They’re back...and so are our old foes from postseason past. Fans haven’t forgotten what happened last year, and neither have our boys in pinstripes. It’s time for some revenge! It’s time to be the last one standing and make it back to the World Series.
The Yankees beat the Tigers 6-4 in their match ups this year, but don’t let that fool you…. the Tigers are going to “roar” their way into Yankee stadium and our boys have a fight on their hands. The Tigers are not unstoppable, but they have to execute in a few key areas to neutralize a very powerful team.
The Tigers are a stacked team, and they have some potent bats. The Tigers built their team around offense, but even with powerful hitters like Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera the offense hasn’t lived up to all of the expectations. That being said, they can change the course of a game with one swing of the bat and the short porch in Yankee stadium can be very enticing for these two, so switching speeds and locating will be crucial for our pitchers.
- Miguel Cabrera: He can be especially dangerous because he can hit anything, in any count, and pull the ball in any direction. I guess this is a big reason why he and his .330 AVG, 44 home runs and 139 RBI won him the Triple Crown this year. To keep the Tigers from tacking on extra runs the Yankees need to keep the Tigers who bat in front of him off of the bases. I always feel like Cabrera does the most damage when he has runners on so if the Yankees can keep the first two batters off of the bases they cripple the Tiger offense.
Even if the Yankees keep Cabrera from slugging home runs if he gets on base they still have to deal with cleanup hitter Prince Fielder. Then Tigers have a dangerous 3-4 hitting combination, some say it could be one of the best in baseball. If the Yankees fool Cabrera but don’t get to Fielder he can also do some damage. Also worth noting, Delmon Young hit three solo home runs in last years ALDS, and he also has good numbers against Andy Pettitte going 13-for-24 against him. If the Yankees can eliminate big rallies from these key batters they will be in good shape.
The Tiger pitching is the strength of this team. The Yankees will face all right-handed pitchers this series starting off with Doug Fister, the same pitcher who was on the field for Game 5 of the ALDS last year. Sanchez, Scherzer, and of course the always dangerous Justin Verlander will test the Yankees. Considering that the Yankees will face all righties, as long as the Yankees execute at the plate the lineup will be matched up better when compared to all of the lefty pitching we saw at the end of the regular season.
- Justin Verlander: He's slated to pitch in games 3 and 7, so the Yankees have their hands full. The key to success against him is to get to him early. Usually as pitchers go deeper into the game they lose a little of their edge; but it is the complete opposite in Verlander’s case. Often times, he gains velocity on his pitches as the game progresses and hitters have less success off of him during the second and third turns though the lineup.
As dangerous as the Tiger starting rotation is if the Yankees can get into the bullpen they can do some damage. He bullpen has not been as dependable lately. Set-up man Joaquin Benoit has really struggled to keep the ball in the ballpark and has allowed too many home runs lately. Another concern, Jose Valverde really struggled against the Oakland A’s during the ALDS and actually gave the Tigers their loss in Game 4. If the Yankees can shake these guys up a little on the field it could be key to a close game.
The ability to play small ball is going to be key in this series. I know I am not about to introduce a new concept here, it’s the same theme from the rest of the season but considering how both teams can do damage with the long ball, the Yankees HAVE to manufacture some runs when needed. While our offense is struggling lately, so are the Tigers and with the depth we have on the bench they can really make a difference in the game. If we can get our guys into scoring position and bring them home with a base hit, the Yankees CAN win this series, but we need to score more than one or two runs to do it.
There are too many people out there who seem to think that the Yankees are underdogs in this series, and I’m not so sure about that! Sure, 2006 and 2011 didn’t give us the outcome we were looking for. Now it’s time to look ahead and be strategic. If people want to call us the underdog then so be it! After beating the Orioles our energy is renewed and we are up for the challenge, so let’s get it started.
GO YANKEES!!!
--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Writer and Editor
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