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| The Yankees and Rangers last met in the playoffs in the 1999 ALDS |
Jeff: Familiar foe indeed, but let's not begin to pretend that this Rangers team is the same as the Rangers teams the Yankees faced in the late 1990's.
The key to this series, if it isn't already obvious, is Andy Pettitte. Why? Because being tabbed the starter for games 3 and possibly 7 means that you have to go against playoff juggernaut Cliff Lee. There is no denying the dominance of Lee this and last year's postseasons. I don't really expect any meltdowns from Lee during this series, so these games will be crucial. Especially crucial is Andy Pettitte keeping the game close, since we know Lee's tendency to not give up any runs during his starts, but his tendency to go 9 innings. Pettitte MUST keep the game close, and the Yankees are going to have to do do what they can to get to the Rangers' bullpen in these games.
Yankees shouldn't have trouble hitting Wilson, Lewis or Hunter. I also don't think that Sabathia, Hughes or Burnett will pitch gems either. This entire ALCS is going to be a slugfest, between the two best lineups in the American League. Because of this, it is also especially crucial that the Yankees bullpen stays strong, particularly Kerry Wood continuing to toss goose eggs in the 8th inning to bridge to Rivera.
I didn't really think the Yankees would have much trouble with Minnesota, and even thought that the Twins might win a game. Yankees swept. This series isn't the case. The Rangers are a more than legitimate team, and I would be really surprised if this series didn't go 6 or 7 games. Really shocked. As evidenced by their last meeting, when the Rangers swept the Yankees out of Texas, this team is the real deal. It is especially important that the Yankees take at least one game against the Rangers in Texas. Going down 2-0, and having to face Cliff Lee in game 3 absolutely cannot happen. Picture this: down 2 games to 0 against the Rangers, and the Rangers win game 3. All of a sudden the Yankees are down 0-3, and hand the ball off to AJ Burnett in the must win game 4. THIS CANNOT BE THE SCENARIO. At the same time, the Rangers are 0-2 this playoffs at home, and the Yankees are 2-0 on the road, so I don't think the previous hypothetical is going to happen.
Yankees in 6.
Steve: It was the Rangers in the late 90s. It was the A's after that. Now the Twins are the ones who cringe every time they see that first-round matchup with the Yankees line up. Everyone in the AL's gonna have their sweet revenge plots pretty soon. This ALCS does have a different feel, though.
The Rangers are scary in that they have Cliff Lee, who just slays every time he toes the rubber, apparently. They've got big boppers who can abuse the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium, especially against a shaky Yankees rotation (AJ Burnett in game 4? yikes). If there's a single offense in the AL that can run with the Yanks, it's the Rangers. It'll be fun to watch.
On the flip side, Texas is a young squad that has never advanced this far into a season. They looked impressive in knocking off the Rays in a big time game 5 away from home, but that was in Tampa. I'm interested to see how these fresh faces will perform on the biggest stage in baseball.
Like the Yanks, though, outside of their ace the pitching staff is questionable. The Yankees make guys like Colby Lewis and CJ Wilson labor. If they can bump them from the game by the sixth, there's no one in the bullpen that can really shut it down. Look for the Yankees to remain patient against those starters and take control later in the game. And remember, Texas had to bust out Lee twice for the ALDS, so his appearances are limited going forward.
The question marks are all over the place in this series. I don't know what to expect from either team, really. When in doubt, go with the Yanks. I agree with Jeff. Yankees take it in 6.
Ben: The Rangers top pitchers on those 90s playoff teams consisted of Ken Hill, Rick Helling and Aaron Sele, it's safe to say this team is quite different now with postseason extraordinaire Cliff Lee. The difference between these Rangers teams doesn't just end in the rotation either, I disagree with Jeff and Steve here when they say how the Rangers lineup is dangerous, it's nothing like it used to be. While those Rangers teams played during the peak of the steroid era it's still worth noting that they averaged 937 runs a year while this years team scored 787 runs.
OK, so maybe Steve and Jeff weren't trying to say that these guys are just as good as Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gone and Pudge but still, the Rangers lineup doesn't scare me and that's because of Josh Hamilton. Hamilton is the key to that lineup and he clearly isn't healthy having gone 2/18 with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks without an XBH against the Rays in the ALDS. Would it shock me if Hamilton finally got healthy and regained his (MVP) stroke? Of course not, but I'm not going to assume it will happen. The Yankees on the other hand still have a great lineup, leading the league in runs (again) and they are likely even better than they showcased during the season with Jeter swinging a better bat, Granderson on fire, and Gardner/Swisher/Arod healthy(er).
As always is the case in the playoffs, this will likely come down to pitching. In a short series I'd argue that the Rangers have the better rotation, Lee/Wilson/Lewis > Sabathia/Pettitte/Hughes. However, in a 7 game series I give the edge to the Yankees. As bad as Burnett is, you really think Tommy Hunter starting in Yankee Stadium is a better bet? Also, Sabathia could still throw 3 games in this thing, I'll believe Burnett starting game 4 over game 5 when I see it. So with Burnett's edge (yes he has one) over Hunter and the chance that Sabathia can pitch 3 games I think the Yankees have the pitching edge. That's without even going into relief, where like Steve said, the Yankees can torment the other team.
The Rangers are a solid young team, beating the Rays was hardly a shocker, but the Yankees lineup will wear down the Rangers non-Lee starters, who tend throw a lot of pitches (CJ Wilson led the league in BBs) and will have to hand it over to a good-but-not-great relief corps. That's where I think this series will be won by the Yankees. I have to give them the Cliff Lee game 3 and maybe they sneak in another win but I'm agreeing with Jeff and Steve here:
Yankees in 6.
OK, so maybe Steve and Jeff weren't trying to say that these guys are just as good as Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gone and Pudge but still, the Rangers lineup doesn't scare me and that's because of Josh Hamilton. Hamilton is the key to that lineup and he clearly isn't healthy having gone 2/18 with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks without an XBH against the Rays in the ALDS. Would it shock me if Hamilton finally got healthy and regained his (MVP) stroke? Of course not, but I'm not going to assume it will happen. The Yankees on the other hand still have a great lineup, leading the league in runs (again) and they are likely even better than they showcased during the season with Jeter swinging a better bat, Granderson on fire, and Gardner/Swisher/Arod healthy(er).
As always is the case in the playoffs, this will likely come down to pitching. In a short series I'd argue that the Rangers have the better rotation, Lee/Wilson/Lewis > Sabathia/Pettitte/Hughes. However, in a 7 game series I give the edge to the Yankees. As bad as Burnett is, you really think Tommy Hunter starting in Yankee Stadium is a better bet? Also, Sabathia could still throw 3 games in this thing, I'll believe Burnett starting game 4 over game 5 when I see it. So with Burnett's edge (yes he has one) over Hunter and the chance that Sabathia can pitch 3 games I think the Yankees have the pitching edge. That's without even going into relief, where like Steve said, the Yankees can torment the other team.
The Rangers are a solid young team, beating the Rays was hardly a shocker, but the Yankees lineup will wear down the Rangers non-Lee starters, who tend throw a lot of pitches (CJ Wilson led the league in BBs) and will have to hand it over to a good-but-not-great relief corps. That's where I think this series will be won by the Yankees. I have to give them the Cliff Lee game 3 and maybe they sneak in another win but I'm agreeing with Jeff and Steve here:
Yankees in 6.
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