By Phil Rogers, Chicago Tribune (MCT) Posted October 20, 2010
Starting pitching: Getting a possible three starts from CC Sabathia is a big advantage, but the Yankees are shakier across the board than their paychecks suggest. Andy Pettitte is the swing man. The Yankees will win if both he and Sabathia pitch well, but Pettitte hasn’t had back-to-back strong outings since before the All-Star break. The Yankees will be taking a huge gamble by giving A.J. Burnett a start in Game 4. C.J. Wilson, who moves into the No. 1 role for the Rangers with Cliff Lee unavailable until Game 3, has made an amazing transition from the bullpen. Lee’s teams are 7-0 in his postseason starts, outscoring the opponents 45-14.
Edge: Yankees.
Relief pitching: Mariano Rivera, the all-time October closer, is coming off an amazingly good year at 40. Kerry Wood has made Joba Chamberlain disappear. Rangers rookie Neftali Feliz, the likely AL Rookie of the Year, can blow away hitters. Rangers lefty setup man Darren Oliver is in his ninth postseason series and has pitched in 11 of his team’s last 12 playoff games. Edge: Yankees.
Hitting: Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler, who hit three homers in the Division Series against the Rays, is the hottest hitter in a strong lineup that also used aggressive baserunning to disrupt the Rays. In the battle of shortstops, Elvis Andrus outhit Derek Jeter in the first round. But the Yankees won’t care about that if Curtis Granderson continues to be more productive than MVP candidate Josh Hamilton. Lance Berkman, who often hit third for the Astros, bats eighth in the deep Yankees lineup built around Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and former Ranger Mark Teixeira. Both pitching staffs will be seriously challenged. Edge: Yankees.
Fielding: Jorge Posada would be getting bench time if the Yankees had a strong defensive catcher, but Francisco Cervelli is hardly Jose Molina. The Rangers will try to make life miserable on the bases for the Yankees. Andrus has more range and as much arm strength as Jeter ever did, but Jeter is still the guy pitchers want the ball hit to. Edge: Rangers.
Bench: The Rangers’ Jorge Cantu is the most dangerous bat off the bench for either team. For all of Joe Girardi’s frequent substitutions, the extra men rarely make a difference. Edge: Rangers.
Manager: Girardi’s Yankees teams are 4-0 in playoff series, and he will have this team prepared. Ron Washington is a playoff newcomer. He sets a great tone in the dugout, which was evident in the controlled excitement and joy with which the Rangers played in Game 5 at Tropicana Field. Edge: Yankees.
Gut read: This is a great matchup. The Rangers are a dangerous team with nothing to lose. The Yankees know anything less than a second straight World Series title and the franchise’s 28th will be a failure. Given Lee’s presence, this could go either way.
Pick: Yankees in 6.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
