I’m stealing a bit of Fack Youk’s schtick here, but I just had to. But they didn’t pick this song, and it’s pretty freaking awesome. So feel free to click play and listen to the song while you read.
Angels Stadium of Anaheim: a place the Yankees apparently do not like playing. They’ve had their struggles there over the past few years, and the situation came to a head in the three games before the All-Star Break, when the Angels swept the Bombers.
Trends are great for one reason: by definition, they do not last forever. While the Yankees of recent past have had troubles out in LA, this is not the same group. No, the July series does not help their case, but that was a turning point in the season. The Yanks went on an absolute tear after that series, storming out of the gates in the second half and running strongly through August and the beginning of September.
There might have been some complacency brewing in the past week or so. The Yanks are 5-5 in their last 10, but after series against the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Mariners, are finally back to playing real competition. In fact, one of those five wins was against the Angels, as the Yanks rallied to a victory at the Stadium just a week ago. They’ll look for more of the same in this series.
Things start off with Joe Saunders, former first round pick. After a breakout season in 2008, things got ugly for Saunders in 2009. From June 30, when he entered with a 3.66 ERA, through August 7, he allowed 43 runs, 41 earned, over 38.1 innings. Something was clearly wrong, and on August 8 the Angels placed him on the 15-day DL with left shoulder tightness. For a team that has faced numerous pitching injuries, this was about the third-worst thing that could happen (Nick Adenhart – immeasurable gap – Kelvim Escobar – big gap – Saunders).
Since his return on August 26, Saunders has been nothing short of brilliant. He’s tossed 30 innings over five starts, allowing 10 runs, seven earned. That’s more like the Saunders the Angels were expecting this season. That’s unsustainable over a season for a guy with his stuff, but Saunders can go into stretches like this. The Yanks have to hope that his luck turns around a bit in this start.
Andy Pettitte makes his return for the Yankees this evening. After a dominant August, Pettitte ran into troubles in his two September starts. Like Saunders, Andy faced some shoulder issues. Unlike the Angels, the Yankees nipped it in the bud early. Andy hasn’t tossed a live inning until September 11, giving him a full nine days off. He swears he feels fine, but we shouldn’t expect Pettitte to say any different.
A win against the Angels tonight would be huge. Not only would it quell a few narratives, but it would knock that magic number down to Yogi/Dickey. That’s all the Yanks should be focused on now, getting that number to zero as quickly as possible.
Lineup:
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Johnny Damon, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Nick Swisher, RF
6. Jorge Posada, DH
7. Robinson Cano, 2B
8. Melky Cabrera, CF
9. Jose Molina, C
And on the mound, number forty-six, Andy Pettitte.