prefer to avoid using Pettitte on short rest if at all possible, Andy did have a shoulder issue just a few weeks ago. It’s not to say Andy can’t do it, but you wonder if his stuff will be sharp so you’ll try to avoid it. When Andy’s a little bit off, he’s batting practice.

I can’t expect Burnett to be as good as he was in Game 2, but Pedro should fare much worse. Pedro used a bag of tricks to throw off Yankee hitters, most of which they won’t be fooled by twice in a short series. Hamels is a picture of inconsistency this year facing one of the most consistent pitchers in Baseball for the potential Game 7. But I honestly don’t think that game will be played. My prediction would be the Yanks win tonight, split the next two and wrap it up at the stadium with Game 6. Should the Yanks lose tonight’s game, I still think they’d take the series in 7. But that would obviously be a tension-filled series where the Yanks were playing from behind the entire way and facing elimination twice at home. A win tonight and they cruise to a championship.

-Matt Hagen of THT put out his Top 10 Yankee prospect list. Biggest surprise for me is how high Manny Banny is, but I guess the secret is out on our 18 year old Mexican sensation.

-Larry Mahnken of THT explains why the Yanks will win the World Series. Loaded with good tidbits, check it out.

Tagged with:

A-Rod, where did you go?

Posted by Chris H. at 6:09 pm 8 Responses »
Oct 302009

92343071CC084_Philadelphia_

Alex Rodriguez has 6 strikeouts, thus far, in the World Series. He’s performing like it’s 2006.

Here’s Tom Verducci’s (SI) take on A-Rod’s first two games of the series:

Those were some funky swings Alex Rodriguez took in Games 1 and 2 in the World Series, looking nothing like the compact, balanced strokes he took in the ALDS and ALCS. His swing was at times lengthened and at times became very defensive, more of swatting for the ball or feeling for it than taking a quick path to it. It’s almost as if he’s a shooter in basketball whose stroke gets tighter with each miss; he needs something to go down to restore confidence.In two games Rodriguez has swung at 23 pitches and put two balls in play: a grounder to third and a flyball to left field. He punched out three times in Game 1 and three times again in Game 2. Only one other player ever had back-to-back three-strikeout games in World Series history: Jim Lonborg. A pitcher. In 1967. It’s not the kind of World Series history Rodriguez had in mind. He waited his whole career to get to the World Series, and when he got here, he immediately became the first hitter, other than a pitcher with a .136 career average, to whiff three times in two straight World Series games.

To better understand the situation, here are A-Rod’s 8 at-bats (6 K, 8 outs) of the World Series, via Brooks Baseball.

Alex Rodriguez versus Cliff Lee, Game 1, 2nd inning, strikeout:

clifflee1

Based on the location of these pitches—up in the zone, middle of the plate—Alex must not have been seeing the ball well against Lee, or he was trying to be overly deliberate while at the plate. Lee threw him 4 pitches (1, 2, 3, 5) which should have been hit out of the park.

Alex Rodriguez versus Cliff Lee, Game 1, 4th inning, strikeout:

clifflee2

A-Rod’s patience is, for the most part, intact here, as he identifies 3 balls out of the zone. He chases pitches 1 and 2, though, and the first pitch (1) was particularly tough to hit since it was inside and low. Either could have been called strikes by the umpire, but maybe Alex should leave that up to the umpire rather than swing.

Alex Rodriguez versus Cliff Lee, Game 1, 7th inning, groundout:

clifflee3

A-Rod’s strike zone has expanded, inside. After laying off the first inside pitch, he should have laid off the second, as they were nearly identical. He fouled it off, instead, and when Lee came inside but caught a good amount of the plate, Alex simply missed it.

Alex Rodriguez versus Cliff Lee, Game 1, 9th inning, strikeout:

clifflee4

Lee leaves another pitch, pitch 2, in the middle of the plate and Alex merely fouls it off. Even the first pitch on the outside corner should have been hit since it’s right in his wheelhouse (perhaps he went up with the intention of taking the first pitch). The fourth pitch by Lee was pretty nasty, low, but Alex probably could have done some damage with it since it wasn’t inside on him (or far outside).

Alex Rodriguez versus Pedro Martinez, Game 2, 2nd inning, strikeout:

pedro1

Against Pedro, A-Rod starts off the game with a good at-bat, however, again, 4 of these pitches (4, 5, 6, 9) were practically dead center. Alex should have hit all 4 of them, especially the 2 (4, 5) that are in the upper part of the zone. He also chases the first and the second pitch. Those 2 pitches are well out of the zone. The A-Rod we saw in the ALCS and the ALDS generally didn’t chase pitches like this.

Alex Rodriguez versus Pedro Martinez, Game 2, 4th inning, fly out:

pedro2

Again, these pitches aren’t necessarily well located. Out and over the plate is a strength for A-Rod, but he failed to do anything here. He hit the ball hard, but he pulled it to left field rather than going with the pitch, away (this was directly after the Teixeira home run).

Alex Rodriguez versus Pedro Martinez, Game 2, 6th inning, strikeout:

pedro3

A-Rod’s strike zone just doesn’t seem as good as it was against the Angels and the Twins. While Pedro makes 2 pretty good pitches here (2, 4), the third pitch of the at-bat was out of the zone. If Alex would have been patient with it, the count would have been a more favorable 2-1 (assuming the umpire calls the third pitch a ball) rather than the unfavorable 1-2. That, then, led to pitch 4—the strikeout pitch, inside.

Alex Rodriguez versus Ryan Madson, Game 2, 8th inning, strikeout:

madson1

Against Ryan Madson and his changeup, A-Rod totally folded. Though he allowed the first pitch to go by for ball 1, he then swung at 3 pitches that were in the exact same location (or thereabout, anyway) and all of them were well outside. Madson saw him diving over the outer part of the plate and just kept plugging away until he finally changed it up with a pitch on the inside (and up). There you have it, A-Rod’s worst at-bat of the series (on his last at-bat before Game 3).

Based on these 8 at-bats, I think A-Rod looks far too anxious at the plate. In previous postseason games this year, he would take his walks and allow the umpire to decide whether a close pitch was a strike or not (he wouldn’t chase). The Ryan Madson at-bat, in particular, was such a far cry from what we had been seeing all October, which was a patient Alex Rodriguez. In addition, when the Angels or the Twins left pitches up in the zone, especially on the outer part of the plate, Alex would crush them. Perhaps his nerves have finally caught up to him, at least for these two games.

Do I think we’ve seen the last of a clutch A-Rod this October? No, not at all. However, the at-bats above are, indeed, frustrating affairs. His strike zone judgment from Game 1 to Game 2 seems to have gotten worse, as well, which would indicate that he’s trying too hard. Hopefully, when he arrives in Citizen’s Bank Park and faces off against Cole Hamels in Game 3, he’ll opt for a more patient approach at the plate.

Tagged with: , , , ,

Blanton Lined Up For Game 4

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 4:03 pm 4 Responses »
Oct 302009

From Brian Costa:

The Yankees won’t have to face Cliff Lee again until Game 5 of the World Series. The Phillies named Joe Blanton their Game 4 starter Friday, opting to use a fourth starter rather than bring Lee back on short rest.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he was reluctant to have Lee pitch on just three days’ rest because he has never done it before in the majors.
“I don’t think he’s ready to go on three days’ rest,” Manuel said before the Phillies worked out at Citizens Bank Park. “That would be really pushing it, because he’s never done it before.”
Blanton, a right-hander, was 12-8 with a 4.05 ERA during the regular season. He has a 4.50 ERA in three appearances (one start) this postseason.

Blanton is not a terrible starter at all, and has some experience with American league lineups. He has terrible career numbers against the Yankees (8.18 ERA), but those represent a very small sample and are skewed by one awful start. That being said, I think Manuel is making a mistake here. Not only does this give the Yankees a major advantage in Game 4, it gives them the upper hand for a possible game 7. Game 5 would be Lee’s last start of the series, meaning the Yankees would get to face Pedro Martinez and Cole Hamels at home. While neither of those pitchers are slouches, they are most certainly not Cliff Lee. This is how it is likely to play out, assuming the Yankees use only three starters, courtesy of Rob Neyer:

Game 3: Pettitte vs. Hamels (advantage: Yankees)
Game 4: Sabathia vs. Blanton (Yankees)
Game 5: Burnett vs. Lee (Phillies)
Game 6: Pettitte vs. Martinez or Happ (Yankees)
Game 7: Sabathia vs. Hamels (Yankees)

If the Yankees happen to take Games 3 and 4, you might see Chad Gaudin in Game 5, with Game 6 going to Burnett and Game 7 to Sabathia, with Pettitte available in relief for both of those games.

I understand that Manuel is worried about wasting his greatest asset by using him in a manner that may sap his effectiveness. However, he is creating a situation where the Yankees can lose to Lee and even once to Hamels and still win the series. He would be better served by using Lee in Games 4 and 7, and pitching Blanton in Game 5 and Hamels/Martinez in Game 6. The Yankees just caught a break.

Tagged with: ,

The Decision To Sit Swisher

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 2:11 pm 21 Responses »
Oct 302009

From Dan Rosenheck:

In switching Jerry Hairston Jr. for the slumping Nick Swisher, Girardi placed far too much weight on Swisher’s disappointing 38 postseason plate appearances so far — and not nearly enough on the fact that Swisher’s combined on-base and slugging percentages were 159 points higher than Hairston’s in 2009, and 117 points higher over their careers. Girardi chose to sit his powerful right fielder in favor of a player who barely hits enough to play shortstop. Similarly, concerned about Burnett’s supposedly poor synchronization with Jorge Posada, he swapped out his Hall of Fame-caliber catcher for Jose Molina, who has a decent claim to be the worst hitter in the major leagues.

The question of whether “streaks” have any predictive value — whether we should significantly adjust our forecast of a hitter’s performance because he has been “hot” or “cold” in the preceding few weeks — has been studied exhaustively, and analysts are all but unanimous in concluding that we should not.

As Tom Tango writes in “The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball,” “Always assume that a player will hit at his projected norm [adjusted for the park, weather, and pitcher he is facing], regardless of how he has performed in the very recent past.”

I did not agree with the decision to sit Swisher, as I felt he was a better bet both offensively and defensively than Hairston even while slumping. However, the reasoning that Rosenheck provides, a favored precept among sabermetricians, seems specious to my admittedly untrained mind. Their studies show that a player in a slump should not be expected to deviate from his career norms in future games. However, just because this idea holds true on a broad level does not mean that a manager should use it when dealing with an individual slumping player.

I would suggest there are two kinds of slumps. The first type is when a hitter is not having any balls fall in, meaning he has not changed his approach at the plate and is not doing anything that would warrant time on the bench. The second type of slump is when the hitter is clearly mechanically off, and could benefit from a day off. If a manager determines that the player is in the second group, does it really make sense to keep him in the game because on a global level, slumps are not predictive of future performance? I would think not. The manager has to address the individual situation, and try to figure out whether this player is doing something clearly anomalous at the plate that is causing his poor performance. In fact, isn’t it possible that the data in the study is skewed by manager actions that help the player out of said slump?

Personally, I thought the fact that Swish was leading the team in pitches per plate appearance in the playoffs meant that he had not changed his approach, and that the hits would therefore come. However, if Girardi felt that he was in the second category of slumping players, a day off probably made sense.

Tagged with: ,

Random Thoughts-World Series Game 2

Posted by Steve S. at 8:21 am 13 Responses »
Oct 302009

To quote an Avis Rent a Car commercial 'Total domination'

-First and foremost, AJ Burnett was everything you could have hoped for and more last night. That wasn’t the good AJ last night, it was the great one. The one we’ve seen only a handful of times this year, notably against the Red Sox and Mets. Even the lone run he allowed should never have scored. Matt Stairs hit a grounder that went right under A-Rod’s glove, scoring Raul Ibanez from 2nd. He threw 1st pitch strikes seemingly all night, struck out 9 and walked just 2. When AJ gets ahead of hitters it means he’s commanding his fastball, and then his wicked curve/slider become devastating. He benefited from a somewhat wide strike zone by home plate umpire Jeff Nelson, but so did Pedro. He answered all questions last night in the biggest game of his life.

-Say what you want about Pedro, but he was a joy to watch last night as well. He has completely reinvented himself as an off speed pitcher and had the Yankee hitters off balance all night. He also has a bag of tricks to reach into, and the Jeter quick pitch for strike 3 was right down the middle, but caught Derek off guard. He’s one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game, and might have pitched his final game last night. If he did, he went out in style, which is fitting for a pitcher with his resume. Charlie Manuel left him in 2 batters too long, but FOX showed him grilling Pedro in the dugout and Pedro clearly wanted to stay in the game. Can’t blame Manuel for that.

-To his credit, unlike Manuel Joe Girardi took no chances and brought in Mo for the 6 out save. With a lead, I would have let AJ start the 8th considering how dominating he was. But taking him out after 108 pitches also leaves open the option of starting AJ in Game 5 on short rest. But I don’t expect that to happen, unless its an elimination game.

-Critics of Jose Molina as AJ’s personal catcher had a bad night last night. He was blocking balls in the dirt all night, sometimes with men on base. Many of those were balls that likely get past Posada. In the 4th inning, Molina brilliantly threw out Jason Werth at 1st base with a lefty batter in the batter’s box, which is something you rarely see. Blocking balls in the dirt may not sound like much, but it can keep innings from getting out of hand, which is the biggest issue with AJ. Posada did pinch hit in the bottom of the 7th and lined an RBI single, so he got a chance to contribute as well and the Yanks wound up with a walk and an RBI single from the Catcher’s spot in the lineup.

-The Jeter bunt play with 2 strikes was inexcusable. Little leaguers know not to do that. He bunts on his own, so the Girardi bashers will have to look elsewhere on that play. To his credit, he took full responsibility. Peter Abraham Tweeted this quote from Derek:

“That was me. That was stupid.” (on his bunt).

-Alex is 0-8 with 6 SO. The 6 strikeouts bother me more than the 0-8 does, in the ALDS and ALCS, he was on every pitch and FOX had a stat saying he hadn’t swung and missed at a single pitch in either series. He’s fouling pitches straight back that he was putting into the stands a week ago. He’s clearly off his game a bit. To compound matters, he took his troubles out on the field on the Matt Stairs run-scoring grounder, which went right under his glove. Hopefully Tex snapped out of it last night, and Alex will start getting better pitches to hit as a result. Next up is lefty Cole Hamels in hitters-haven Citizens Bank ballpark, which should be a good match up for Alex. But if you feel like jumping on Alex after 2 bad games, I would remind you that we wouldn’t be playing right now if not for his brilliant October leading up to the World Series.

-I know people will have their knee jerk reactions to the umpires, who have certainly had a bad post season, but that Ryan Howard play where he trapped the ball was difficult to see on slow motion, much less in real time.  I can’t go crazy about that play. Did the Yanks get a bad call? Yep, but it didn’t decide anything and most blown calls rarely do. Blaming umpires is generally just a convenient scapegoat for fans in a losing cause.

-Andy Pettitte faces Cole Hamels on Saturday night. Hamels has been very inconsistent all year, specifically with his ability to locate. Keep an eye on who the Home plate umpire will be. CC Sabathia has already been announced as the Yanks game 4 starter, while Manuel is waiting to see what happens in Game 3 before announcing his. He wants to avoid using Lee on short rest if at all possible. If the Phils win on Saturday, it will likely be Joe Blanton facing CC on Sunday, which is a fairly lopsided match up. But a Philly Game 3 win also sets up a Cliff Lee vs Chad Gaudin match up for Game 5 (assuming the Yanks win Game 4). If the Phils were to lose Game 3, Manuel could come back with Lee on short rest to face Sabathia. But we could have two pitching mismatches in Game 4 and 5 should the Yanks lose Game 3 on Saturday. I don’t think Girardi will pitch AJ Burnett on short rest in Game 5, unless its an elimination game. Looks like a long series, folks.

Tagged with:

WS Game 2: Phillies @ Yankees

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 7:45 pm 56 Responses »
Oct 292009

Lineups courtesy of Lohud:

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Jerry Hairston RF
Melky Cabrera CF
Jose Molina C
Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (0-0, 4.42 ERA in postseason)
PHILLIES
Jimmy Rollins SS
Shane Victorino CF
Chase Utley 2B
Ryan Howard 1B
Jayson Werth RF
Raul Ibanez LF
Matt Stairs DH
Pedro Feliz 3B
Carlos Ruiz C
Pitching: RHP Pedro Martinez (0-0, 0.00 ERA in postseason)

Yup. Jose Molina and Jerry Hairston. Cross your fingers, folks.

Older Entries
© 2011 TYU Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha