And then there were four. Major League Baseball has whittled down its postseason symphony to a quartet, with only the defending champion Phillies needing more than three games to advance out of the first round.’
In the National League, the Dodgers and their fans are sending a steady stream of thank-you notes to the Cardinals’ Matt Holliday after his crucial error in Game 2 that would have extended the series.
Phillies fans have a special place in their hearts for Huston Street, who imploded in consecutive games to send Philadelphia one step closer to repeating.
In the American League, the Angels meet the Yankees for the pennant after vanquishing long-time foe Boston in a three-game sweep.
New York comes in riding a wave of momentum after coming back against the Twins in the ninth inning of Game 2, propelling their own series sweep.’
The Yankees and Angels have a recent playoff history, all in favor of the Angels.’
Both teams bring high-power offenses to the table, so the difference will be pitching, and more specifically starting pitching. The Yankees and Angels will go with three-man rotations given the amount of days off.’
The Angels will most likely send John Lackey, Jered Weaver and Scott Kazmir to the mound, while the Yankees will counter with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte.’
It’s safe to say the Yankees’ rotation has an advantage on paper because of former Cy Young Award winner Sabathia and his 19 wins this season. Couple that with Pettitte’s 15 postseason wins, and they have the makings of a formidable two-headed monster.
What seems to be another indicator of the Yankees dominance is Alex Rodriguez’s success at the plate this postseason. A notorious no-show during playoffs past, Rodriguez has held his own at the plate.’
The key player for the Angels in this series will be first basemen Kendry Morales. A virtual unknown entering the season, Morales exploded on the scene with 34 home runs and 108 RBIs.’
As for the surging Yankees, there is no other player that has more impact on his team’s success than Yankees all-time hits leader and team captain Derek Jeter. He has had a resurgent year, hitting .334 with 18 home runs and 107 runs scored.
Don’t be surprised if the Angels win some games, but it has to be the Yankees’ year, as they will advance to the World Series with a seven game series win over the Angels.
