Game 116 Preview: Angels vs. Yankees

The matinee rubber game between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the New York Yankees will be underway at 1:05 PM. The Angels killed a Yankee rally and gave Mariano Rivera a loss in the first game while the Yankees poured on nine runs, six via the home run, last night. 

Bartolo Colon will pitch for New York. He's already seen the Angels lineup back on June 5, when he lasted 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four. The good news is that he pitched better than his line shows. Of the 20 balls hit into play, only two were line drives. Hopefully he can keep one of his former teams in check this afternoon. Colon has pitched like his 2011 self ever since the implosion of Yankee defense in Toronto back on July 14. In his last four starts, he's gone 23.0 innings allowing seven runs on 24 hits while walking six and striking out 21. 

For the Los Angeles/Anaheim, Tyler Chatwood will take the mound against the Yankees for the first time in his young career. Chatwood has shown flashes of brilliance on many occasions this season. He's pitched between 6.0 and 8.0 innings 11 times this season, and in only two of those starts he allowed more than two earned runs to score. However, when he doesn't go 6.0 innings, he generally gets knocked around pretty hard. For example, his last two starts have been struggles: 11.2 innings, 15 hits, 11 earned runs, three walks and eight strike outs.

A brief scouting report clocks his fastball at an average speed of 92.9 miles per hour. He'll throw his fastball the vast majority of the time, mixing in a curveball (78.9 mph) and changeup (81.6 mph) every so often. If he's missing his location today, the patient Yankee hitters will make him work and definitely force him to throw mistake pitches.

Lineups after the jump

Bartolo Colon vs. current Angels hitters

Yankees lineup: 1. Gardner LF, 2. Jeter DH, 3. Granderson CF, 4. Teixeira 1B, 5. Cano 2B, 6. Swisher RF, 7. Chavez 3B, 8. Nunez SS, 9. Cervelli C

Angels lineup: 1. Aybar SS, 2. Callaspo 3B, 3. Abreu DH, 4. Hunter RF, 5. Trumbo 1B, 6. Wells LF, 7. Izturis 2B, 8. Bourjos CF, 9. Wilson C

Notes:

1) The last time the Yankees took a season series from the Angels was 2003. There are still three games yet to be played out in Anaheim between September 9 and 11, but New York currently holds a 3-2 lead this year.

2) The last time Brett Gardner was caught stealing: June 18 at Wrigley Field. That would be 22 consecutive stolen bases without being caught.

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