Major League Baseball Postseason Predictions: American League – Part 3
The New York Yankees have a formidable batting line-up and it is only a matter of time before all the big names present in the bull-pen start to glimmer. Alex Rodriguez is out with a knee-surgery and Derek Jeter is still to hit top form.
A-Rod, even though having featured in just 80 games, has bagged 53 runs and 90 hits thus far and when he eventually does return to the roster, the stage will be set for him to accelerate the progress of the Yankees. His replacement, Eduardo Nunez, has finally
silenced his critics after adding 25 useful runs including four home-runs at a decent average of .273.
Jeter has had a mixed season thus far with injuries hampering his playing stretch. He is still fighting a finger injury and has featured in just 90 games for the Yankees this season. He is renowned for yielding RBIs and hits but both have been on the lower
side this season. He rose to personal glory when he completed his 3000 career-hits this season but has managed just 29 hits since and had a pretty ordinary series against the Boston Red Sox, a victory in which could have secured the top spot for the Yankees
in the American League East division.
Yankees’ pitching outfit has been impressive this season with CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera doing most of the damage. The Yankees do not have any other starting pitcher of Sabathia’s calibre in their ranks and given the load of work, it will be interesting
to see how long the ace pitcher prevails. Sabathia’s win-loss record is the best in the Majors at 16-6 and his 16 quality starts have served as an added bonus for New York.
His strike-outs at 168 are also notable and at this rate, the left-handed maestro is expected to finish the season with his tally in the range of 250 strike-outs. This will be some achievement for the world-class pitcher who is now just 45 strike-outs shy
of 2000 career strike-outs. With 11 more starts expected, given fitness, this milestone does not seem a distant possibility this season.
Mariano Rivera has provided Sabathia with the much needed support at the mound with his top-quality pitching from the mound. The relief-pitcher has saved 29 games for the Yankees which have been of immense help to the team. Although Rivera’s strike-outs
(39) have not been high, his ERA at 1.87 portrays his character while pitching deep in the game. His role will be vital as the season progresses and the Yankees aim at the top spot in their division to avoid the Wild Card route on their way to the playoffs.
The Yankees have had an outstanding run of form after the All-Star break with just nine losses and 16 wins in 25 games. Their 1-2 series loss against the Red Sox is their only series loss in this stretch and the two consecutive losses against Boston came
after an eight-game winning streak which saw the Yankees win three consecutive games against the Baltimore Orioles before obliterating the Chicago White Sox 4-0 in the four-game series.
The Yankees are now just one-game behind Boston and with a string of relatively easier series on home, they have a chance of eradicating the deficit. With both teams ensured of a spot in the playoffs, it will be interesting to see which of the two teams
finishes top of the division.
Continued in Part 4
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