ALCS Game 4 preview: A.J. Burnett vs Tommy Hunter
Were it not for a five-run eighth inning in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series (ALSC), the New York Yankees would be facing elimination Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium against the Texas
Rangers in Game 4 of the ALCS. Instead the Rangers are only up 2-1, and the Yankees can tie the series with a win.
A.J. Burnett will take to the mound Tuesday night for the Yankees. He finished the regular season with a 10-15 record and a 5.26 ERA, and will have to improve upon that if he wants to earn a win against
the Rangers. So far in the ALCS the Rangers are outscoring the Yankees 20-8, and Burnett hasn’t pitched since 2 October.
“I don't think about it,” Burnett said. “I go out like I threw five days ago and go with that mindset. I'm not going to go haywire with the mechanics. Curveball, it's going to be a big one that I can get
over with strikes. I don't worry about mechanics. My priority is to throw strikes."
Tommy Hunter will get the start for the Rangers. He compiled a 13-4 record in the regular season with a 3.73 ERA, but lost his only post-season start this season to the Tampa Bay Rays. He only lasted four
innings in that game, allowing three runs, two of them earned, on six hits. He did manage to strike out seven batters in those four innings.
Hunter played well in his only regular season start against the Yankees this year, allowing two runs over five innings in a no decision. He struck out eight batters in that game.
So far in the ALCS the Rangers have been successful both on the mound and at the plate. Cliff Lee stuck out 13 batters in Game 3, and allowed only two hits in eight scoreless innings, while Texas batters
gave Lee six runs in the ninth to cap a convincing 8-0 win.
"I hope we're showing a lot of people that we're a team that can do it all," said Rangers centre fielder Hamilton. "We hit, pitch and play defence. I'm not going to say anything of the sort that we're
better than the Yankees, especially coming into their house, so any time we can take the crowd out of it, that's what we did in Tampa and that's what we tried to do [Monday night]."
The Yankees are going to be fired up for Game 4 after being embarrassed in their own house in Game 3, but it’s going to be tough for them to beat a confident Rangers squad that has played better on the
road than they have at home this post-season.
Game 3 was expected to be a pitching duel between two of the best postseason pitchers in the game, and until the ninth inning that is exactly what it was. Game 4 could be quite the opposite as two offensive
juggernauts go up against a couple of pitchers that have yet to impress in this year’s post-season.
Prediction:
Burnett looked awful coming down the stretch, and putting him in here after having not pitched for over two weeks seems a like a big risk that just won't pay off. Rangers will light up Burnett early on route to a 7-3 win.
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