ALCS: Detroit Tigers vs New York Yankees

[MoIsMoney]

It's time for a little payback.

[MoIsMoney]

Nightengale called it. May as well not play the games.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...ngale/1631029/

[YankeePride1967]

I go with Phelps in Game 2 - there is too much concern about Kuroda already being out of gas to try to get him to go on short rest.

Question - if you intend to go with Phelps in Game 2, do you change your pen (Garcia, perhaps) to give you another long-arm in the pen?

Question - what is Chamberlain's status after taking the bat off the elbow yesterday?

I only add Garcia or Nova if Chamberlain can't go. We have Lowe for a long man and also in game 2 Hughes should be available for a few innings as well.

[YankeePride1967]

Only pitchers not available tonight were Andy and Kuroda which makes me think game 2 will be Kuroda.

Joe said Andy would have been available last night if needed. It would have really hurt us for this round but they had to get to this round first.

[zimfan]

Nightengale called it. May as well not play the games.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...ngale/1631029/

he's gotta be kidding.

[hardrain]

Does Jhonny Peralta's Mom still have dyslexia?

[sweet_lou_14]

Nightengale called it. May as well not play the games.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...ngale/1631029/

I remember reading Nightengale years ago in Baseball Weekly or whatever it was called. He always seemed to be a fair and objective observer of the game.

This article reads like it was written by some troll from a local Detroit tabloid. What a piece of garbage.

[rajah]

The Yankee hitters have to step it up for the team to win. That is clear.

1) The Tigers are going to score more runs than the Orioles did. I think we have to assume that.

2) Robinson Cano is going to have to hit better in this Series. The Yankees are not winning without major contributions from their best hitter if the Tigers get what they can expect from their best hitter.

3) It seems doubtful that Alex is going to turn it around at this point, given where he is at and all the controversy. (Many on this Board seem to assume he will never turn it around.) That means the Yankees offensively are where they were when he was out after the hand injury that I think still bothers him. I remember that as not a very good place. Others but Cano also are going to have to step up against starting pitching better than the Baltimore pitching that seemed to shackle them.

[JSG]

Random thoughts: I'm expecting Grandyman to show up big this series, probably Swish too. I think the O will have a few real breakout games. This in turn will help the guys who are scuffling, including A Rod. I expect A Rod to play better with the huge pressure of being the Goat in a 5 game pressure cooker gone, but the days of royal treatment and 3 hole entitlement should be gone. Like Smith Barney, he needs to eaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrn it the old fashioned way. It seems G will play this in an even handed way, giving AZrod a legit shot at redemption while putting the main focus on the team and putting the best players and matchups on the field. All their RHPs vs A Rod is an obvious subplot, hope he can turn this around in a big way.

[Battingly]

Random thoughts: I'm expecting Grandyman to show up big this series, probably Swish too.

Agree on Granderson, because he's had big hits in the post season and he has a great track record verses his old team as well, and HR hitters are streaky, they usually hit them in bunches, so that HR in Game 5 might send him on a tear, so there are substantive reasons to be optimistic about the Grandyman in this series.

Swisher, OTOH, there is nothing but blind optimism to suggest he is going to hit in this series or any other series. His post season track record now goes beyond a small sample. He's had plenty of AB's in the post season, and the results could not be more abysmal.

Even Arod, for all of his struggles, can point to 2009 as an example of how he can carry a team in the PS if he gets hot.

Swisher's history is one of abject failure and nothing else.

That said, I HOPE HE CHANGES THAT HISTORY, starting tonight.

I'm not rooting against him and its not personal. I like the guy and I hope he hits 3 bombs tonight.

[NelsonMuntz]

This article reads like it was written by some troll from a local Detroit tabloid. What a piece of garbage.

Seriously. What the hell was that crap?

[NewEraYanks2527]

Seriously. What the hell was that crap?

Right? Let's just hope the Yanks make that writer eat big plates of crow.

[teknetic]

Detroit's bullpen is garbage. Letting that pos Valverde celebrate at the end of a game isn't something I'd like to see.

[NelsonMuntz]

After giving this some consideration, I don't think Girardi will start Kuroda on short rest.

Initially I did, but I changed my mind, Kuroda threw too many innings this year and I suspect they rather have him on five days rest than three.

I think this will be our pitching alignment for whatever its worth:

G1. Andy Pettitte
G2. David Phelps
==
G3. Hiroki Kuroda
G4. CC Sabathia
G5. Andy Pettitte
==
G6. Phil Hughes
G7. CC/Kuroda

Take it FWIW but during the radio broadcast yesterday Suzyn and John were both doubting that Girardi would start Kuroda on 3 days rest if the Yankees advanced. They even went as far as to speculate that Kuroda may not be 100% healthy. I think it's Phelps/Pen or pray for rain tomorrow.

[Black Sabbathia]

Thought this was interesting for a Detroit take on the matchup

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...|text|Sports|s

Gives the Yankees the edge 9-5-2 position by position

[teknetic]

Fielder-Tex is the furthest thing from a tie.

[JSG]

ALCS roster just posted on lohud

Eppley on Jobs too Nunez off

[Mr Coffee]

Fielder-Tex is the furthest thing from a tie.

Maybe in a foot race.

[Battingly]

ALCS roster just posted on lohud

Eppley on Jobs too Nunez off

Here it is ...

PITCHERS

CC Sabathia
Andy Pettitte
Hiroki Kuroda
Phil Hughes
David Phelps

Rafael Soriano
Dave Robertson
Joba Chamberlain
Boone Logan
Clay Rapada
Derek Lowe
Cody Eppley

INFIELDERS

Mark Teixeira
Robinson Cano
Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriguez

Eric Chavez
Jayson Nix

OUTFIELDERS

Curtis Granderson
Nick Swisher
Ichiro Suzuki
Raul Ibanez (DH)

Brett Gardner

CATCHERS

Russell Martin
Chris Stewart

[JL25and3]

Fister?!

I hardly know'er....

Would you let 'er Pettitte?

[JL25and3]

I hate this schedule, its absurd, we don't even get one day off to exhale and savor this victory.

Why do you need a day off?

[Battingly]

.
My Game 1 lineup:

LF Ichiro Suzuki
SS Derek Jeter
2B Robinson Cano
1B Mark Teixeira
CF Curtis Granderson
3B Alex Rodriguez
DH Raul Ibanez
RF Nick Swisher
C Russell Martin

I know Girardi will probably swap Jeter and Ichiro, but I prefer it this way to stagger the lineup and IMO Ichiro & Jeter are interchangeable at the top.

[Battingly]

Why do you need a day off?

For one thing we would be able to start Kuroda in Game 2 on normal rest rather than using a 5th Starter (Phelps), which we'll probably do now.

For another thing we would then get CC in Games 3 and 7 (if necessary), both on normal rest.

[JL25and3]

For one thing we would be able to start Kuroda in Game 2 rather than using a 5th Starter (Phelps), which is what we'll probably do now.

For another thing we would then get CC in Games 3 and 7 on normal rest.

We?

In any case, if the Yankees wanted an extra day off, they should have gone ahead and won that fiasco Thursday night.

[awy]

get ................ed valverde