Zell's Pinstripe Blog

Yankees (6-1) vs. Angels (4-3)

Pitching Matchup:

RHP A.J. Burnett (0-0, 2.84) vs RHP John Lackey (0-1, 3.18)

Lineup

Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF
Molina C

Game News & Notes (Courtesy of the LoHud Blog)

• More of the same – clear skies, temps in the 60s and 70s and plenty of sun. Check out the full forecast here.
• The Yankees are on the verge of their 40th AL pennant and first World Series berth since 2003. No one needs to be reminded what happened the last time the Yankees were this close (hello, 2004) but the odds are certainly in their favor: 58 of 69 teams that have taken a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series have gone on to win it.
• Here’s the Yankees vs. Lackey. And here’s the Angels vs. Burnett.
• Burnett pitched decently in his first start of the postseason and very well in his second, but hasn’t earned a win in either one. He pitched into the seventh inning of Game 2 and allowed just two runs and three hits, but got a no-decision when the game went 13 innings and 310 minutes. Burnett did come back out to deliver a walkoff pie to Jerry Hairston, who scored the winning run.
• Alex Rodriguez had a single, double and homer in Game 4, continuing what has been an insane postseason for him. A-Rod has driven in a run in every Yankees playoff game (and eight straight dating back to 2007), and has 11 total RBI. If he continues to hit this well, he’ll shatter the franchise record of 15, held by Scott Brosius (1998) and Bernie Williams (1996).
• Melky Cabrera had a critical RBI single in the fourth inning of Game 4, and that hit snapped a personal 0-for-7 slide with runners in scoring position, as well as a team-wide 0-for-28 with RISP. As a team, the Yankees are 7-for-45(.156) with RISP during the ALCS.
• Game 3 was the first time that four teammates – in this case, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Johnny Damon – aged 34 or older homered in any game, postseason or otherwise.
• Joe Girardi wouldn’t commit one way or another during the off day, but he’ll have a decision to make at DH if Jose Molina is catching. Jorge Posada, who has been on the bench this postseason when Molina catches, is hitting .333 this postseason (8-for-24) with two homers and three RBI and is 12-for-29 lifetime against Lackey. Hideki Matsui is at .261 (6-for-23) during the postseason and is coming off an ugly 0-for-5 in Game 4.
• The Angels have their ace, Lackey, going in the elimination game tonight and Lackey gave up only two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of Game 1. If you’re looking for a weird prop bet on the game tonight, see if someone will give you action on how long Lackey will stay in the game; in each of his three postseason starts against the Yankees, he’s lasted exactly 5 2/3 innings each time.

 The game is taking place at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. The game will start at 7:57PM ET. The game is being televised on FOX. The game can also be heard on the radio on WCBS 880 & ESPN Radio. Enjoy the game. Go Yankees!

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