Game 1 - Wednesday, Oct. 6 – at Minnesota, 8:37 PM Game 2 - Thursday, Oct. 7 – at Minnesota, 6:07 PM Game 3 - Saturday, Oct. 9 – at New York, 8:37 PM Game 4 (if nec.) - Sunday, Oct. 10 – at New York, TBA Game 5 (if nec.) - Tuesday, Oct. 12 – at Minnesota, TBA Yankees in 4.
I know I'm not saying anything ground breaking here, but I have serious concerns about the Yankees rotation. Pettitte has not been good, and for the Yankees to go anywhere, he has to revert to the money pitcher of old. As for Hughes, I doubt I need to say anything there. The Twins have their own issues, of course. Yet again Morneau misses the important games, and Matt Capps is a career Pirate and National. I think Minnesota has a better chance at the series than public perception gives them. Maybe 40-45%.
Yankees in 5 Does nobody else have a problem with the best-of-5 1st round? To play a 162 game season and have a short series to decide who goes on is pretty absurd.
I'm going to assume Capster is right about the bullpen and we take it in 4. I agree with Yis, the rotation needs to be better but I think they will get it together.
Very real chance. He's been almost lights out. I dunno, I don't mind it. The playoffs would be absurdly long if say, every series goes the distance. We'd be crowning a champion in mid-November, and if the weather is as bad as the farmers almanac says it will be, that would be delayed to almost December.
You can read too much into two starts. Since coming back off the DL, he's had one great start, one lousy start, and one with mixed results. (That last start against Boston was more about the walks than getting hit hard. And he had 8Ks.) I'd still take him as a #3 starter compared to most any other team.
Something that bugs me is that speculation now is that Girardi will choose between Moseley and Chad f**king Gaudin for a roster spot, while Mitre and Nova will be on the outside looking in. Now I won't make a case for Nova because he hasn't been amazing, but in no way has Gaudin been better than Mitre. Neither has Moseley, though at least Moseley ate up starter innings when we needed him. Chad Gaudin is motherf*%&ing awful. I can't understand how this guy still has a job in the major leagues, much less with a playoff team. Speculation is also that while Burnett will be on the roster, the Yankees will go CC, Pettitte, Hughes in the first series with Burnett as backup for Pettitte. I actually like that plan.
The one thing about Gaudin is that he can come in with runners on base and get a strikeout. Mitre doesn't have an out pitch, and Nova has no experience pitching out of the pen. I assume that's what Girardi's thinking. In any case, if Gaudin, Mitre, Moseley or Nova play any significant role in the postseason then something's gone horribly wrong. As for this series, everybody's so focused on the Yankees problems that they forget the Twins have issues of their own. They lost 8 of their last 10 games, they're still missing the best first baseman in the AL, and since Gardenhire's been their manager they've played their absolute worst baseball against New York. I say Yankees in 4.
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/yb/150546539 Oct. 02--Scheduled to catch only as long as Carl Pavano pitched Friday, Joe Mauer talked his manager into letting him play the whole game and left with his left knee feeling fine after a 6-3 loss to Toronto at Target Field. "Mauer got through it fine," Ron Gardenhire said. Playing behind the plate for the first time since Sept. 19, Mauer went 1 for 4 with a run-scoring single that briefly put the Twins up, 2-1, in the sixth inning. He had missed nine straight games after twisting his knee in a loss to Oakland, and was the designated hitter on Thursday. Gardenhire said Mauer is likely to take today's afternoon game off. "He's played a couple days now," the manager said. "We have a noon game tomorrow, so he might be better sitting on the bench and then playing half a game on Sunday," when the Twins close out the regular season. "He got some good swings in," Gardenhire said. "That was important." Morneau gets a rest day: A day after a vigorous workout that included sprints, grounders and batting practice, Justin Morneau was limited to a light workout inside on Friday. Out since July 7 with post-concussion syndrome, Morneau said Thursday that he hopes to be available if the Twins advance to the American League Championship Series. Gardenhire said Morneau's absence from team drills shouldn't be misread. "Everything went great," Gardenhire said. "He felt great. ... He did a lot of work yesterday, so take a few swings and leave it at that." Rauch in wait-and-see mode: Jon Rauch told reporters he'll be ready to pitch for the playoffs, despite having fluid drained from his swollen left knee on Thursday. Gardenhire wasn't as convinced. "We'll see," he said. "(Rauch) told me yesterday he was not going to do anything all weekend and try to throw a bullpen on the days off, so we have to see how everything goes with his knee." Briefly: Jim Thome's back survived a two at-bat test on Friday, Gardenhire said. Batting as the designated hitter, Thome went 0 for 2 with a strikeout and sharp groundout to second. "I want to see some pitching," Thome said before the game. "I want to get into a groove."
Obviously when you start getting into secondary members of the pen there is an issue, however, Gaudin is awful. He's a sinkhole roster spot. If he comes into a game it's because the game is out of reach one way or another. At least Mitre is available to come in to start an inning if there is a lead and he can be trusted to keep that lead and allow us to preserve a Joba or Robertson. I see absolutely no value to having Gaudin on the team much less a member of our postseason roster when others with more talent are available. I'm not focused on the Yankees problems. Honestly, the Yankees have the least problems of anyone in the AL, with the possible exception of the Rays, though I think the Yankees are still more well-rounded. My only problem with the Yankees right now is Girardi. They should have took home field and I always fear his micro-management ruining a game. Especially with the pen. Talent-wise, the Yankees are the best overall team in baseball. They're banged up though, and part of the reason for that is because Joe flip-flopped on whether to try to win the division or not until it was too late to matter. I'm not sure it'll matter this series though. The ALCS is going to be the fight, regardless of the opponent.
Why can't the Yankees just go back to the three pitcher rotation from last season? CC, Hughes, and Pettite would work out fine. I don't trust anyone else to start at this point, not even Burnett.
I thought that's what they were doing. The rotation hasn't been announced yet, but I assumed it would be CC-Pettitte-Hughes-CC-Pettitte. CC would go on 3 days rest in Game 4 if necessary, and Pettitte would have regular rest for Game 5.
