New York Yankees vs Minnesota Twins: ALDS Preview
The Twins would probably have been devastated to see the Yankees win the wild card this year after having lost to the team from New York in the play-offs in previous years.
In fact, three out of the last four times the Twins have been in the play-offs they’ve lost to the Yankees. And consider they got swept by the Yanks in October last year things aren’t looking good for Minnesota.
Minnesota
The Twins aren’t exactly a powerhouse team. Yes they have Joe Mauer and yes they have Francisco Liriano leading the rotation, but after that who can they realistically rely on to carry them? It’s hard to say.
The Twins were dealt a major blow earlier this week when it was announced first baseman Justin Morneau will miss the whole of the post-season suffering from post-concussion symptoms. The initial injury was sustained way back on July 7 and the former AL MVP hasn’t played since.
If the Twins’ core of Mauer, Jim Thome, Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young are consistent against the Yankees they could actually pose a significant threat – a threat which would have been so much greater if Morneau was fit.
The main problem for the Twins, however, is the pitching rotation. After Liriano, there isn’t a pitcher who you would say has good stuff. Whilst Carl Pavano has won 17 games this season he doesn’t overpower batters and Brian Duensing, too, won’t miss that many bats.
The Twins look more like a team built for longevity rather than a team for the post-season which could be their undoing against the Yankees, again.
But there is one major plus for the Twins, and that is home-field advantage. Target Field will be hosting its first play-off games and if you’ve never been to Minnesota in October, you might want to wrap up warm. Add a thunderous crowd to the mix and you never know what might happen.
New York Yankees
For a team that has the highest payroll in the majors, the Yankees still come into the play-offs with some problems. Notably the Yankees have major concerns with their pitching. CC Sabathia is their only reliable pitcher at the moment, something the Yankees management must be concerned with considering how much money they invested into the rotation.
Andy Pettitte has struggled with injury for a few months now, AJ Burnett has been wild, posting a 5.26 ERA this season, Phil Hughes was on an innings limit this season and struggled to miss bats and Javier Vazquez once again failed to endear himself to the Bronx faithful.
The Yankees will likely go with a three-man rotation of Sabathia, Pettitte and Hughes.
Should the starting pitching not do so well, the Yankees can fall back on their offence which ranked first in runs scored and OBP. They finished third in home runs scored and against the average pitching of Minnesota could score enough runs to carry the pitching – should it fail.
There are major concerns over Derek Jeter, who at 36 has had a major decline in production this season, but the Yankees have more than enough talent to compensate. Robinson Cano had an MVP calibre season, Alex Rodriguez hit 30 home runs for the 13th season in a row, Mark Teixeira hit 30 home runs for the fifth season in a row, and Nick Swisher was just one home run shy of the 30 mark.
Though Curtis Granderson struggled with his average (.247) he did hit .278 in September and when he does connect he does have some pop in the bat, crushing 24 home runs. The Yankees look like a team built for October.
Outcome
Though the Twins are better than last year, the defending champions just have too much offensive power for the Twins to subdue. Yankees in four.
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