Okay so the baseball playoffs are moving along very quickly and I was too busy studying to write the ALDS previews I had planned So I'm writing a preview of the ALCS instead. Enjoy :)
On Friday evening, the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees will begin the ALCS in the Bronx. These two clubs have been the best in the American League since the All-Star break and there is no reason to believe that this match-up will be anything short of a classic.
The Angels have been an inspirational story this season after they lost teammate Nick Adenhart in a tragic drunk driving accident back in April. They came together as a family, as they carry their fallen teammate's jersey as they have all season on their journey to this series, and are now playing their best baseball at the right time.
Ex-Yankee Bobby Abreu and Kendry Morales have been pleasant surprises for the Angels.
Abreu, who donned the pinstripes last season, has done everything and more than the Angels could ask for in a guy that every other team in the league thought was washed up and passed on during the off-season. His plate discipline and .390 OBP has had a profound effect on others in the lineup as the Angels have become a more patient team at the plate. Surprisingly, Abreu also tallied 30 steals in the regular season (he may be the fattest guy in history to do so but I'll have to check that) making him a perfect fit in Mike Scioscia’s run and gun offense. When the Angels fell short in their pursuit to re-sign Mark Teixeira, they turned to Morales. He did not disappoint. In the regular season, the switch-hitter exploded with a .306 AVG, 34 HR, and 108 RBIs, rivaling Teixeira’s .292, 39 HR, 122 RBI Yankee debut season for roughly 1/25th of the price.
The rest of the Angels lineup may not be loaded with All-Star names but is formidable. Chone Figgins has learned from the patient Abreu, as he found a way to get on base at a higher clip this season. He reached on walks 101 times during the regular season, leading to 114 runs scored and an OBP of .395, a nice lift from his .367 2008 level. Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero, Juan Rivera, and Mike Napoli stabilize the middle of the order and Erick Aybar is as good as they come in the ninth hole. The bottom line is, there is not a weakness in the Angels lineup.
The Red Sox walked Hunter in the ninth inning of the deciding Game Three Sunday, and Guerrero’s free-swinging tendencies were rewarded with a first-pitch, game-winning single. While he’s not the intimidating force that he was in years past, Guerrero can still punish mistakes. And when he does, there’s likely to be an Angel or two on base ahead of him.
You are not going to find a weakness on the mound either. John Lackey shutdown Boston in Game 1 of the ALDS and he will get the ball in Game 1 against the Yankees. Joe Saunders will take the hill for Game 2. Jered Weaver will start Game 3 in Los Angeles, and like Lackey, seemed to enjoy the spotlight against the Red Sox in the ALDS where he pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up one run on two hits and striking out seven. Mid-season acquisition Scott Kazmir will face his former division foes in Game 4; in his career, Kazmir has put up a 2.42 ERA against the Yankees, with 55 Ks in 52 IP.
A lot has been made about Joe Girardi’s decision for the Yankees go with a three-man rotation in the ALCS against the Angels. Let’s take a close look at how the Angels hitters stack up against the likes of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte. (stats courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau)
Vs. Sabathia (Career)
Figgins – (5/16, 3BB), 1 HR, 2 SO, .313 AVG
Abreu – (3/9) .400 OBP
Hunter – (20/68), 17 RBI, .294 AVG, .351 OBP, .544 SLG
[Note: Hunter has 74 Plate Appearances against Sabathia – 2nd most against any pitcher]
Guerrero – (3/15), 3 SO
Rivera – (3/11), 2 RBI, 1 SO
Morales – (3/9), 2 RBI, 0 SO
Kendrick – (8/12), .667 AVG, .692 OBP, 1 SO
Mathis – (1/5), 1 BB
Aybar – Never Faced Sabathia
*Iztruis – (5/10), .583 OBP
*Napoli – (3/9), 1 HR, .500 OBP
*Probably will not start.
Besides Vladimir Guerrero, this Angels line-up has fared pretty well against the Yankee ace. It will be interesting to see if Angels manager Mike Scioscia will go with Jeff Mathis over Mike Napoli. Mathis has been John Lackey’s main guy behind the plate, so I expect him to start Game 1, despite Napoli’s minimal success against Sabathia. Howie Kendrick will likely get the nod over Maicer Izturis because of his success against lefties, and in particular, CC Sabathia, who may be called upon to start Games 1, 4, and 7 in this series. "I'm hearing a lot of rain. We may face Sabathia seven times," Scioscia joked.
In 2009, the Angels went 17 for 53 against Sabathia. This was good for a .321 AVG and .379 OBP.
Vs. Burnett (Career)
Figgins – (5/12), .417 AVG
Abreu – (20/64), .313 AVG, .416 OBP, 11 RBI
[Note: Abreu has 77 Plate Appearances against Burnett – 5th most against any pitcher]
Hunter – (2/23), .087 AVG, SO 7
Guerrero – (9/42), .214 AVG, 2 HR, .735 OPS
Rivera – (2/8), .400 OBP
Morales – (1/6), .167 AVG, 4 SO
Izturis – (4/16), 2 BB .333 OBP
Napoli – (4/11), 2 HR, .417 OBP, .909 SLG
Aybar – (1/5)
*Kendrick – (4/11), .364 AVG, 3 RBI
*Mathis – (2/5)
*Probably will not start.
While Figgins and Abreu have had some success at the top of the order against Burnett, the Angels have had their struggles in the heart of the order over their respective careers. However, if the Angels get runners on base there will be a lot of steals and manufactured runs because Burnett is very slow to the plate and the Angels have too much speed. Also, in 2009 the Angels were 15 for 49 against the Yankee right-hander, with a .306 AVG and a .352 OBP.
Vs. Pettitte (Career)
Figgins – (5/18), 3 RBI, .381 OBP
Abreu – (6/21), .375 OBP, 6 SO
Hunter – (8/33), 1 HR, 10 RBI, .242 AVG
Guerrero – (9/23), .391 AVG, .939 OPS
Rivera – (2/11), 1 HR, 4 RBI
Morales – (0/5), 1 SO
Kendrick – (4/16), all singles
Napoli – (5/9), .556 AVG, .636 OBP
Aybar – (7/16), .438 AVG, .471 OBP
*Izturis – (2/4)
*Mathis – (3/9), .333 AVG
*Probably will not start
Figgins, Abreu, and Guerrero have all had pretty good career numbers against the Yankee vet. While Morales has yet to figure Pettitte out in five career at bats, keep in mind that he batted .296 against left-handed pitchers in the regular season.
In 2009, the Angels went 21 for 65 against Pettitte, a .323 AVG. Their OBP was .397.
Although this Yankee three-man rotation dominated the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS, they struggled mightily against the Angels all year. Collectively, the Angels hit .317 against Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte. These are the reasons why I believe that the Angels will move onto the World Series despite the Yankees being the favourites to win.
Peace and Much Love To Ya :) (except to all the Yankees fans like Franny :P)
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