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ALCS Game Two: Angels @ Yankees

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2009 ALCSWith four days off between the Division Series and the Championship Series, there was plenty of time to focus on the negative, as some are wont to do. There was talk about CC Sabathia’s struggles in the postseason and against the Angels, Anaheim’s ownage of the Yanks, the weather, and just about everything negative you could possibly think of. Game One, however, could not have possibly gone any better for New York. Sabathia dominated (and J-Poz wrote about it), the Yankees got timely hits and capitalized on Angel errors, and The Sandman closed the door. It all adds up 1-0 series lead.

The Yanks get a bit of a break tonight, because Mike Scioscia is sending Joe Saunders to the bump rather than the grizzled AL East vet Scott Kazmir. It certainly is a curious decision, but I’m not complaining. The Yankees will counter with AJ Burnett, who will have personal catcher Jose Molina behind the dish. It’s a good thing, Jorge Posada did such a horrible job behind the plate last night. Sigh.

Anyway, here’s the lineups.

Angels
Chone Figgins, 3B
Bobby Abreu, RF
Torii Hunter, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Kendry Morales, 1B
Juan Rivera, LF
Maicer Izturis, 2B
Mike Napoli, C
Erick Aybar, SS

Joe Saunders (16-7, 4.60)

Yankees
Derek Jeter, SS
Johnny Damon, LF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Hideki Matsui, DH
Nick Swisher, RF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Melky Cabrera, CF
Jose Molina, C

AJ Burnett (13-9, 4.04)

The weather doesn’t look great, but everyone’s hopefully they’ll get this one. The baseball gods usually take care of these things, so I feel pretty confident that we’ll get nine innings in tonight. FOX has the call yet again, first pitch is tentatively scheduled for 7:57pm ET. Enjoy.

The Second Guess: CC in the 8th

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When the 8th inning rolled around last night, the Yanks held a close but comfortable 4-1 lead over the Angels. CC Sabathia had thrown his 98th pitch to strike out Mike Napoli in the 7th, and he left with a fist pump and roar. Would be the Big Man come for an encore?

Indeed, as the Yanks hit in the 7th, no one was warming in their bullpen, and Sabathia came out for a 15-pitch 8th inning. He turned the ball over to Mo and eventually recorded the win. At the time, I thought nothing of it. CC, after all, routinely throws 110+ pitches, and he was rolling. There was just no reason to take him out.

Others covering the team thought otherwise. Let’s take Pete Caldera who was “just wondering” the following:

The Yankees seem to have this game well in hand, have the bullpen rested and ready and for some reason have decided to ride CC Sabathia through eight innings and 113 pitches. While that may not be that odd – it is just a 4-1 game right now – the Yankees have openly spoken of using him three times in this series. Seven innings wasn’t enough?

That’s right; even in a game in which the Yanks silenced the Angels and beat them by a sound three-run margin, Joe Girardi will be second-guessed. I can see why. When managing a playoff series, it’s important to strategize for the entire series as well the game currently being played. The Yankees need to look ahead to wait awaits them down the road while, at the same time, they have to take care of their current business. To start the 8th, the team had a 92.6 percent win probability, and the Yanks’ bullpen — especially in the 8th and 9th innings — is a strength.

I, however, do not believe that leaving Sabathia in was the wrong decision. Erick Aybar, Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu were 0 for 8 against the lefty so far, and they hadn’t come close to touching him. The Yankees also had to win Game 1, and Sabathia was the known quantity. The Yanks knew how he was throwing, and if he showed signs of trouble in the 8th, they could have warmed up Phil Hughes or even Mariano Rivera in a jiffy.

Girardi does need to look forward to Game 4 and Game 7, but at the same time, he can’t risk turning over Game 1 to a different — and potentially lesser — pitcher than Sabathia because a potential Game 7 looms. Maybe the Yanks make it to Tuesday’s Game 4 up 3-0, and the Yanks don’t need to use Sabathia on short rest. Maybe they do. But last night, they had to win Game 1, and CC Sabathia pitching the 8th gave them their best shot at getting the ball to Mo in the 9th. 113 pitches? That’s nothing for CC.

CC stellar as Yanks grab Game 1

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TeixeiraALCSOut

Despite protestations from the Angels, Mark Teixeira’s foot was clearly on the bag when Torii Hunter was called out in the sixth inning.

Eight innings. Four hits. One run. Seven strike outs. That’s pure dominance from the Yanks’ Big Man, and that’s why they’re paying him the big bucks.

When the Yankees signed CC Sabathia this winter, a few analysts questioned Sabathia’s role on the Yanks. He didn’t throw particularly well against the Yanks in the 2007 ALDS and did worse against the Red Sox in the ALCS. Could the Yanks lean on Sabathia to carry them through an October run if he hadn’t yet enjoyed much October success?

Last week against the Twins, Sabathia didn’t have his best stuff and still walked away a winner. On Friday, amidst some brutal cold, a bit of a drizzle and a powerful wind that in the words of Johnny Damon was “playing havoc” out there, CC stifled the Angels. He threw 113 pitches in eight innings and just 37 were out of the strike zone. He recorded 11 outs on the ground, seven by the K and just six in the air. That is dominance.

“CC’s been doing that all year for us,” Derek Jeter said after the game. “He did in the first round and he did it tonight.”

The Angels, meanwhile, didn’t play their generally solid game. They made three errors and let an easy two-out pop up fall for an RBI hit. The Yanks capitalized and walked away 4-1 winners. They are now just three wins away from a World Series berth.

The Yanks got off on the right foot in the first inning. Derek Jeter knocked out yet another first inning single, and Johnny Damon moved him to third with a base knock of his own. Damon advanced to second on an error, and with no outs, the Yanks were primed for a big inning. Mark Teixiera took a 3-0 hack and popped out. Although A-Rod drove in a run with a sac fly, the Yanks were left with a runner on second and two outs when Hideki Matsui lifted a lazy pop up right to third base. Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins couldn’t figure out which Angel would catch though, and it landed with a thud on the infield dirt. Damon scored, and the Yanks had all the runs they would need.

As the game progress, the Angels toyed with disaster all night, but the Yankees couldn’t capitalize. The Yanks put two runners on the third, two on in the fourth, three in the fifth and three in the sixth, but the offense could plate just two of those runners. They left 11 men on base and went just 3 for 12 with runners in scoring position. The Yanks could have had more but for a play at the plate involving — who but? — Alex Rodriguez.

With two on in the fifth, Hideki Matsui doubled to left center, and Juan Rivera tumbled over himself trying to field it. Rob Thomson originally waved A-Rod on but threw up a stop sign too late for Alex to see it. Rodriguez headed home, but the thrown beat him. Although replays showed no tag, A-Rod was out as he bowled into Jeff Mathis. In another era, he would have been the goat, but tonight, the Yanks didn’t need the run.

In the sixth, they would add a fourth run, but why bother? CC just kept on rolling. He ran into one bit of trouble in the fourth when a Vladimir Guerrero double and a Kendry Morales single led to a run, but that would be all. He struck out Mike Napoli to end the 7th and pumped his fist emphatically as the crowd roared. “The stadium was rocking,” Sabathia said. “I was pretty pumped up.”

At just 98 pitches through seven, Sabathia went out for the 8th, and he served as his own Bridge to Mowhere. One-two-three went the Angels in the 8th and in came Rivera for the 9th. He walked Torii Hunter on four pitches, and Tim McCarver began predicting boom. But Mo was Mo was Mo. Vladimir Guerrero struck out; Juan Rivera flew out; and Kendry Morales followed suit.

As the strains of Frank Sinatra filled the air, Yankee fans left a very cold Yankee Stadium, quite pleased with their ace and enjoying the 1-0 lead in this best of seven ALCS. CC was every bit the ace the Yankees wanted and needed for this year, and the team stands just three wins away from a World Series appearance.

For a similar but different take on the Yanks’ Game 1 win over the Angels, check out my YESNetwork.com recap.