Thoughts On Yankees Going Into Next Game

Hopefully a preview of what you will see after the 2009 world Series.



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The Yankees have inserted themselves into the playoffs, but need to make a statement come Friday night.

The Red Sox will bring a lot of intensity into the game looking to also make a statement in the series in New York.

John Lester is 41-15 in his career, and is one of the greatest comeback stories in sports history after recovering from cancer.

J. Lester has fanned 215 batters this year in 194.2 innings, and will look to go into the playoffs on a high note.

Joba Chamberlain has been horrible out of the starter role in my mind if you look at what he has done overall.

The fact remains that he throws too many pitches to be a quality starter at this point. I am not saying he will not be able to one day, but right now he should be in the bullpen.

Some pitchers need to build their confidence if they are going to pitch effectively at the big league level.

The thing about this Yankee team is that they can burn you in so many ways.

Think about the loss of Chien Ming Wang, for most teams that would have cost the season, but not for this team.

The starting rotation for New York is lights out, and can be awesome at any given moment.

CC Sabathia leads the charge in the rotation, giving them 220.1 Innings only allowing 87 runs this season.

Andy Pettitte has improved with age after showing signs of tear at the end of the 2008 season.

Andy has been huge for the Yankees, and has definitely earned another season if he wants it.

Despite A.J. Burnett struggling at points lately, you have to realize how talented he is.

In a 7 game series the Yankees are the team to beat, as it would be a shock if they didn't win this year.
Since the return of Alex Rodriguez this year the Yankees have been the most feared team.

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Arod brings so much to the lineup after the signing of first baseman Mark Teixeira.

With Alex hitting behind M. Teixeira New York is one of the most dangerous lineups throughout the league.

Tex has been the MVP for New York, having a terrific first season in the Bronx. M. Teixeira also brings an incredible glove.

The Bronx Bombers have the best starting infield in baseball, as the starting four have combined for 103 home runs driving in 350 runs for the year.

You name me any infield that has put up the numbers this team has. Even if you take the decline in Jorge Posada's defense, he still leads most catcher in power numbers.

The Yankees got a lucky break as J. Posada was sent for x-rays on his foot, and they came out negative. It cannot hurt to add that kind of bat to an already stacked lineup.

The captain Derek Jeter is one of the best hitters throughout baseball since his arrival to the big leagues, with 2,736 career hits as he gets closer and closer to 3,000.

One of the most consistent things for New York this year has been their bullpen anchored by closer Mariano Rivera.

M. Rivera is the best closer in history, and might possibly be included with being one of the best pitchers of all time.

I have never seen a pitcher go three years without giving up a run in the playoffs, nobody really realizes how amazing that stat is.

The newest addition to their success late in the game as been Phil Hughes who has dominated as a setup guy making himself a valuable asset to the team.

Look for that bullpen to play a major role in tomorrow night's game as Joba Chamberlain has trouble making it past the 4th, and 5th inning regardless of how good he's throwing.

Expect the bats to come through if the Yankees want to beat a pitcher with the caliber of John Lester.