For the Yankees to advance in the postseason they are really going to have to hit. What helps them get to the ALCS is that they have home-field advantage. The Yankees offense has done an incredible job complimenting and helping the rotation. CC Sabathia has proven to be the only sure thing for the rotation thus far. He was pitching masterfully before Mother Nature literally rained on his parade. Ivan Nova had a tremendous year during the regular season, going 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA, but no one can predict how ...
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live, ongoing coverage of the American League Division Series between the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees.Last night, Game 1 was rained out after the top of the second inning and as per baseball's new rules, we will start tonight's game where we left off—tied at one with the bottom third of the Yankees lineup (Jorge Posada, Russell Martin and Brett Gardner) set to get things going.Of course, neither starting pitcher from last night will be returning to the mound. Instead, the Tigers will send ...
It's the closers who get all the recognition, but these guys are the ones who keep the leads intact or the games within reach.I am talking about Middle Relievers. If a pitcher gets knocked out of a game in the sixth, seventh or eighth inning then these are the guys the manager calls on.It is quite possibly the most underrated statistic in baseball, and yet these pitchers have mastered it—the art of the hold.Begin Slideshow
After a turbulent ride of walk-offs, clutch pitching and huge meltdowns, the 2011 MLB postseason is finally here.The Rays, Rangers, Yankees, Tigers, Brewers, Phillies, Cardinals and Diamondbacks have all joined together as this year's greatest teams to compete on baseball's biggest stage.For some players, being put on the spotlight in the postseason is too much and causes them to play badly. But for others, the playoff spotlight is what makes them come alive. These are the players that come through with clutch hits and big plays to deliver their teams ...
Pitching wins championships.Nobody has been better in Major League Baseball than Detroit Tigers’ starter Justin Verlander. He was the guy that was ready to set the tone of the series, but instead, rain decided to wash away Game 1. Now, Verlander can’t go and the Tigers aspirations rest on the rest of their rotation. The Yankees will prove their offense will be too strong for the Tigers to handle. New York is second in runs (867), seventh in batting average (.263), second in on-base percentage (.343) and third in slugging ...
With last year's World Series Champion San Francisco Giants out of the race, who is primed to be this year's World Series Champion?Will Tampa Bay's momentum carry them all the way through?Will New York's payroll buy them another championship?Will The Phillies pitching staff bring them the title they deserve?Begin Slideshow
The rainout of Game 1 has had a profound effect on the Yankees starting rotation. For one, AJ Burnett now is slated to start Game 4. But an even more pressing matter is when to pitch CC Sabathia.Joe Girardi says it will happen on Monday, for Game 3. That's the wrong move.The main reason for pushing CC back to Monday is simple: Joe doesn't want the big man to get hurt. It is a legitimate reason, but when it comes to the playoffs, I believe it's better to use as ...
The Yankees need to give Mother Nature a high-five after her performance in Game 1 in their series with Detroit. The score was tied 1-1 when the rain halted play in the second inning. The game will resume on Saturday. Impact of Rain DelayThis is going to seriously alter a pitching rotation that both teams spent the end of their season manipulating to ensure they could get their best pitchers the most starts in this series.Neither the Tigers' Justin Verlander, nor the Yankees' CC Sabathia will be able to start on ...
After the Pittsburgh Pirates won a game, broadcaster Lanny Frattare closed the game by telling listeners "...and there was no doubt about it,” which was similar to Bob Prince saying, "We had 'em all the way." In a few days, John Sterling will tell New York Yankees fans, “Thuuh Yankees win. Ball game over, series over. THUUUH Yankees W-I-I-I-N.” The Detroit Tigers outhit the Yankees .277 to .263, but, as Bill James discovered, batting average is a highly overrated statistic. The Tigers scored 787 runs to the Yankees' 867 runs. ...
When the regular season started, the easy favorites were the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox. They had it all: the pitching, the hitting, the bullpen, you name it.But now it's October, and while the Phillies are just as good as the hype they received, the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs.We all know what happened. The Red Sox entered September leading the Yankees in the AL East. They also had a nine-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays, who trailed the Yankees in the wild-card race.Then the Red Sox ...