Yankees vs Rangers ALCS Game 6 Preview

It's the second of 3 game 7s in a row for the Bombers in game 6 this ALCS, win or go home. Phil Hughes takes the mound for New York and Colby lewis takes the mound for Texas in what is a rematch of ALCS game starters. The Yankees lost game 2 7-2 to go down 2 games to 0 heading back to NY.

The first 5 games of this ALCS have been nailbiters or blowouts, it has been very lopsided. While the Yankees have scored a total of 18 runs, the Rangers have scored 32; yet the Yankees have somehow found a way to stay in the series. They pin all of their hopes on righty Phil Hughes tonight with the hope he will force a game 7 matchup between the Rangers Cliff lee and the Yankees Andy Pettitte.

Aaron "$%&!ing" Boone and Bucky Dent to Throw First Pitches

In a move that makes you wonder if the Yankees forgot who they are playing against this afternoon, Aaron Boone and Bucky Dent are throwing out the first pitches before the game.

Instead of bringing back two guys who beat a team that didn't even make the playoffs this season, maybe they should bring back Shane Spencer or Mariano Duncan, guys ont he team when they owned the Rangers.

Bringing back Ronan Tynan to sing God Bless America wouldn't be a bad idea either, if Eliot Spitzer can make a come back why can't Tynan?

Rangers ALCS Game 5 Lineup

The Rangers have made a few adjustments to their lineup versus the Yankees CC Sabathia this afternoon. Most notable is the absence of Yankee killer Bengie Molina:

1. Elvis Andrus SS
2. Michael Young 3B
3. Josh Hamilton CF
4. Vladimir Guerrero DH
5. Nelson Cruz LF
6. Ian Kinsler 2B
7. Jeff Francoeur RF
8. Matt Treanor C
9. Mitch Moreland 1B

Pitcher C.J. Wilson

Yankees ALCS Game 5 Lineup

Without Teixeira on the roster, Berkman slides into his position and Eduardo Nunez assumes Berkman's spot on the bench. Here is the Bombers lineup versus the Rangers lefty C.J. Wilson:

1. Derek Jeter SS
2. Nick Swisher RF
3. Robinson Cano 2B
4. Alex Rodriguez 3B
5. Marcus Thames DH
6. Lance Berkman 1B
7. Jorge Posada C
8. Curtis Granderson CF
9. Brett Gardner LF

Pitching: CC Sabathia

Berkman to Start at First Base for Yanks

With Mark Teixeira's season over even if the Yankees somehow make it to the World Series, Lance Berkman will be playing first base for the Bombers tonight. 

At first it appeared that Teixeira was inexplicably sliding feet first into first base to try to beat Rangers pitcher Tommy Hunter to the bag, but it soon became clear that he was injured as replays showed him grabbing the back of his right leg while running up the line. After an MRI it was diagnosed as a Grade II strain of his right hamstring, an injury that takes 6-8 weeks to recover from in the best of circumstances.

"Disappointed, angry. You play all year and you battle all year to get a chance to help your team out in the world series and it's just not gonna happen for me this year" Teixeira told reporters in the clubhouse after the game.

With the Yankees on the verge of elimination and the World Series scheduled to begin on October 27, there is no chance for Teixeira to join his club should they make it that far. Replacing him on the roster is infielder Eduardo Nunez.

Molina, Hamilton, Cruz Propel Rangers to 3-1 Lead Over Yankees in ALCS

With the uncertainity surrounding A.J. Burnett's ability to pitch in tonight's game and the admitted drop in offense from the potential hall of famer Jorge Posada sitting on the bench in favor of the backup Francisco Cervelli, the Yankees manager Joe Girardi was confident in his decision to play the two. On what turned out to be a historic night for one of his former teammates, Bernie Williams could not have picked a better night to throw out the first pitch.

"I think I still would've went the same way. Being a catcher for years and understanding for years what is what like when you caught the same guy all the time, I believe in that catcher pitcher relationship, that people are able to form," said Girardi before the game. "It really had nothing to do with offense, its just those two have been together most of the time...we have a 39 year old catcher who doesn't play 7, 8 , 9 games in a row...its easier if the backup guy catches the same guy all the time...I believe in continuity."

Coming into this game with a 2 games to 1 lead, the Rangers have all the confidence in the world. They know that no matter what, they will will fly back to Arlington for at least one game. Should the Yankees push it to a game 7, Texas has pitcher Cliff Lee lurking in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to beat the Bombers again.

"Anything is possible...when you're in the playoffs usually that's what gives you the opportunity to be successful, pitching. The only thing we are really concerned about is Tommy Hunter today. We certainly expect him to go out there and pitch his type of game," said Rangers manager Ron Washington. "The type of lineup the Yankees have, you don't know what's going to happen until the game is over."

"I'm just goin' at it as my turn to pitch in game 4...I'm not happy with my season," said Burnett before the game.

Teixeira Exits Early

Mark Teixeira strained his right hamstring running up the first base line in the 5th inning. He was replaced by Nick Swisher at first and Marcus Thames in the field and the third spot in the batting order.

More after the game...

Rangers at Yankees: ALCS Game 4 Preview

With the Yankees game 4 lineup changes previously documented in this publication and the discussion surrounding how long its been since Yankee pitcher A.J. Burnett and catcher Francisco Cervelli also already out of the way, the focus now is on the pitching match up itself.

The Yankees are sending Burnett to the mound to face the Texas Rangers tonight not out of luxury, but out of necessity. They can't pitch their entire rotation again on three days rest before possibly pitching in the world series. However, in not pitching their rotation again on three days rest they are stacking the deck in favor of the Rangers making their first world series appearance in franchise history.

For the 2010 season, Burnett compiled a 10-15 record with a 5.26 ERA. In 186 2/3 innings he allowed 204 hits, 25 home runs, 78 walks and hit 19 batters while striking out 145 batters. The Yankees to basically need to score 6 runs to win the game if he pitches to his season averages, considering they couldn't even put together 6 hits last night it might be a tall order.

Against the Rangers Burnett was 1-2 this season with an ERA of 7.00. For their careers, the Rangers are collectively hitting .209 with 9 home runs off of Burnett in their careers. If the Yankees want to win the game they will need the Burnett that showed up in Game 2 of the '09 world series to show up. For the record he pitched 7 innings allowing one run on four hits and striking out nine with only two walks.

The Rangers have the edge in sending Tommy Hunter and his 13-4 record sporting a 3.73 ERA to the mound at first glance. Looking deeper into the statistics only further bolsters this claim. Against the bombers this year, Hunter won his only start going 5 innings allowing 2 runs on 6 hits with 8 strike outs. Scratch the surface a little more and one will find a chink in Hunter's armor. For their careers against him, the Yankees starting line up is hitting a collective .364 with one home run (by Granderson) and 5 RBI. Curtis Granderson practically owns Hunter in their relatively limited action with 4 hits in 6 at bats.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi probably is aware of these numbers and might be more of an evil genius than Yankee fans realize. Being "on rotation," as he put it and responding "nope" when asked if he was reconsidering after last night's loss might be the best decisions he makes the whole ALCS.

"It's tough not to play, period. But it is what it is...I'm ok. Get a win, that's it." Said Jorge Posada before tonight's game in response to Cervelli starting behind the plate.

(stats from ELIAS via ESPN.com)

Burnett, Cervelli and October 2nd

Why is October 2nd relevant to both A.J. Burnett and Francisco Cervelli? It's the last time either of those two appeared in a game for the Yankees of course! Unless you count the simulated game Burnett threw in which he hit two of his teammates.

The Yankees season comes down to two players who haven't played in weeks. Should Burnett falter early and be replaced, expect Cervelli to go with him. The Yankees can't afford to lose Posada's bat when the only players on the team that are hitting are Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson.

For the record, Cervelli hit .271 with zero home runs and 38 RBI for the 2010 season. Cervelli has one career home run, Jorge Posada has exactly 260 more.

Yankees Lineup Changes for ALCS Game 4

Tonight's lineup has changed for the Yanks tonight with Derek Jeter inexplicably still leading off and playing short, Curtis Granderson 2nd in CF, Mark Teixeira 3rd at 1st, Alex Rodriguez cleaning up at 3rd, Robinson Cano and his team leading .375 in the playoffs 5th at 2nd, Nick Swisher 6th in RF, Lance Berkman 7th at DH, Brett Gardner 8th in LF and Francisco Cervelli catching for pitcher A.J. Burnett.

We all understand that Derek Jeter is the captain and one of the greatest postseason hitters in MLB history, but until they remove him from the top of the lineup they will not win this year. He is hitting .259 with an on base % of .289, unacceptable numbers for any player not named Jeter.

Curtis Granderson is batting .316 with an on base % of .458, those numbers are much more representative of a guy you want at the top of your order, not Jeter's. No disrespect to the captain, but facts are facts and the fact is that you aren't producing.

Swapping Marcus Thames out for Lance Berkman makes sense, neither has produced in the ALCS. They are interchangeable at this point, might as well shuffle the deck and see what happens.

Cervelli catching for Jorge Posada would normally be met with a measure of contempt directed only at a few people in recent Yankees memory: Carl Pavano, Javier Vasquez, A.J. Burnett. The contempt would not be for Cervelli, who did a fine job filling in for an injured Posada at times this year, but for Burnett who is like the New York Lottery every time he takes the field. Who is he to dictate who he pitches to when he can't win regardless of who is behind the plate?

This game has the look of a train wreck written all over it, but "hey you never know!"

Cliff Lee Dominates Yankees, is Now Their Daddy

Another cool October night at Yankee Stadium began as a celebration of the life of Freddy Sez, the most devoted Yankee fan any of us has had the pleasure of meeting in either the old or new Stadium. It then continued as a celebration of the Yankees dynasty of the 90s with former first baseman Tino Martinez throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to a thunderous ovation. When it comes to bringing out the ghosts of the past to intimidate their opponents in the post season, no one does it better than the Yankees.

With his Yankee legacy already set in stone and the Hall of Fame not too far away, pitcher Andy Pettite took the mound with Hall of Fame captain Derek Jeter just over his right shoulder manning short stop. Both players, along with catcher Jorge Posada and closer Mariano Rivera, were team mates of Tino Martinez's; a sign of both their storied careers and that they will soon be joining Tino in throwing no more than ceremonial first pitches. Tonight one of them fought back the hands of time and turned in another vintage performance while the other one continued to wilt into the twilight of his career.

Derek Jeter came into this game hitting over .400 against Phillies starter Cliff Lee in 44 at bats with only a handful of strikeouts. This was the night for him to break out of his post season slump and show he isn't old yet. This is the type of night that his excellence in built the reputation earning him the nickname "Captain Clutch" that has defined his career.

Andy Pettitte: Big Buck Hunter

Andy Pettitte makes a stronger case for a future induction into the Hall of Fame with every post season start he makes. He has a major league record 19 career playoff wins, winning his last 5 playoff decisions. Beating Cliff Lee for number 20 in the ALCS will make it harder for detractors to doubt his case for the Hall. His pitching opponent for tonight is Rangers ace Cliff Lee, who surrendered one run on 2 hits over 8 innings with 5 strikeouts and 3 walks in his last start against the Yankees on September 8th.

Cliff Lee remarked of Pettitte in a report on MLB.com: "In my opinion he's probably the best postseason pitcher of all time just by the number of wins and the number of rings he's got."

ALCS Ratings on TBS Set Records

According to a press release by TBS, game one of the ALCS had the highest ratings for game one of an LCS in cable television history with a 5.0 rating good for over 8.1 million households, up over 39% from last year's NLCS coverage on TBS.

In terms of local markets, New York delivered a 13.9 rating and Dallas-Fort Worth delivered a 21.9 rating, up significantly from last year.

Via (Futon Critic)

Rangers Even ALCS at 1-1

The Yanks strode confidently into game 2 of the ALCS after their dramatic comeback win the night before in game 1. To put last night's win into even more perspective, it was the first time in team history that the Yankees were trailing by 5 runs in a playoff game in the 7th inning or later in won. In addition, their starter Phil Hughes had only allowed 3 hits in 15 1/3 innings pitching in Arlington in his career up to this point.

The only problem with all this confidence and reason to feel like the Rangers were just a speed bump was Rangers starter Colby Lewis. After spending years bouncing around the league and even to the Hiroshima Carp in Japan, he came to win. 12-13? Not today. He started the game by striking out Derek Jeter and retiring both Curtis Granderson and Mark Texeira. His team soon rewarded him.

ALCS Game 2 Big for Yanks

With rumors of a Zach Greinke for Joba Chamberlain off season trade swirling around Rangers Ballpark, the Yankees look to move another step closer to the World Series today versus Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis. After a heart breaking loss to the Yankees in Game 1 the Rangers look to rebound.

What started with Nolan Ryan firing a pitch off the outside corner of the plate in the game's ceremonial first pitch and a line drive 3 run home run off of a struggling C.C. Sabathia by MVP candidate Josh Hamilton, ended the same way every other Rangers playoff game against the Yanks seems to end, with Mariano Rivera closing out the victory. This time the score was 6-5 Yanks at the end in spite of ace C.C. Sabathia struggling for the majority of the his outing.

The Rangers took a 5-1 lead into the 8th inning. A harmless ground ball off of Brett Gardner's bat and ended with a scorching single from Marcus Thames to put the Yankees ahead for good in the top of the 8th. Gardner, after the game, remarked to NJ Star-Ledger columnist Mark Politi "Every time the ball comes off the bat, I just run hard and make them make a play.” At the end of the run he dove head-first into first base and after the game insisted he would have been out had he not.

Before today's game, regarding his speed, he went on to suggest to a group of reporters that there should be a race at the All-Star game every season to determine the fastest player in the big leagues. "I think they need to have a race at the All-Star Game, just line up 10 or 20 guys and see who wins, that would be fun."

Other players in the lineup for this afternoon's game are the usual suspects plus Lance Berkman as the DH instead of Marcus Thames with the righty pitcher throwing today for the Rangers. Taking the hill for the Bombers is Phil Hughes, who won 18 games during the season, good for second on the team behind Sabathia. He looks to not only put the Yankees up 2-0, but also to avenge the hamstring injury that cut short his bid for a no-hitter in the 7th inning of a start in Arlington back in 2007.

Taking a 2-0 lead into Yankee Stadium would be a huge difference from going back to NY tied at one game a piece, especially with Andy Pettitte pitching game 3. One thing is for sure, Brett Gardner won't stop running every single ground ball out as hard as he can "It’s just the way I’ve always played, and playing that way is probably the only thing that got me where I am today."