Yankees Flop in Every Facet of ALCS
October 23, 2010
by Ed Price
Filed under: Rangers, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, American League Championship Series
ARLINGTON, Texas — Other than getting out-pitched, out-hit and out-managed, the Yankees had a fine American League Championship Series.
After his team was eliminated Friday, general manager Brian Cashman was asked if he was surprised …
“… that they whacked us like that?” he said, finishing the question. “Yeah, it’s surprising.
“Do I think we’re better than what we showed in this series? Absolutely.”
The Yankees have to be better than they were against the Rangers. The Yankees got outscored 38-19 in the series, just the fifth time in franchise history they were out-scored by a 2-1 margin in a postseason series.
“They hit better than us,” Derek Jeter said. “They pitched better than us. Overall, they played better than us. I don’t know what the stats are, but they beat us. That’s the best way to put it.”
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CC Sabathia Says He’ll Be Available as Reliever Friday in Game 6
October 21, 2010
by Ed Price
Filed under: Rangers, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, American League Championship Series
ARLINGTON, Texas — Unlike Roy Oswalt on Wednesday, CC Sabathia on Friday will not throw his between-starts bullpen session.
Like Oswalt, he has made himself available in relief.
After Thursday’s workout at Rangers Ballpark, the Yankees ace said he will be in the bullpen for Game 6. The Yankees trail the Rangers three games to two.
“I can probably throw 45 pitches (or) 50 tomorrow,” Sabathia said.
Other than two All-Star Games, Sabathia has never pitched in relief as a professional: minors, majors or postseason.
“Let’s see how he feels tomorrow,” manager Joe Girardi said, “but our plan is that he will be available for us.”
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Rangers vs. Yankees: Gritty Effort in Game 5 Keeps New York Alive in ALCS
October 21, 2010
by Ed Price
Filed under: Rangers, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, American League Championship Series
NEW YORK — The Yankees on Wednesday hung on for dear life through much of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series and thus still cling to hope in the series, by virtue of a 7-2 win over the Rangers.
The Rangers lead three games to two, and the best-of-seven series resumes Friday in Texas.
New York built an early 5-0 lead and survived a barrage of Rangers hits. Texas had at least one hit in each of the first seven innings — three each in the fifth and sixth innings, but managed just one run in those innings.
The Rangers went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, hit into two double plays, had a runner picked off and left eight men on base.
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CC Sabathia Just Good Enough to Send ALCS Back to Texas
October 21, 2010
by Ed Price
Filed under: Rangers, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, American League Championship Series
NEW YORK — At 6-foot-7 and (ahem) 290 pounds, CC Sabathia does not give the impression of someone who would be good at dodgeball or limbo in addition to pitching.
But that’s pretty much what he excelled at Wednesday, helping extend the Yankees‘ season by winning Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Rangers.
For six innings, Sabathia dodged projectile after projectile.
Or, as Texas manager Ron Washington said, “We had Sabathia bending. He didn’t break.”
It was some limbo performance. Never before had a pitcher won a postseason game while allowing 11 hits and lasting fewer than seven innings. Until Sabathia.
“You’ve got to give those guys some credit,” Sabathia said. “They have a good lineup and they hit some good pitches.”
In Game 1, an over-rested Sabathia had trouble finding his mechanics, walking four in four innings as he allowed five runs.
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Specter of Short Rest Enough for Yankees to Stick With A.J. Burnett
October 17, 2010
by Ed Price
Filed under: Rangers, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, American League Championship Series
NEW YORK — Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Monday pits the best postseason starter of all time (Cliff Lee, who is 6-0 with a 1.44 ERA in seven playoff starts) against the winningest postseason pitcher of all time (Andy Pettitte, who is 19-9).
Yet the overarching storyline is who starts for the Yankees in Game 4.
With CC Sabathia having thrown only 93 pitches in Friday’s Game 1, and having pitched well twice last postseason on short rest (1-0, 2.45 ERA), some wonder — or suggest, or demand — the Yankees bring him back on three days’ rest again.
But this isn’t last year, for a number of reasons.
One similarity to 2009: The team with the $200 million payroll, after six-plus months, has little confidence in anyone to be its fourth starter in the postseason. Pretty amazing, that.
Last year, it meant shipping Joba Chamberlain to the bullpen and using a three-man rotation of Sabathia, Pettitte and A.J. Burnett. But the postseason schedule was different last year; the Yankees were able to choose the Division Series with the extra off day and the ALCS included an off day between Games 4 and 5.
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Umpire Watch: Point, Gerry Davis
October 17, 2010
Filed under: Rangers, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, MLB Umpires, American League Championship Series
Controversial calls have become as much a part of the Major League Baseball postseason as Derek Jeter and patriotic bunting. In Umpire Watch, we intend to document those calls, at least until commissioner Bud Selig puts us out of business.
Let’s keep this short, and get right to the point. We’ve got to give credit where it is due and home-plate umpire Gerry Davis deserves a bunch of it after Friday night’s Game 1 of the ALCS.
CC Ya
The Situation: The bases are loaded and there are two out in the bottom of the first inning. The Rangers have built a 3-0 lead on a struggling CC Sabathia and Jorge Cantu is coming to the plate.
The Play: Sabathia throws a ball over the top of catcher Jorge Posada‘s glove. The pitch caroms far off the backstop and back to the chasing Posada, who flips it to Sabathia as he rushes toward home. Sabathia catches the relay and applies the tag on Rangers slugger Nelson Cruz.
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CC Sabathia Wants to Get Back to Normal After Game 1 Boost From Teammates
October 16, 2010
by Ed Price
Filed under: Rangers, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, American League Championship Series
ARLINGTON, Texas — The only thing CC Sabathia would like more than to finally pitch on normal rest in Game 5 of the American League Championship series is if his next start comes on 11 days’ rest.
Because that would mean the Yankees swept the Rangers and were off until Game 1 of the World Series.
“I’ll take it in four,” Sabathia said. “Definitely.”
This series smells like a sweep after the Yankees crushed the Rangers’ spirits with Friday’s comeback from a five-run deficit that was Sabathia’s responsibility.
If Texas can win a game, Sabathia gets his second choice.
“I am looking forward to being able to throw my regular bullpen (session),” he said, “and be in kind of a normal situation heading into my next start.”
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Rangers vs. Yankees: New York Rallies From Five Down in Game 1 Stunner
October 16, 2010
by Ed Price
Filed under: Rangers, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, American League Championship Series
ARLINGTON, Texas — It was as if the teams’ postseason histories Friday reached out from the past and directed the pitches and batted balls.
The Rangers, in their first American League Championship Series, blew a five-run lead to the Yankees, in their 15th, and lost 6-5 in the opener of the best-of-seven series.
The Yankees‘ first seven batters in the eighth inning reached base, and Texas has still never won a postseason game at home, dropping to 1-10 all-time against the Yankees in the playoffs (0-6 in Arlington).
A Rangers win would have put the pressure squarely on the Yankees for Saturday’s Game 2, as they could not have afforded to go home down 0-2 in games and facing Cliff Lee, who in his postseason career is 6-0 with a 1.44 ERA, including two wins for the Phillies in last year’s World Series against the Yankees.
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Scouting Notes: Why CC Struggled, C.J. Had Success and the Yanks Rallied
October 16, 2010
Filed under: Rangers, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, American League Championship Series, Advanced Scouting
There is absolutely no doubt that the Yankees were off their game and very rusty in the early part of Game 1 of the ALCS. And, C.J. Wilson showed no signs of allowing them to get back on their game. The Rangers southpaw attacked the zone early in the count and forced the New York lineup to play a game not their own.
But, as the Ranger bullpen began to come into play, suddenly the Yankees had an opening. Pitchers fell behind and showed little confidence in their secondary pitches. Give the Yankees that small opening, and they’ll seize it more times than not.
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Playoff Pulse: ALCS Game 1 Keys
October 15, 2010
by FanHouse TV
Filed under: Rangers, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, MLB Video, Playoff Pulse, American League Championship Series, Executive Take
The American League Championship Series begins Friday night as the Texas Rangers host the New York Yankees. FanHouse TV’s Steve Phillips discusses the keys to a huge Game 1 in this edition of the Playoff Pulse.