2010 ALDS Preview – Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees
The Major League Baseball playoffs are set to begin on Wednesday and the stage is set for the in less than a week and the stage as eight teams begin their quest for a shot at winning the 104th Fall Classic in early November. Here I look at the match ups in the American League and see how the teams stack up with one another in round one.
Bet the Twins/Yankees ALDS Playoffs – at -105 odds instead of the spendier -110 at the web’s best online sportsbook: 5Dimes.
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ALDS: Minnesota Twins (94-68) vs. New York Yankees (95-67) – Both clubs skirted into the postseason on a thread, despite the Yankees being the top offensive team in baseball, scoring an average of 5.27 runs per game.
Minnesota will have home field advantage, but the defending champion Yankees has had no problem with the Twins as the Bronx Bombers have won 54 of the last 72 meetings between these two teams, including six of the last seven in Minnesota.
For the second straight season, the Yanks has led the majors in runs per game, and their lineup is strong and deep especially now that Alex Rodriguez has found his groove, batting .309, and leads the team with 26 RBIs since Sept. 1.
It has also been a career-high year for Gold-Glove caliber second baseman Robinson Cano, who is hitting .319 on the season and has piled up 29 homers and 109 RBIs, while batting a team-best .322 with runners in scoring position.
Meanwhile the Twins got some bad news on Monday when it was announced that slugger Justin Morneau, who has been out since early July with a concussion, would not return for the playoffs.
Now the rest of the Minny lineup will need to step up in his absence and that shouldn’t be too hard to do as the Twins have averaged five runs per game since his injury. Since the All-Star break, Delmon Young’s 54 RBIs are the third most in the American League while Joe Mauer, who has also been battling with injuries, is batting a stifling .373 while Jim Thome has knocked in 15 homers.
It’s probably safe to say that New York will employ the services of big C.C. Sabathia in Wednesday’s series opener, but after that, it’s not clear what manager Joe Girardi’s postseason rotation will look like.
He is likely to go with Andy Pettitte, and Phil Hughes in no particular order.
However, this could have Yankee backers more than a little nervous as Pettitte has gone 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in three starts since return from spending two months on the disabled list with a strained groin. He did however beat the Twins in last year’s ALDS and has a long history of postseason success. Hughes on the other hand started the season hot, but would struggle in the second half of the year and currently owns a 4.19 ERA.
The odds are the Yankees won’t use A.J Burnett during this series and will go with Sabathia on three days’ rest for Game 4 if needed.
Regardless of the Bombers pitching burps, the presence of closer Mariano Rivera gives the Yankees a slight edge in the bullpen. Rivera has blown three saves in his last seven chances, but he’s still the best closer in baseball.
In contrast, the Twins will go with a rotation that seemed to be sputtering heading into the postseason, led by likely Game 1 starter Francisco Liriano who has had a breakout season for Minnesota, but is just 1-3 with a 6.98 ERA in his last four starts. He will be followed by Carl Pavano, Brian Duensing, and if a Game 4 is necessary, Nick Blackburn.
The Yankees are 54-18 against Twins since 2002. The Pinstripes swept Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs last year en route to their 27th World Series title, coming back in all three victories. New York also beat the Twins in the first round in 2003 and 2004, having home-field advantage each time. But the Twins have a new home this season, where they racked a 53-28 record—the best home record in the AL.
Minnesota had a better September than New York and hardly resembles the unfocused 2009 model, which the Yankees dominated just a season ago. This team is much better than it was last year, but look for Yankees offense to come up big against a Minnesota pitching staff that really struggled down the stretch.
Prediction: Yankees win in five games.
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Game 1: New York Yankees @ Minnesota Twins Wed, Oct. 6 8:30 PM EST on TBS
Game 2: New York Yankees @ Minnesota Twins Thu, Oct. 7 6:00 PM EST on TBS
Game 3: Minnesota Twins @ Texas Rangers Sat, Oct. 9 8:30 PM EST on TBS
Game 4*: Minnesota Twins @ Texas Rangers Sun, Oct. 10 TBD EST on TBS
Game 5*: New York Yankees @ Minnesota Twins Tue, Oct. 12 TBD EST on TBS
* If necessary
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