Yankees v Rangers Breakdown

This again...alrighty then...

The Yankees last 5 meetings against the Rangers were started by Burnett twice (#4 starter who has a win and loss), Vazquez twice (0-2 and not on the postseason roster) and Moseley (the long reliever). And they faced Cliff Lee twice, CJ Wilson twice and Tommy Hunter. The Yankees swept them earlier in the season in Texas when THEY had their starters (CC, AJ and Andy v Feldman, Harden and Wilson).

So the season series is 4-4.

Josh Hamilton is talking way too much< the guy hasn't done anything in the playoffs.

 " we swept the yankees 4-0 this season"

   Hey Josh this is a totaly NEW Season- its called the playoffs! what you did against the Yankees in the summer means nothing come tomorrow night.

   worry about winning a game at your own ballpark first. this isnt  tampa buddy- you wont win 3 games at yankee stadium.

  Oh and those Ghost that you dont believe in at the stadium you will soon Respect them                  

 Yanks in 6        

I disagree I think hughes is there 2nd best pitcher pettitte is good but he scares me...............Hughes was absolutely lights out against minny hughes pitched the best game out of all 3 games against minny and I think the rest will be really good for him plus you split up the lefty pitchers cc, hughes, pettitte, and burnett (who sucks balls) maybe burnett can get lucky

I don't even consider it "stealing". I think the Yankees SHOULD win Game's 1 and 2. Personally...I think if the Rangers take Game 1 or 2...that would be the steal. And yea...I think Lee will only be faced once.

Alright...lets break this one down.

Looks like Game 1 will be CC Sabathia against CJ Wilson in Arlington. CC wasn't sharp with extra rest going into Game 1 of the ALDS. Does he faulter again? It's anybodies guess I guess but it is CC Sabathia. CJ Wilson has had an incredible season. However...it's better if you take out his starts against the Yankees. He had a 5.74 ERA in 3 starts, going 6 innings, 5.1 and 3 innings. CC, on the other hand, has missed Texas in all 3 series. It's probably a good thing since it's usually the pitcher that gets the advantage when facing teams who haven't seen him before.
Game 1: Yankees 6...Rangers 3

Andy Pettitte will face off against Colby Lewis. I don't know how anyone can dislike when Pettitte brought to the table in his first start of the postseason. And we all know Pettitte as being a gamer. As for Lewis...he held the Rays scoreless through 5 by getting out of jams. He gave up only 2 hits but walked 5 and struck out 5. He's a strikeout pitcher, which bodes well for the Yankees. Usually pitchers who rely on the punchout get high pitch counts. Also, the Yankees are great at working counts and seeing pitches. Here's the problem for the Yanks. They haven't seen him before. Just like Sabathia...Lewis has not pitched in any of the 3 series this season. We all know how bad the Yankees are when facing pitchers for the first time. I think there may be enough tape to overcome that slightly...but probably not a whole much. Note...the Yankees struggle more against ROOKIES that they haven't seen before more than guys who have a boatload of tape. I expect a well pitched game but I'll give the edge to the pitcher that the Yankees haven't seen before. I have a feeling Joba will be entered into one of these games and give up a long ball.
Game 2: Rangers 4...Yankees 3

Going back to the Bronx for Game 3 where Hughes will face off against Cliff Lee. Don't underestimate Hughes. He's a different pitcher on extended rest and he'll be on 8 days rest or so. He was VERY sharp against the Twins shut up many of the critics. However...he has the tendency to give up the long ball, especially at home. For some reason I see Cruz going deep twice in this game. Twice, whether they're solo bombs or grand slams, are more than enough for Cliff Lee 9 times out of 10. People have said Cliff Lee has had problems in Texas. But look at the numbers as the teams got better. He was hammered against the Royals and Orioles, but dominates the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox. When it's all said and done...it's Cliff Lee.
Game 3: Rangers 6...Yankees 1

Burnett v Hunter in Game 4. With what would probably expect to be a hostile crowd if the first 3 games go as I have them, Burnett probably won't love this environment. 1 walk, HBP or wild pitch and the crowd will be all over him. Lucky for him though...Hunter is the opposition and he's just no good. He may have had a great record at home during the regular season, but his road ERA is 4.48 and that doesn't fair well for him. I think it's safe to say that this will be a high scoring affair. However...with all this time off...I actually expect Burnett to pitch well. If you remember the World Series last season, the Yankees were down 1-0 at home and Burnett pitched the game of his life at home. Maybe you can expect that again. Regardless...Yankees Win.
Game 4: Yankees 9...Rangers 3

Back to the rematch of Game 1 only in the Bronx. CC would not be on short rest, and he's at home so he should be as sharp as ever. Personally, I don't expect anything different from CJ Wilson. I expect a lot of the same in this one.
Game 5: Yankees 6...Rangers 1

Andy Pettitte pitched all 3 clinching games in 2009. Going back to Texas, having finally seen Colby Lewis, I expect the Yankees to go to the World Series. The last thing you want in this spot is to get to a Game 7, on the road, and have to face Cliff Lee again. Pettitte has 19 postseason wins, which is the most all time. As mentioned before, he's a Gamer and the guy I want on the mound in this spot. Since the Yankees faced Lewis before, they should be able to figure him out easier and get more hits off of him. Not as much of a pitcher's match in this one.
Game 6: Yankees 5...Rangers 2