This year’s ALCS features the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The series is set to begin Friday night at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. For the Yankees, it’s their first appearance in the ALCS since the 2004 heartbreaker of a series vs. the Red Sox. The Angels return to the ALCS for the first time since 2005, when they lost in 5 games to the Chicago White Sox. The Angels hold a 6-3 advantage against the Yankees in 9 previous playoff matchups, which includes the 2002 ALDS when the Angels won the series in 4 games and the 2005 ALDS when they defeated the Yankees in 5 games. Your Mother’s Mustache has a full breakdown of what’s sure to be a classic tilt among these two American League powerhouses.
2009 Season Series: Tied 5-5
CATCHER: Jorge Posada/Jose Molina vs. Mike Napoli/Jeff Mathis
Posada hit .364 (4 for 11) in the ALDS vs. the Twins. He hit a clutch go-ahead home run off Carl Pavano in the 7th inning of game 3 that proved to be the game winner. Posada will once again sit in favor of Jose Molina when AJ Burnett pitches, but best believe the Yankees will get his bat in the lineup as much as they can in this series. The Angels will look to run on Posada with speedster Chone Figgins (42 steals), as well as Bobby Abreu (30 steals), but will find it much tougher to run when Molina is behind the dish. Mike Napoli can hit for power, as evidenced by his 20 home runs in 100 starts this season, so the Yankees pitchers will need to keep the ball down in the zone against him. Napoli went 1 for 4 (.250) in the series vs. the Red Sox and split time with the Angels other backstop, Jeff Mathis. Mathis hit .333 in the ALDS vs. Boston, but has a career average of only .143 against the Yankees.
EDGE: YANKEES
FIRST BASEMEN: Mark Teixeira vs. Kendry Morales
The comparison between two of the game’s premier switch-hitting first basemen is closer than many of you may think. Other than two clutch hits in game 2, Teixeira didn’t have a particularly good series with the bat in the ALDS. He hit just .166 (2 for 12) in the series, but he did hit the game-winning, walk-off home run in the 11th inning of game 2. Teixeira had an MVP caliber season in his first with the Yankees, but struggled against the Angels, hitting just .225 in 10 contests. On the other side, Cuban-born Kendry Morales was one of the biggest breakout players of this past season. He set career highs across the board, hitting .306 with 34 HR and 108 RBI. Like Teixeira, Morales struggled in the opening round of the playoffs, hitting just .200 (2 for 10) with 1 HR and 3 RBI. But he was one of the Angels better hitters vs. the Yankees in the regular season, hitting .375 in 10 games. Morales is a solid defensive first basemen, committing only 8 errors in ’09, but he doesn’t compare to Teixeira who is probably the best defensive first basemen in the game today.
EDGE: YANKEES
SECOND BASEMEN: Robinson Cano vs. Howie Kendrick
Cano bounced back from a disappointing 2008 campaign to regain his status as one of the most productive players at his position in all of baseball. He hit .320 this season with 25 HR and 85 RBI, but also struggled in the ALDS, hitting just .167 (2 for 12) with 1 RBI. Cano was one of the Yankees more successful hitters against the Angels in the regular season. He had 14 hits in 10 games, hitting at a .341 clip. Howie Kendrick had a very interesting season for the Halos. He was optioned to the minors in the middle of the season amidst some offensive struggles, which limited him to just 105 games on the season. But Kendrick bounced back in the 2nd half of the season and despite his early season struggles, still finished with career highs in HRs (10) and RBI (61) while batting .291. Kendrick will split time with Macier Izturis as he did in the ALDS vs. Boston.
EDGE: YANKEES
SHORTSTOP: Derek Jeter vs. Erick Aybar
The Yankee captain excelled in his new role as a lead off hitter this season, hitting for his highest batting average since 2006 (.334), while also stealing 30 bases. Jeter began the 2009 post season with a bang, hitting a 2-run HR off Nick Blackburn in the 3rd inning of game 1 of the ALDS to get the Yankees on the board. He finished 4 for 10 in the series, with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 4 runs, and once again showed why he is considered by many to be one of the best post season hitters ever to play the game. Jeter hit .333 against the Angels during the regular season. Erick Aybar came into the 2009 ALDS against Boston with minimal post season success. He went a combined 2 for 19 in the 2007 and 2008 division series match ups with the Red Sox, but proved to be much better in this season’s series. Aybar hit a 2 run triple in the 7th inning of game 2 and sparked the Angels comeback rally late in game 3 that helped lead to their 3-game sweep of Boston. In 10 regular season clashes, Aybar hit .286 against the Yankees.
EDGE: YANKEES
THIRD BASEMEN: Alex Rodriguez vs. Chone Figgins
Coming into the playoffs this season, I told as many people as I could how sure I was that A-Rod would have a monster post season. Well through the opening round, I think it’s safe to say that Rodriguez is well on his way. Against the Twins, A-Rod hit an astounding .455 (5 for 11), including two clutch home runs and 6 runs batted in. What’s even more so, is that A-Rod went a combined 0-6 in his first 2 AB’s of each game, meaning he went 5 for 5 in his final AB’s. If that’s not clutch, then I don’t know what is. A-Rod has seemingly silenced his critics for the time being and by the end of the ALCS, I expect him to silence them for good. Chone Figgins is as dangerous a player as there is on the base paths in all of the majors and the perfect lead off man for manager Mike Scioscia’s National League style of baseball. Scioscia will have Figgins testing Posada’s arm every chance he gets in this series. In addition to his 42 stolen bases, Figgins hit .298 in ’09 with 114 runs (3rd overall in MLB) and 30 doubles. He hit .333 on the season against the Yankees, but he’s coming off an awful series vs. the Red Sox, in which he went 0 for 12 with just 1 run scored.
EDGE: YANKEES
LEFT FIELD: Johnny Damon vs. Juan Rivera
After a great first half of the season that put him on pace for career highs in several offensive categories, Johnny Damon tailed off and puttered down the home stretch of the season. Those struggles seem to have carried over into the postseason, as Damon hit just .083 (1 for 12) in the ALDS and looked lost at times at the plate. To make matters worse, the veteran is a huge liability on defense, making only the most routine catches in left field. Look for the Angels base runners to challenge Damon’s arm with every opportunity. Hopefully his bat starts to get going in the first 2 games of this series, otherwise we could see more of Melky Cabrera in left and Brett Gardner in center. Damon hit just .121 against the Angels in the regular season. Juan Rivera finally got over the injury bug that has plagued him for much of his career and had a very productive season for the Angels. He hit .287 with 25 HR and 88 RBI during the regular season and .273 (3 for 11) with O HRs and 2 RBI in the ALDS vs. Boston. Rivera has a good arm in left and definitely gets the edge defensively in this match up. In the 8 games he played vs. the Yankees in ‘09, Rivera hit .222 win no homers and 2 RBI.
SLIGHT EDGE: ANGELS
CENTER FIELD: Melky Cabrera/Brett Gardner vs. Torii Hunter
Melky Cabrera proved throughout the season that he can hit in the clutch as he collected several walk-off hits on the year. He was one of the Yankees best players against the Angels during the regular season, hitting .393 with an on-base percentage of .485. In the opening series sweep of the Twins, Melky was just 2 for 12 (.167) with 1 run and no extra-base hits. We should also see Brett Gardner in CF, as Girardi will certainly use him late in games as both a pinch runner and defensive replacement. Torii Hunter is still one of the best defensive outfielders in the game despite slowing down a few steps over the past few years. He hit .299 on the season, with 22 HR and 90 RBI in just 119 games played. In the ALDS vs. Boston, Hunter hit .200 (2 for 10) with 1 HR and 3 RBI, but struggled in the regular season vs. the Yankees, hitting just .233 in 7 games. He is an important part of the Angels team and has a clear advantage over the Yankees counterparts in center field.
EDGE: ANGELS
RIGHT FIELD: Nick Swisher vs. Bobby Abreu
Nick Swisher is a very streaky hitter. But all things considered, the Yankees got more than they expected from their right fielder in 2009. He hit just .249 on the year, but also had 29 homers to go along with 82 RBI. Swisher struggled mightily vs. the Twins however, collecting just 1 hit in 12 at-bats (.083). He also struggled against the Angels in the regular season to the tune of .211 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 4 K’s in 22 plate appearances. When the Angels failed to sign Mark Teixeira as an unrestricted free agent last off season, they were forced to turn elsewhere to land the offensive firepower they needed. They wound up landing what proved to be the biggest bargain signing of last year’s free agency market in Bobby Abreu. Abreu had an absolutely superb season for the Angels, hitting .293 with 15 HR, 103 RBI and 30 stolen bases. He became only the 2nd player in Angels team history to record over 100 RBI and 30 SB’s in the same season. Abreu was excellent in the series vs. Boston, going 5 for 9 (.556) with 1 RBI and 4 runs scored. He hit .314 in 35 at-bats against the Yankees in the regular season.
EDGE: ANGELS
DESIGNATED HITTER: Hideki Matsui vs. Vladimir Guerrero
For those of you out there that didn’t follow the Yankees closely this year, you may not have realized the type of season Matsui put together. As the full-time DH for the first time in his career, Matsui hit .274 with 28 HR and 90 RBI for the Yankees. In game 1 of the ALDS, he connected for a 2 run shot in the 5th inning vs. Twins starter Nick Blackburn to help lead the Yankees to victory. Matsui has now played in 9 playoff series since coming over to the Yankees from Japan, and has 7 home runs in 165 at-bats with an average just above .300. In 10 games this season vs. the Angels, Matsui had 3 HR and 6 RBI while hitting .250. Vladimir Guerrero battled injuries throughout the 2009 season, but started to come along in the last month of the season. He’s certainly not the player he once was, but “Bad Vlad” is still a very dangerous hitter amongst many in the Angels lineup. Guerrero was the hero in game 3 of the ALDS, coming through with a two-out, two-run single off Jonathan Papelbon to rally the Angels past the Red Sox and into the ALCS. In the entire series, Vlad was 4 for 10 (.400) with those 2 crucial runs batted in, and in just 3 games vs. the Yankees in ’09, Vlad hit .462 with 1 HR and 3 RBI.
EDGE: EVEN
STARTING ROTATION: CC Sabathia/ AJ Burnett/ Andy Pettitte vs. John Lackey/ Joe Saunders/ Jered Weaver/ Scott Kazmir
In the ALDS, the Yankees outscored the Twins 15-6 behind superb outings from starters CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte. The three combined for 19 innings pitched, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) and 14 hits, while striking out 21 batters and walking only 6. There has been a lot of talk stemming from Yankees camp that manager Joe Girardi is leaning towards going with a 3-man rotation against the Angels in an effort to get 3 starts from his ace, CC Sabathia. I personally love this plan. While with the Brewers last season, Sabathia repeatedly showed that he is capable of pitching effectively even on short days rest. Couple that with the 5 days rest he’ll have coming into this series and I think Girardi’s approach is the way to go. The one legitimate issue with this strategy is the forecast for inclement weather in the New York area on Friday night, which could cause game 1 to be postponed. If this were to happen, the Yankees will be forced to go to a 4-man rotation seeing as the game would get pushed back a day and Sunday’s off day would be lost. If the Yankees go to a 4-man rotation, Chad Gaudin would get the nod in game 4.
The Angels sport a very talented and deep starting rotation, beginning with game 1 starter John Lackey. Lackey threw 7.1 shutout innings in game 1 of the ALDS vs. Boston and has proven to be a big game pitcher in playoffs’ past, particularly in game 7 of the 2002 World Series vs. San Francisco. Lackey was 1-0 against the Yankees this season with a 2.57 ERA. Joe Saunders will take the mound in game 2. Saunders had a solid season for the Halos, going 16-7 with a 4.60 ERA and 101 strikeouts. In his last start against the Yankees on September 21st, Saunders pitched very well, going 8.1 innings and allowing just 2 runs in a win. The game 3 starter for the Angels will be Jered Weaver. Weaver bounced back from a down year in 2008 to win 16 games with an ERA of 3.75 and 174 strikeouts. Despite his success, Weaver didn’t fare well against the Yankees, going 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA. And in game 4, the Halos will look to Scott Kazmir, who was acquired in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays on August 28th of this year. Kazmir went 2-2 with a 1.73 ERA in 6 regular season starts with the Angels, but didn’t pitch well in the Angels clinching win in game 3 vs. Boston. He allowed 5 runs in 6 innings, while striking out 1 and walking 3. In his career vs. the Yankees, Kazmir is 6-5 with a 2.67 ERA.
SLIGHT EDGE: YANKEES
BULLPEN: Closers: Mariano Rivera vs. Brian Fuentes
The Yankees bullpen had a 1-0 record with 1.80 ERA and 13 strikeouts in the ALDS vs. the Twins. During the regular season, they had a 3.91 ERA, 483 strikeouts and a .231 batting average against in 515 innings, ranking them atop the American League and 5th in all of baseball. The best reliever in the history of the game, Mariano Rivera, continues to be the anchor for the Yankees. In 4 regular season appearances against the Angels, Rivera had 4 saves with an ERA of 0.00. In the ALDS, Rivera pitched 3.2 innings while striking out 7 and recording the save in the Yankees series clinching win. Phil Hughes has been nothing short of spectacular since being assigned to the set-up role for the Yanks, but he struggled in the opening round series vs. the Twins with a 9.00 ERA in 2 innings pitched. Hopefully, he’ll be able to get back on track vs. the Angels. Joba Chamberlain has re-assumed a role in the bullpen and appears to be the 7th inning bridge that leads to Hughes and Rivera. The main cogs of the rest of the Yankees’ pen include youngster David Robertson, Alfredo Aceves and left hander, Phil Coke.
The Angels bullpen went 6.1 innings in their opening series vs. Boston, recording a 1.08 ERA with 4 strikeouts and a miniscule .174 batting average against. In the regular season, they ranked 11th amongst bullpens in the American League. Closer Brian Fuentes led the majors 48 saves in ’09, but had an unusually high ERA for a closer (3.93). In four appearances against the Yankees this season, Fuentes recorded 3 saves with an ERA of 9.00. Fuentes was solid vs. the Red Sox, recording 2 saves in 1.2 innings pitched. The rest of the Angels bullpen is rounded out by Jose Arrendondo, Jason Bulger, Darren Oliver, Scot Shields, Kevin Jepsen and Matt Palmer.
EDGE: YANKEES
MANAGERS: Joe Girardi vs. Mike Scioscia
Girardi has made some head scratching moves this season, but also some very good ones (i.e. moving Jeter to the lead off spot). It’s hard to argue against a manager who led his team to 103 wins and the best record in baseball. Hands down, Girardi should win the 2009 award for A.L. Manager of the Year, an award Mike Scioscia already won back in 2002. It was during the 2002 season that Scioscia led the Angels to a World Series title, so he has obviously proven that he can win in the playoffs. As good as both of these managers are, it’s the players who will undoubtedly decide this series.
SLIGHT EDGE: ANGELS
PREDICTION:
This series has the potential to be a truly classic ALCS between what are clearly the American League’s two best teams. The Angels will gain a slight edge in starting pitching if the Yankees are forced to go a 4-man rotation and Chad Gaudin winds up facing off with Scott Kazmir in game 4. It’s important for the Yankees, who had the best home record in baseball this season, to take care of home field advantage in the Bronx. It’s going to be a fantastic series, I just can’t help but feel like it’s the Yankees year. My prediction:
YANKEES IN 6
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