October 1- Yankees @ Angels: Game 2

[riverside sluggers]

eh I need to do something productive...

 

Angels Look to Get Back on Track

 

SERIES: AL Division Series; Yankees, 1-0.

 

John Lackey has already won the biggest game in Angels history. Now, he'll just be trying to get Los Angeles even in the AL division series with the visiting New York Yankees. Much was made of New York losing home-field advantage in this best-of-five on the final day of the regular season. However, the Yankees didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable on the road in Game 1, running out to an early four-run lead on AL Cy Young candidate Bartolo Colon before holding on for a 4-2 victory.

 

"We've been playing important games for the last month or so now,'' Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. "It doesn't matter whether we're home or on the road.'' Rookie Robinson Cano's two-out, bases-clearing double staked the AL East champions to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, and Jason Giambi added a run-scoring two-out double in the second. The win puts the pressure on the AL West champs to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole with Yankees ace Randy Johnson waiting to start Game 3 in New York on Friday.

 

Lackey, enjoying the best of his four seasons in the majors, will be asked to help Los Angeles avert that scenario. He pitched the Angels to their only World Series title as a rookie in 2002, throwing five scoreless innings in Los Angeles' Game 7 victory over San Francisco. Lackey is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in five career postseason appearances, including three starts. He pitched three scoreless innings of relief against New York during the 2002 ALDS, which the Angels won in four games -- after dropping the series opener. "Any experience you can definitely draw from, especially in playoff games,'' said Lackey, who matched his career high with 14 wins this year while finishing fifth in the AL with a 3.46 ERA.

 

"It's more the stuff around the game that it helps, the experience does. You know, I've done this kind of thing before. I've done the flyovers and all of that kind of stuff. Your routine gets messed with just a little bit. But if you've been through it before, it's not as big of a deal.'' Mike Mussina, whose Game 1 start was called into question after he struggled through injury and inconsistency down the stretch, was nearly flawless in the opener. He allowed five hits and struck out four without a walk in 5 2-3 scoreless innings. Al Leiter, Tanyon Sturtze, Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera combined to close out the win for New York, which had lost the opener of its last two ALDS before rallying to beat Minnesota in four games each time.

 

Bengie Molina homered off Sturtze to get Los Angeles on the board in the seventh, and Darin Erstad's RBI single in the ninth cut the deficit to two runs before Rivera closed out his 33rd career postseason save. The Angels, who were swept in last year's ALDS by eventual World Series champion Boston, closed the season with 14 victories in their final 16 games to guarantee a Game 5 at home, if necessary. "Obviously, it wasn't by design then and it's not by design now,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We're going to do what we need to do. We have to keep playing our game and we've obviously got to do a little bit better job offensively. They jumped us early and they pitched well after that.''

 

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Yankees - AL East champion. Angels - AL West champion.

 

PROJECTED LINEUPS: Yankees - SS Jeter (.309, 19 HRs, 70 RBIs, 122 runs), 3B Alex Rodriguez (.321, 48, 130, 124 runs, 21 SBs), 1B Giambi (.271, 32, 87, 108 BBs), RF Gary Sheffield (.291, 34, 123), LF Hideki Matsui (.305, 23, 116, 45 2Bs), 2B Cano (.297, 14, 62, 34 2Bs), C Jorge Posada (.262, 19, 71), DH Bernie Williams (.249, 12, 64), CF Bubba Crosby (.276, 1, 6). Angels - 3B Chone Figgins (.290, 8, 57, ML-high 62 SBs, 64 BBs), SS Orlando Cabrera (.257, 8, 57, 21 SBs), DH Garret Anderson (.283, 17, 96), RF Vladimir Guerrero (.317, 32, 108, .394 on-base percentage), C Molina (.295, 15, 69), LF Juan Rivera (.271, 15, 59), 1B Erstad (.273, 7, 66), CF Steve Finley (.222, 12, 54), 2B Adam Kennedy (.300, 2, 37).

 

YANKEES PROBABLE STARTING PITCHER: Chien-Ming Wang (8-5, 4.02). Torre originally flirted with starting Shawn Chacon in Game 2, but indicated that Wang has never faced the Angels, perhaps giving the rookie right-hander a slight edge in his first career postseason start. Wang went 2-2 with a 4.36 ERA in five September starts after sitting out two months with a sore shoulder. The native of Taiwan went 3-3 with a 4.65 ERA in eight road outings this year. He suffered a 5-3 to Boston at Fenway Park on Friday, allowing three earned runs and four hits over 6 2-3 innings, walking a career-high six.

 

ANGELS PROBABLE STARTING PITCHER: Lackey (14-5, 3.44 ERA). Lackey is 3-5 with a 6.02 ERA in eight career regular season starts against New York. However, he did pitch well against the Yankees this season, posting a 6-3 victory at Anaheim on July 22, and a 3-1 triumph in the Bronx on April 28. He is 5-3 with a 3.90 ERA in 14 home outings this year.

 

REGULAR SEASON SERIES: Angels, 6-4.

 

STREAKS AND NOTES: Yankees - The RBI single by OF Erstad was only the 10th earned run RHP Rivera has allowed in 71 career postseason appearances. ... SS Jeter, playing two days after bruising his right knee on a headfirst slide into second against Boston, reached base in his 21st straight division series game with a single in the second inning of Game 1. ... Cano earned AL Rookie of the Month honors for September by batting .381 with five home runs and 16 RBIs. Angels - The Angels are the only team with a winning record (49-48) against the Yankees since Joe Torre became New York's manager in 1996. That does not include their 3-2 postseason mark against New York entering Game 2. ... The Angels won three of four from New York in Anaheim this year. ... RHP Colon and Rivera are considered two of the top candidates for the Cy Young. Neither has ever won the award.

 

ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Yankees - 1-0 on the road. Angels - 0-1 at home.

[riverside sluggers]

Chien-Ming Wang vs: (1st appearance against the Angels, career in 8 away games a 3-3 record with a 4.65 ERA)

 

John Lackey vs: (career against Yankees in 8 games a 3-5 record with a 6.02 ERA, career at Angel Stadium in 53 games a 24-15 record with a 3.63 ERA)

Mark Bellhorn, 1 for 4 (.250 avg) Walk, K

Robinson Cano, 2 for 3 (.667 avg) Double, RBI

Bubba Crosby, 0 for 3, Walk, K

John Flaherty, 2 for 9 (.222 avg) 4 Ks

Jason Giambi, 10 for 20 (.500 avg) Double, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, 2 Walks, 2 Ks

Derek Jeter, 5 for 19 (.263 avg) 3 Doubles, 3 Walks, 6 Ks

Tino Martinez, 1 for 8 (.125 avg) Walk, K

Hideki Matsui, 6 for 17 (.353 avg) Double, HR, 7 RBIs, Walk, 3 Ks

Jorge Posada, 3 for 18 (.167 avg) HR, 2 RBIs, Walk, 6 Ks

Alex Rodriguez, 8 for 29 (.276 avg) Double, Triple, 3 HRs, 4 RBIs, 3 Walks, 12 Ks

Gary Sheffield, 2 for 10 (.200 avg) 2 Walks, SB

Ruben Sierra, 3 for 8 (.375 avg) HR, RBI, Walk, K

Bernie Williams, 5 for 17 (.294 avg) 2 Doubles, HR, 3 RBIs, Walk, 3 Ks

Tony Womack, 2 for 3 (.667 avg)

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

good piece of hitting by Cano puts the Yankees up 1-0.

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

error by A-Rod cost Yankees the lead. The offense needs to get going. Wang is throwing one hell of a game tonight.

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

4-2, if the Yankees lose this game they can look in the mirror and point because the Angels took advantage of their BRUTAL mistakes.

[eZ_d0eS_iT]

3 errors! plus hr from molina makes it 5-2 angels in the 9th

[eZ_d0eS_iT]

what a waste of an otherwise good pitching performance from wang...

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

Too make a long story short the Yankees lost the game more then the Angels won it. I will say one thing though....this isnt the same Angel team from 2002. This team does not nearly hit as well as that team. If the Yankees have any defense behind Wang tonight we are headed back to NY up 2-0. But oh well I would have taken a split anyway.

[ARod2212]

Wang made the error on the throw, and left the pitch up to Cabrera. He had a chance to get out of it, and he didn't. Offense is playing like s***, but I think I'll give some credit to the Angels in having good pitching.

[Gambit]

Yankees Lose.... the-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e yankees lose.

 

Matt

[eZ_d0eS_iT]

Yankees Lose.... the-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e yankees lose.

 

Matt

 

lmao. But seriously, I don't think its that the NY offense is playing like s*** so much that angel pitching is getting the job done. I'd be worried more if the angel offense started to heat up.

[riverside sluggers]

thats our OC getting it done with the 2 RBI single

 

What killed the Yankees really was the costly errors that they had made

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

Yankees Lose.... the-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e yankees lose.

 

Matt

Worry about yourself buddy.

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

lmao. But seriously, I don't think its that the NY offense is playing like s*** so much that angel pitching is getting the job done. I'd be worried more if the angel offense started to heat up.

The big hitters in both lineups are ice cold. Vlad is 1-7 and A-Rod is 0-5 3BB. The difference is RJ is pitching for us in game 3 and Paul Byrd is pitching for them. I feel pretty good.

[riverside sluggers]

I heard that A-Rod in the playoffs is currently in a 2 for 22 offensive slump in the playoffs dating back to last October

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

A-Rod has a career postseason avg of 330. He will hit.

[Soxfan1]

Who stayed up for this?

[eZ_d0eS_iT]

Who stayed up for this?

 

 

huh? the game?

 

well considering it was a close game for much of the night, I'd guess alot of people with an interest in either team or for a good playoff game that wasn't decided until late in the game.

 

being on the west coast it was win/win for me. :thumbsup: