Aybar wins by miles.

Yes.

I made some minor edits in order to feature this on our YAHOO partnership – go to the Angels team page on Yahoo Spotrts and your article should soon be listed there for mass link-in consumption. Thanks!

I think the Yankees lineup has a decent edge over the Angels. Their top end is better, and their depth is just as good.

I’m encouraged by the bullpen’s performance against the Sox (with the possible exception of Jepsen, who kinda scares me), but the Yankees have some very solid arms there. The starting pitching is about even with Sabathia and Burnett having the advantage over Lackey/Weaver and Kazmir/Saunders having the advantage over Pettitte/Gaudin/Joba. So I give the Yanks a slight edge here.

That still leaves things fairly even. I like the Angels in 7, just because I can see Girardi completely over-managing his bullpen and blowing a game somewhere along the line.

Hughes has a sub 2.00 ERA since moving to the set up role, Robertson has a 13 K/9, Coke continues to get big lefty outs since fighting off his demons early in the season, and once the ball is handed to Mo, the game is over. Throw Joba into that mix for even more solidity.

Some other notes:

- I love how you just toss aside our starting pitching.
- You must realize how poor of a defensive outfielder Bobby Abreu is, because I know all of New York does.
- A “neutralish” advantage to the Yankees playing in the Bronx? Have you watched any games they have played there this season?

I have more, but reading this fanpost frustrates me to no end.

but isn’t it “bead on the ball”?

this will be a very tuff sieries-anyone that dont think it will go 7 is wrong—if Lackey pitches the way he has been and Weaver too the Angels will do it-the teams are very even-I give the edge to the Angels because of Scossia-but this kind of sieries can be won by a no-name also-big bats dont always come thru in the sieries-big pitchers usually do-a very very good sieries—both will beat the Dodgers so this will really be the World Sieries I just hope it will be the Angels——-put the DH in the NL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I disagree with a couple points:
1) Teixeira is better than Morales, both on defense and at the plate. Kendry has been a very pleasant surprise as far as how well he’s done, but Teix’s ability to draw a walk and get on base and Gold Glove defense give him more than a slight edge.
2) Chone Figgins has been fantastic at third, but Alex Rodriguez’s bat is more dangerous. Plus his defense isn’t too bad either. Not to take anything away from Figgins who has had an excellent season and was one of the best lead off men in either league, but I’d give the edge to the Yankees at 3rd.

Prediction: Angels in 7

not win

1. history is shit. We have beat Torre’s yankees, not Joey G (can’t spell his last name). Like in the Boston series, everyone is pretty much new.

2. exhibit 1 why we won boston series: shutting down ortiz and his gang. the yankees are hot (arod at the right time), and tex is getting hot as well.

3. I’ll take old Mo Rivera over Papelbon any day of the week – postseason clutch (except 2001)

4. the angels are spent. this was very emotionally draining for the halos – exercising all these demons.

 was…………………STEVE PHILLIPS!!! HAHA

As astutely pointed to me in an email from a Yank’s fan — why he couldn’t respond here, I don’t know.. but I digress:

Team AVG R H HR 2B 3B RBI SB OBP SLG
Los Angeles Angels .285 883 1604 173 293 33 841 148 .350 .441
New York Yankees .283 915 1604 244 325 21 881 111 .362 .478

If you’ll notice, things are pretty. Damned. Even. With the notable exception of power hitting in a ridiculously hitter-friendly park. We trail in a couple, the Yankees trail in a couple, but all in all, the only big, big exception is the homers.

That being said, go read the new offensive section upstairs.

Their infield is better offensively, but we get the slight nod defensively. Our outfield is better than theirs. Period.

Starting pitching is probably a wash; we may have a slight upside (don’t look at names, look at numbers). Their bullpen is probably better.

I call Angels in 6

I watched all the games in the series of the Yankees/ Twins and was not that impressed with the Yankees at all. The Twins beat the Tigers in an extra, extra inning game then had to fly that night half way cross the country to start the series with the Yankees. They were dog tired but played with heart against the fully rested Yankees and the first two games were very close. Had the Twins had a little rest, better base running, and just a few clutch hits they likely would have would have beaten the Yankees. None of those games were blowouts by any means and nearly all the lucky calls went the Yankees way. The Yankees played a team that was missing Justin Morneau one of their best hitters, had an over taxed bullpen and the games were still very close. I was just not that impressed by the Yankees’ sweep of the Twins.

Lackey,Weaver,Kazmir and Saunders ain’t no sloutches…
Also,our lineup can be as good as the Yanks,who really didn’t do a lot against the Twins…
Tex was a ghost really,other then his lucky shot to win the game…I’m more concerned with Jeter,A-Rod and Posada…
I think Abreu,Hunter,K-Mo and Rivera will come through for us,and what is the con fidence level of the team after the big win over Papelbum and the Sux ?

at a pivotal point in the series

Figgins has to show up otherwise we lose this series. It’s too long of a series for our lead off guy to be held off the bases the whole time.

Now Lacky and Weaver scare me.
Our team looks like a bunch of tennis players with a couple of big boys.
Theirs look like hockey and football players

I think only one one of their wins against the Twins was convincing and that was game 1.
Games 2 & 3 were nail biters, obviously, but you would expect NYY to demolish the Twins instead of squeaking by like they did.

Not taking away anything from the Twins because they’re good, but it seemed they were playing more inspired than anything and did a pretty good job of taming NYY except for notching wins down. Unfortunately that inspiration came up short on the base pads, leading to their demise.

Sabbathia can get pretty shaky in the post season, Burnett barely has any experience aside from the gifts his team was handed, and Pettitte, although having the experience, he is not as forceful as he used to be.

If our guys can neutralize Cano, Posada, Cabrera, and Swisher, then Angels will have leverage.

The gang probably should have stayed on the east coast to see if Yankees could clinch (which they did), instead of having to fly across country two times in one week

This Yankee team, love em or hate em, seems different this season. They’re noticeably looser in the dugout, and i think its showing in the results. Their BAJILLION dollar payroll is actually producing positive results this season, and last but not least, our fav prima donna Arod is producing in October. Do not underestimate them on past matchups. That’s the very thing all us Halo fans couldnt stand when it came to the media pundits analyzing the Sox’s “dominance” of our Halos. Different season, different results. Sosh & the club will realize this and i believe they will be ready for friday. I got the Halos in 6 but it really is anyone’s series. GO HALOS

Not as wide a margin as you think.

UZR
Swisher 1.6
Abreu -5.2

Hunter -3.5
Cabrera 2.6
Gardner 13.3

Rivera 13.8
Damon-11.9

I hate to burst the bubble for you guys, but Nick’s death doesn’t put the Angels on a mission of destiny. Granted, it was a very tough time for the team and the fact that they all pulled to together and were able to perform is a credit to the Angels.

Winning a Championship because of a tragic death? Don’t see the karma in that. Matter of fact, the nation has portrayed the celebration of your clinching parties with somewhat disdain. The whole pouring beer and champagne over his Jersey when the kid was killed in a car crash from a drunk driver was in poor taste.

I’m a Yankees fan, but I’m going to try not to be biassed here. This is a series between two great teams, and it’s going to be close.

Offense:
Catcher- Jorge beats both your catchers, although if Joe plans to use Molina to catch Burnett, then they may have an offensive problem there. Still, the Yankees starter wins. AD-YANKS
First- Tex beats Morales. Sorry. Morales had a great year, but Tex lead the AL in homers and rbi for a reason. Plus, he’s better as a switch hitter, while most of Morales’s damage comes from the left side. AD- YANKS
Second- Cano wins. He had a breakout year this year. He can’t hit with RISP, but if we’re only looking at numbers than Cano wins. By a lot. AD- YANKS
Third- A-Rod. Not really that hard. AD- YANKS
Short- Jeter. Again, not really that hard. AD-YANKS
Left- Offensively? Johnny Damon is better than Juan Rivera. He had a great offensive season, although he’s struggled in the playoffs and in September. He’s also struggled against the Angels. Because of all that, I’ll say it’s EVEN. Remember, I’m trying not to be biassed.
Center- Hunter beats Cabrera. He’s better. I’ll admit it. He’s better. AD-ANGELS
Right- Swish had a great year, but Abreu is better. I wish the Yanks had resigned him. AD-ANGELS
DH- Vlad and Matsui? Thats a close one. I’ll say EVEN.

Defense-
Catcher- Both are pretty bad. Although if Molina/Cervelli catches at all, they are both good. I’d say AD-YANKS (slightly)
First- Tex is going to win the GG this year. He’s a beast at first base. AD-YANKS
Second Base- This is one of the ones I disagree with you on. You say “Cano is garbage”, but thats not true. He may win the Gold Glove at second base. He turns a DP better than any second baseman in baseball. And he has a great arm. AD-YANKS
Third- A-Rod has a cannon for an arm, and that helps him out a lot. But Figgins is, overall, a better third baseman. AD-ANGELS
Short- Jeter’s range has decreased a lot, and Aybar is a terrific shortstop. AD-ANGELS
Left Field- Damon is pathetic in left field. You always feel like you have to hold you breath if the ball is hit out to him. AD-ANGELS
Center Field- This depends on who the Yankees play. If Melky plays, then it’s an Angel advantage. But if Joe plays Gardner, then the Yankees have an advantage. Gardner’s arm isn’t that strong, but he can run down balls better than any outfielder in baseball (due to his speed). I’m going to assume they will play Melky though, so it’s AD-ANGELS
Right Field- One thing that annoyed me about Abreu as a Yankee was his defense. He acted as if the wall was a big shark and he was the seal. He’s not that great out there. Granted, Swish is pretty bad too. AD-EVEN

Starting Pitching
CC, Burnett, Pettitte, and Lackey, Weaver, and Kazmier? Both pretty good. I’m assuming that CC and Lackey will both pitch on short rest, and then pitch Game 7. So the aces will define this series. Both aces suck against the team they are playing, so it really doesn’t help. I’m saying EVEN.

Bullpen
I’m giving a slight edge to the Yanks here. Rivera beats Fuentes by a country mile, and Hughes and Joba setting up? The Yankees have a better bullpen than the Angels, especially if Joe decides to take Marte OUT of the playoff roster. AD-YANKS

Stadium
I’m speaking from personal experience here. I’ve never been to Angel Stadium. But I live in NY and I have season tickets to the Yankees. And I go to as many playoff games as I can. And let me tell you, there is NOTHING like playoff baseball in Yankee Stadium. The fans are in it from the beginning to the end, and you guys have to admit that the Yankees are some of the loudest fans in baseball. Angel fans? They are great and loud, and they have those thunder sticks as well. Yankee Stadium is going to be louder, simply because they have more people (bigger stadium). And the Yankees have the best home record in baseball. That has to help too. These are two of the best playoff atmosphere’s in baseball. But I have to give the edge to the Yanks. AD-YANKS

Overall? Slight edge to the Yankees, I think. This will be a great series, and history means nothing. I thought you guys proved that against the Sox. Yankees won 103 games for a reason. They are VERY good. As are the Angels. This is going to be, like Andy Pettitte said, a war. We’ll see how it turns out. My prediction?

Yanks in 7.

GO YANKEES!!!!!!!!

PS- I honestly tried not to be biassed.

how’d that Angels in 1 prediction work out for ya? Ridiculous, and you say we’re biased. Most Yankee fans are calling it Yanks in 6 or 7, but you guys are being disrespectful saying “Angels in the 4th inning of game 1.”