Playoff Preview: Junior Circuit
Minnesota Twins vs. Oakland Athletics, Initial thoughts- Everyone always loves these two teams going into the playoffs, they are always the darlings. Neither one of them has been overly successful in this era though in the post season. The A’s are the biggest mystery, everyone knows they have solid pitching, but is their lineup good enough to get it done with the likes of Nick Swisher and Jason Kendall? The Twins have the best weapon in baseball in Johan Santana but he doesn’t play everyday. On paper this would look to be the most even and intriguing series, likely to go 5 games.
Pitching: At the top of the rotation it isn’t often that Barry Zito is the prohibitive underdog, but when Johan Santana is on the mound everyone is an underdog. Santana has been brilliant again this season, and virtually un-hittable in the second half going 10-1. After that though the Twins rotation falls off severely, relying on rookies Boof Bonser and Matt Garza who have a combined 28 major league starts. The A’s counter with the deepest rotation in the American League. Zito is still a front line starter and then the A’s bring the young power arms of Rich Harden and Dan Haren. Both these guys can take over a game with their power and deceptive breaking pitches especially Haren’s split finger. The number four starter for the A’s is Joe Blanton who is a poor mans Zito relying on control and a nasty curveball. The Twins have one of the better bullpens in baseball with the nearly impossible to hit sidearmer Pat Neshek and a premier set up man in Juan Rincon all to get to Joe Nathan who has 123 saves in 133 chances over the last 3 seasons. The A’s bullpen is solid with the likes of Kirk Sarloos, Kiki Calero and Jay Witasick and the sometimes erratic Huston Street closing games down.
EDGE- A’S
Lineup: The Twins had the best average in the Majors this year at .287 with only the Yankees and Blue Jays coming close to them. The two big hitters for them are Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Mauer had a monster year winning the batting title with a .347 while catching 120 games (only Hall of Famers Bill Dickey, Mickey Cochrane and Mike Piazza have done better). Justin Morneau burst into the scene as a legit MVP candidate in the second half of the season when he helped carry the team. The outfield also has Torii Hunter and Michael Cuddyer who provided pop throughout the lineup. They have speed, power and hit for average. The A’s had a decidedly weaker lineup especially with Jason Kendall and Eric Chavez having down years. They were saved time and time again by an aging Frank Thomas and Jay Payton who had a career year. In the playoffs they will need significant production from guys like Milton Bradley and Mark Kotsay to have a chance.
EDGE- TWINS
Intangibles: The Oakland A's may have one of the deepest and most versatile bench's in all of baseball. Nick Swisher and Bobby Kielty can play multiple positions both infield and outfield and starters Milton Bradley and Jay Payton can play all three outfiled spots adequately. They also have Antonio Perez and D"angelo Jimenez who can play the three skill infield postions. Couple all of that with the fact that 5 of the bench players are switch hitters and you have some serious options for Ken Macha. Macha has taken his team to the playoffs once, losing in the first round. The Twins don't have the deepest bench, Lew Ford and Mark Redmond are the only real options. Manager Ron Gardenhire has got more out of less than a lot of managers over the past couple of seasons, and this year he has some terrific talent. As long as he can manage his bullpen effectively the Twins will have a great chance this post season. Plus he Twins are one of only two teams that have a distinct homefield advantage, play in the Homer dome with a bunch of crazy Minnesotans is always a big lift.
EDGE- TWINS
TWINS IN 4
Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees, Initial thoughts- The Yankees had an uphill battle this season dealing with a myriad of injuries, and through it all they got stronger and stronger throughout the season. The injuries may be a blessing in disguise because it could’ve cut down on wear and tear on guys like Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Jorge Posada. The Tigers are going to rely on a young pitching staff to carry them through, and I mean young, Kenny Rogers is the only guy with any playoff experience. And the one key element the Tigers have is a manager to rival Joe Torre, Jim Leyland knows how to get it done and that is what Detroit management brought him here for.
Pitching: This is not exactly the rotation the Yankees had envisioned but Chien-Ming Wang is definately the deserving Number 1 starter, and anytime Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson are your 2-3 starters your staff is probably pretty good. Wang gets to pitch at Yankee Stadium where he is more comfortable and Johnson on the road where he is more comfortable. The Tigers will counter with the young power arms of Nate Robertson and Justin Verlander before they get to veteran Kenny Rogers. Can the rookies handle the mystique of Yankee Stadium? Robertson and Verlander like to work quick and strike batters out which may be hard against the Yankees. Rogers will start in Detroit to avoid the pressure cooker that is Yankee Stadium. In the bullpen the Yankees still have the edge at closer, even if Rivera is limited to one inning of work per night (and anyone who thinks that rule will last is insane). The Tigers however have a solid bullpen from top to bottom; Joel Zumaya brings the chedder and Fernando Rodney & Jaime Walker help a good set up staff before they get to Todd Jones who had 37 saves but a 3.49 ERA which is a little suspect.
EDGE- SLIGHTLY TO THE YANKEES
Lineup: Really, do we have to evaluate this? I don’t mean to sound like the obnoxious Yankee fan, but now with all hands on deck this is perhaps the sickest lineup in the history of baseball. I heard this ridiculous gem of a statistic yesterday from Tim Kurkjian: Jeter and Robby Cano both batted over .340 this season, the last time a 2B/SS combo did that was 1894.
EDGE- YANKEES
Intangibles: The Yankees have a deeper and more productive bench than the the Tigers. The Yankees two main bench players for the playoffs will be Melky Cabrera who played in 130 games this season batting .280 and the ageless Bernie Williams who was a huge part of the Yankees success playing more outfield than they thought he would. Cabrera will likely be used as a late inning defensive replacement for Matsui. The Tigers counter with the light hitting types like Omar Infante and Neifi Perez, so Manager Jim Leyland doesn’t go to his bench much. Both teams have superb managers, perhaps the two best in the game and guys who enjoy the chess match against one another so it should be a fun series to watch from that perspective. The Tigers are young and totally playoff inexperienced and we all know that Yankees are built for this and expect to be here every year. The last few years even I and huge Yankee lover have not had a great feeling about my team, but this year is different, with everything they went through all the drama with A-Rod and the injuries, this team seems to be rising at the right time and if they get rolling the Yankee magic can take over.
EDGE- YANKEES
YANKEES IN 4
Pitching: At the top of the rotation it isn’t often that Barry Zito is the prohibitive underdog, but when Johan Santana is on the mound everyone is an underdog. Santana has been brilliant again this season, and virtually un-hittable in the second half going 10-1. After that though the Twins rotation falls off severely, relying on rookies Boof Bonser and Matt Garza who have a combined 28 major league starts. The A’s counter with the deepest rotation in the American League. Zito is still a front line starter and then the A’s bring the young power arms of Rich Harden and Dan Haren. Both these guys can take over a game with their power and deceptive breaking pitches especially Haren’s split finger. The number four starter for the A’s is Joe Blanton who is a poor mans Zito relying on control and a nasty curveball. The Twins have one of the better bullpens in baseball with the nearly impossible to hit sidearmer Pat Neshek and a premier set up man in Juan Rincon all to get to Joe Nathan who has 123 saves in 133 chances over the last 3 seasons. The A’s bullpen is solid with the likes of Kirk Sarloos, Kiki Calero and Jay Witasick and the sometimes erratic Huston Street closing games down.
EDGE- A’S
Lineup: The Twins had the best average in the Majors this year at .287 with only the Yankees and Blue Jays coming close to them. The two big hitters for them are Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Mauer had a monster year winning the batting title with a .347 while catching 120 games (only Hall of Famers Bill Dickey, Mickey Cochrane and Mike Piazza have done better). Justin Morneau burst into the scene as a legit MVP candidate in the second half of the season when he helped carry the team. The outfield also has Torii Hunter and Michael Cuddyer who provided pop throughout the lineup. They have speed, power and hit for average. The A’s had a decidedly weaker lineup especially with Jason Kendall and Eric Chavez having down years. They were saved time and time again by an aging Frank Thomas and Jay Payton who had a career year. In the playoffs they will need significant production from guys like Milton Bradley and Mark Kotsay to have a chance.
EDGE- TWINS
Intangibles: The Oakland A's may have one of the deepest and most versatile bench's in all of baseball. Nick Swisher and Bobby Kielty can play multiple positions both infield and outfield and starters Milton Bradley and Jay Payton can play all three outfiled spots adequately. They also have Antonio Perez and D"angelo Jimenez who can play the three skill infield postions. Couple all of that with the fact that 5 of the bench players are switch hitters and you have some serious options for Ken Macha. Macha has taken his team to the playoffs once, losing in the first round. The Twins don't have the deepest bench, Lew Ford and Mark Redmond are the only real options. Manager Ron Gardenhire has got more out of less than a lot of managers over the past couple of seasons, and this year he has some terrific talent. As long as he can manage his bullpen effectively the Twins will have a great chance this post season. Plus he Twins are one of only two teams that have a distinct homefield advantage, play in the Homer dome with a bunch of crazy Minnesotans is always a big lift.
EDGE- TWINS
TWINS IN 4
Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees, Initial thoughts- The Yankees had an uphill battle this season dealing with a myriad of injuries, and through it all they got stronger and stronger throughout the season. The injuries may be a blessing in disguise because it could’ve cut down on wear and tear on guys like Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Jorge Posada. The Tigers are going to rely on a young pitching staff to carry them through, and I mean young, Kenny Rogers is the only guy with any playoff experience. And the one key element the Tigers have is a manager to rival Joe Torre, Jim Leyland knows how to get it done and that is what Detroit management brought him here for.
Pitching: This is not exactly the rotation the Yankees had envisioned but Chien-Ming Wang is definately the deserving Number 1 starter, and anytime Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson are your 2-3 starters your staff is probably pretty good. Wang gets to pitch at Yankee Stadium where he is more comfortable and Johnson on the road where he is more comfortable. The Tigers will counter with the young power arms of Nate Robertson and Justin Verlander before they get to veteran Kenny Rogers. Can the rookies handle the mystique of Yankee Stadium? Robertson and Verlander like to work quick and strike batters out which may be hard against the Yankees. Rogers will start in Detroit to avoid the pressure cooker that is Yankee Stadium. In the bullpen the Yankees still have the edge at closer, even if Rivera is limited to one inning of work per night (and anyone who thinks that rule will last is insane). The Tigers however have a solid bullpen from top to bottom; Joel Zumaya brings the chedder and Fernando Rodney & Jaime Walker help a good set up staff before they get to Todd Jones who had 37 saves but a 3.49 ERA which is a little suspect.
EDGE- SLIGHTLY TO THE YANKEES
Lineup: Really, do we have to evaluate this? I don’t mean to sound like the obnoxious Yankee fan, but now with all hands on deck this is perhaps the sickest lineup in the history of baseball. I heard this ridiculous gem of a statistic yesterday from Tim Kurkjian: Jeter and Robby Cano both batted over .340 this season, the last time a 2B/SS combo did that was 1894.
EDGE- YANKEES
Intangibles: The Yankees have a deeper and more productive bench than the the Tigers. The Yankees two main bench players for the playoffs will be Melky Cabrera who played in 130 games this season batting .280 and the ageless Bernie Williams who was a huge part of the Yankees success playing more outfield than they thought he would. Cabrera will likely be used as a late inning defensive replacement for Matsui. The Tigers counter with the light hitting types like Omar Infante and Neifi Perez, so Manager Jim Leyland doesn’t go to his bench much. Both teams have superb managers, perhaps the two best in the game and guys who enjoy the chess match against one another so it should be a fun series to watch from that perspective. The Tigers are young and totally playoff inexperienced and we all know that Yankees are built for this and expect to be here every year. The last few years even I and huge Yankee lover have not had a great feeling about my team, but this year is different, with everything they went through all the drama with A-Rod and the injuries, this team seems to be rising at the right time and if they get rolling the Yankee magic can take over.
EDGE- YANKEES
YANKEES IN 4
1 Comments:
I believe Esteban Loaiza is the game 2 starter for the A's... or maybe possibly my eyes and ESPN's bottom line have deceived me!
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