You can’t win if you don’t score…
ALCS Game Five Spillover Thread II
Now for even better luck.
ALCS Game Five Spillover Thread
That last thread sucked, time for a new one.
ALCS Game Five: Yankees at Angels
We were lucky that the ALCS off-day didn’t come between Games 3 and 4. Otherwise there would have been almost two days of everyone questioning Joe Girardi’s in-game management. Instead, they played Game 4 a day later and won decisively, making us forget about bullpen moves. We can thank CC Sabathia for that, who made moot any pitcher change issues. That’s what happens when you go eight innings and leave with a 10-1 lead.
As a Yanks fan, it’s hard to be more excited than I am right now. The team is on the brink of its first World Series since 2003, and the way the team is making it easy to feel confident. The pitching has been superb to this point, and maybe, just maybe, the offense is coming around after a slow start to the postseason. In fact, that could be one of the stories of tonight.
Only Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher went hitless in the Game 4 assault. If they get in on the action tonight, man, I can’t imagine what the Yankees can do. They’re both starting tonight, though you could make a case for either or both of them sitting. WIth Jose Molina in the lineup, the Yanks could use Jorge Posada as the DH, and with a righty on the mound for the Angels (and with the flyballing A.J. Burnett pitching for the Yanks), they could have gone with Brett Gardner in center and Melky in right.
But Girardi doesn’t want to mess with the script that has gotten them to this point. The Yanks will certainly be looking to Swisher for a breakout game. As for Matsui, even with his 0 for 5 on Tuesday he’s still hitting .286/.412/.357 in the ALCS, so there aren’t many worries on that end.
We went over John Lackey earlier today, so for a quick take on him in elimination games, plus his performances against the Yankees in the playoffs, check out that. The Yanks fared well enough against him in Game 1, and will look for production similar to their nine hits and three walks off Lackey.
I have to cut myself off here. I’m just so damn excited.
Lineups:
Yankees
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Johnny Damon, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Robinson Cano, 2B
7. Nick Swisher, RF
8. Melky Cabrera, CF
9. Jose Molina C
Pitching: Number thirty-four, Allan James Burnett
Angels
1. Chone Figgins, 3B
2. Bobby Abreu, RF
3. Torii Hunter, CF
4. Vladimir Guerrero, DH
5. Kendry Morales, 1B
6. Maicer Izturis, 2B
7. Juan Rivera, LF
8. Jeff Mathis, C
9. Erick Aybar, SS
Pitching: John Lackey
John Lackey stands between Yanks and Series
The Yankees will face John Lackey tonight for the second time this postseason. Few ALCS pitchers have as much experience as Lackey, who came up in the Angels’ 2002 championship season. This is his fifth postseason, and he has amassed 71.1 innings over 11 starts and two relief appearances. Yet only two of those starts have come in elimination games for the Angels.
The first was the most important. Down 5-0 with just nine outs until elimination in Game 6 of the 2002 World Series, the Angels rallied for three runs in the seventh and three in the eighth to force a Game 7 against the Giants. Taking the ball was Lackey, a rookie that year who had impressed in 108.1 regular season innings. He shined in that outing, pitching five innings of one-run ball, while the Angels pounded Giants starter Livan Hernandez.
Final line: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K — 86 pitches, 56 strikes
Understandably, that set up Lackey’s reputation as a clutch performer. That tends to happen when a rookie wins Game 7 of the World Series.
He didn’t pitch in another elimination playoff game until 2008, when the Angels found themselves down two games to one against Boston in the ALDS. Again, Lackey pitched well. He allowed just two runs over seven innings, and immediately after he left the game the Angels tied it at two in the top of the eighth. Mike Scioscia, not using his closer on the road in a tie game, even an elimination game, left in Scot Shields to face the Red Sox in the ninth, and didn’t even replace him after Jason Bay hit a ground rule double. Jed Lowrie singled him in with two outs, and that was the Angels’ season.
Final line: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K — 96 pitches, 56 strikes
It appears that the Angels have the guy they want on the mound tonight. While the Angels are 1-1 in elimination games Lackey has pitched, the loss was not his fault. He pitched as well as can be reasonably expected in the playoffs. If the Yankees get that line out of Burnett tonight, they’ll be happy I’m sure.
While we’re here, why not take a look at Lackey vs. the Yankees in the playoffs?
2002 ALDS
Lackey was part of the saddest game of that sad series. The Yankees jumped all over Ramon Ortiz, scoring six runs off him in the fist three innings, knocking him out with two out in the third. Lackey came on to pitch three solid innings, holding the Yanks to three hits and no runs. The Angels got a few back off Mussina in the meantime, setting up a Mike Stanton disappointment. Torre left him in two batters too long, tough his eventual replacement, Steve Karsay, gave up the home run that iced the victory.
2005 ALDS
Yesterday I second guessed the decision to start Scott Kazmir in Game 4 over John Lackey. Subconsciously, I think I was thinking back to the 2005 ALDS, when Lackey started on three days’ rest to foil the Yankees. It didn’t work out in the end, but it was still a valiant effort.
The Yankees jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the fifth, and were still looking good when Juan Rivera homered to make it 2-1 in the bottom of the inning. A couple of errors, one in the sixth by A-Rod and one in the seventh by Tino, allowed the Angels to open up the game, and they evened the series at one. Lackey did his job, pitching 5.2 innings of two-run ball, though the Yankees didn’t quite capitalize on their 10 base runners against him. Scot Shields replaced him with runners on first and second with two out and ended the threat.
With the Angels up two games to one, thanks to a complete pitching implosion in Game 3, Lackey came back on three day’s rest to pitch Game 4 in New York. Again, he went 5.2 innings, this time allowing one run on two hits and four walks. He gave up an RBI single to Gary Sheffield immediately before Scioscia lifted him, but was still in line for a win after the inning. The Yanks made an improbable comeback off of Scot Shields to force a Game 5. That one I do not wish to relive.
2009 ALCS
Continuing his trend of 5.2 inning appearances against the Yankees, that’s how long Lackey went in Game 1, allowing four runs, though only two earned. The first unearned was the ball that landed between Chone Figgins and Erick Aybar. It wasn’t unearned because of the misplay, though, but because of a Juan Rivera throwing error that allowed Damon to take second on a single. The other unearned run came off an errant Kendry Morales throw that allowed Melky to take second and eventually score on a Jeter single, which was compounded when the ball got away from Torii Hunter. Lackey’s line was not at all impressive in that game: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.
John Lackey is known as a big gamer, and he has mostly lived up to that reputation. It started in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series, and even though he’s pitched just one elimination game since then, he’s come up for the Angels in the playoffs. They’ll need him at his best tonight. The Yankees are poised to strike.
Jose Molina and the Game 5 DH debate
With A.J. Burnett taking the mound later tonight to try to secure a Fall Classic face-off against the Phillies, his personal caddy, Jose Molina, will be behind the plate. Although the offense suffers, I’ve come to terms with this decision. After all, Burnett is sporting a 2.19 playoff ERA in 12.1 innings and has struck out 10. If he truly does pitch better to Jose Molina, then the Yanks should, by all means, make Burnett comfortable in a potential clinching game.
Were the Burnett start ever so simple. As with every other A.J. Burnett outing, this one is not without controversy. Yesterday, Jorge Posada went 1 for 3 and was on base two other times while Hideki Matsui walked away from a 10-1 win as the other Yankee without a hit. For this short series, Posada is hitting .308/.471/.615 to Matsui’s perfectly respectable if powerless .286/.412/.357. Over the two games in Anaheim, Matsui has not looked particularly comfortable at the dish, but I’d hate to lose either player’s bat in Game 5.
So what are the Yanks to do? Would they DH Matsui behind Alex Rodriguez and prepare Posada for a mid-game pinch-hit appearance? Would they DH Posada, use Matsui to pinch hit and then either burn the DH spot or go with Francisco Cervelli behind the plate for the final few frames?
Marc Carig posed these question to Joe Girardi yesterday, and Girardi was nocommittal. “That’s something we’ll talk about,” the Yanks’ manager said. Posada issued a similar statement: “I don’t know yet. They haven’t said anything yet.”
The Star-Ledger reporter offered up this take on the situation:
Posada has hammered Angels starter John Lackey in the past. In 32 lifetime plate appearances against the Angels right-hander, Posada is 12-for-29 (.414) with three walks, a homer, and three RBI…Matsui hasn’t been bad against Lackey either. Though his .286 average in 32 plate appearance against Lackey pales in comparison, Matsui has two doubles, a homer and seven RBI against Lackey.
Based on some very limited numbers that generally don’t mean too much, Posada should start. He’s the hotter bat right now, and he has more success off of Lackey than Hideki Matsui does. Of course, the easy answer is to start Posada behind the plate. Although Jose Molina said he doesn’t know if he’ll be catching Burnett, I’m not going to mess with a good thing this late into October.
And so we await the lineup card. I predict Posada batting behind A-Rod. Jorge right now gives them the best chance to win, and with the Angels so close to elimination, the Yanks are going to apply as much pressure as they can later tonight.
NLCS Game Five: Dodgers @ Phillies
Much like their SoCal counterparts, the Dodgers are down 3-1 in the League Championship Series and have their backs to the wall. I know some fans enjoy seeing Joe Torre and his club thisclose to elimination for whatever reason, but if the Yanks do move on to the World Series, it would be in their best interests for the Dodgers to mount a comeback and push the Phightin’s to seven tough games.
Philly will send last year’s ace and new father Cole Hamels to the mound for the second time in the series tonight. He allowed nine baserunners – including a pair of homers – and four runs in five and a third innings pitch, although his team walked away with a win. The Dodgers will counter with former Phillie Vicente Padilla, who was excellent in Game Two.
Here’s the lineups:
Los Angeles
Rafael Furcal, SS
Ronnie Belliard, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, LF
Matt Kemp, CF
James Loney, 1B
Russ Martin, C
Casey Blake, 3B
Vicente Padilla, SP (12-6, 4.46)
Philadelphia
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Shane Victorino, CF
Chase Utley, 2B
Ryan Howard, 1B
Jayson Werth, RF
Raul Ibanez, LF
Pedro Feliz, 3B
Carlos Ruiz, C
Cole Hamels (10-11, 4.32)
Chip Caray will fist the call on TBS; first pitch is scheduled for 8:07pm ET.
If non-Yankee baseball isn’t your thing, you could always check out the Islanders taking on the Hurricanes at home. But it’s the Isles, no one cares about them. Feel free to talk about whatever you want, just be sure to follow the guidelines and be nice to each other.
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