Angels in the ALCS

by RuBiCaNT on Aug 20, 2009 1:08 AM EDT

Not too look forward to the post season but you can't help but wonder who the Yankees are going to be playing, the Angels in a 5 game or in a 7 game. Personally, I think Boston is too good to not make the Wildcard so it will probably be the Angels. I would love to say the Yankees match up with the Angels better this year but again, it's still the Angels. I looked at their batting order from last night's game and 1 - 9 are all batting .300 or better....ALL. They now have the #1 offense (arguably), 1st in batting, runs scored but lack significantly in the pitching department. The Yankees lead the majors in OPS, OBP, SLG, but also 1st in WHIP, 2nd in BAA and 3rd in OPS against. In a short series though, anything goes. I would much rather face the Angels in a 7 game than a 5. Thoughts?

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I remember in 2007 being happy that the Yanks

had to face Cleveland and not the Angels. Same thing happed in 2006 whe we avoided facing the great Johan Santana and got to play the lowly Tigers. I stopped thinking like that because it is silly. In order for the Yankees to advance in the playoffs and win the WS, they are going actually have to beat some good teams with good pitchers and hitters. All I want is for the Yankees to have home field advantage so that it is the Angels or Texas that have to fly across the country to play and not them.

by garp on Aug 20, 2009 1:46 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

This is spot on.

It’s not about who we’re playing, it’s about us. We’re better than the last few year’s teams right now, and will hopefully play better than they did in the playoffs.

"We're only going to score 17 points?" ~ Tom Brady

by mwilli on Aug 20, 2009 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions

I really dont care who we play in the playoffs, as long as the whole team is healthy, we could beat anybody.

Any chance nady is ready for any time in the playoffs?

by jv52yankees on Aug 20, 2009 3:31 AM EDT reply actions

nady had tommy john surgery last month. marte might be close to returning.

by reedux on Aug 20, 2009 3:40 AM EDT reply actions

There is no comparison

The 2009 Angels are like the 2005 Yankees – they have an abundance of offense, but a shortage of pitching.

The Yankees hold a significant edge in starting pitching, relief pitching, closers, and defense.

by 3460kuri on Aug 20, 2009 9:09 AM EDT reply actions

We have a good team

who cares who we’re playing? This Yankee team is very, very good. There’s a reason that we have the best record in baseball. This team can beat anyone.

by nyyrocks29 on Aug 20, 2009 11:49 AM EDT reply actions

Based on current records and the ban against teams from the same division playing the first round, the matchups break down like this: if Boston gets the wild card, the Yankees will probably play Detroit (or whoever wins the Central). If Texas gets the wild card, the Yankees probably get Texas. I’d rather play the Angels in a 7-game series, but as others have said above, there’s no guarantee they’d get past their first-round opponent, so let’s just hope everyone is healthy and playing their best.

by long time listener on Aug 20, 2009 3:25 PM EDT reply actions

Need to take it the Angels

Id love to take down the Angels in the 1st rd and pay them back for 02’ and 05 ,, and I would love to take it to the Sawx this week and in the ALCS… and of course beating the Dodgers and the King of Smug Torre would be icing on the cake… Other things I would like to see.. a brawl with the RedSox where Varitek gets taken down for his bullshit in 04 with AROD..and an investigation into the Mitchell Report and why was Mitchell who is on the Board of Directors of the Red Sox picked to head the investigation and write the report on Steroids in MLB.. Signs throughout the Stadium when we play the Sux again citing Pedroia’s pedophile brother .. ( great payback for all the homosexual slurs used by our friends in Mass towards Jeter and AROD) ..

by MUSKRAT on Aug 21, 2009 2:26 AM EDT reply actions

Torre Isn't Smug

The Yankees brass didn’t want him anymore. I love the guy and he has done so much for this franchise, I will forever be appreciative. Joe is on a new team now, he’s winning (and burning out the bullpen) so I don’t have an ill feelings towards him.

by RuBiCaNT on Aug 21, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions

The biggest problem for the Angels is

Who starts Game 3? Who starts Game 4? Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana are the likely candidates. Saunders is giving up 1.6 HR per 9 innings and isn’t striking anybody out (4.7 K/9). Ervin Santana is in the midst of sandwiching a very good year between two horrible ones. He’s giving up 1.5 HR per 9 innings.

Texas, Boston, and the Rays have this same problem, two good starting pitchers but nothing else.

by 3460kuri on Aug 21, 2009 8:53 AM EDT reply actions

but what happens if they (Santana and Saunders or a Wakefield or a Garza or Porcello)are mysteriously on their game against the Yankees?

You can’t invest 100% into the numbers. Different animals tend to emerge in different situations thats the excitement of it…But lets look at some Yankee examples that went south shall we?:

Uhhhhhh 2004 perhaps?
01’ W.S when we were the better team but got outhit drastically and outplayed
05’ when we lost in 5 to LAA when we were “better”
06’ when we lost to DET when we just flat out stopped playing
ARod everytime the playoffs come around——that could hopefully change this year with proper rest.
Mike Mussina (with the exception of the Aaron Boone Game)
Randy Johnson
The 07’ Yankees who owned CLE in the regular season that year,than the midges came.

Point is,we shouldn’t underestimate ANY team or ANY player just because of how we tend to have the better squad on paper.

by ReggieARodJeter on Aug 21, 2009 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Wait a second...

You’re listing Moose in the same breath as Randy Johnson? He wasn’t perfect in big spots as a Yankee but he had a lot of good to great games:
The “flip” game against Oakland in 2001…he was outstanding in that game.
Game 2 of the 01 ALCS…beat Seattle when we weren’t exactly the favorite in that series
The Boone game
Game 3 of the 03 World Series…he beat Josh Beckett
Won game 1 of the 04 ALCS and left with the lead in game 5…if only Tom Gordon hadn’t happened.

by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Aug 23, 2009 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Okay maybe Moose was a bad one. I knew I'd get it for that one.

by ReggieARodJeter on Aug 23, 2009 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions

I'd rather see LAA in the 7game ALCS too.

Boston I’d rather see in a 7 game also.

Texas,Detroit,maybe even ChiSox not as concerned for a 7 game series.
I believe the grudge win is Boston and the key win is against LAA….they are a real problem

by ReggieARodJeter on Aug 21, 2009 2:39 PM EDT reply actions

Honestly...

It all comes down to who gets hot in the last couple weeks of the season. Remember back to 2000, the Yankees had one of the worst records (if not the worst) among the playoff teams and they were able to pull out the win and beat the Mets. Granted, this year is a bit different with bonafide #1 and #2 guys in CC and Burnett and Andy has shown his poise in the post season but it’s all about who is hot and who is not.

by RuBiCaNT on Aug 22, 2009 12:45 AM EDT reply actions

ehhh, not sure who i'd rather face

everyone has good arguments but I’m stuck with my pick. I’d almost say I would rather have boston in seven cuz we tend to struggle with the angels but who knows, maybe we turn things round like cleveland did to us couple yrs back. Maybe sit a-rod out for couple games too, he’s not worth a penny in the playoffs, especially when we had detroit in the first round couple yrs back, he can easily be compared to tony romo of the cowboys, when the pressures on neither can deliver like what’s needed. Call me crazy but the few times we rested a-rod, the bats were hot and we did well, we could always to drop him to dh or 5th in line up. We stay the way we are now, it won’t matter who we face, we’ll beat em all. Go Yanks!!!

Yanks rock!!!

by #1_Yankee_fAn on Aug 23, 2009 6:24 PM EDT reply actions