As the drama unfolded when in the bottom of the 7th inning with the Angels down 6-4 and most likely seeing the Yankees punch their ticket to a date with the Fightin Phils. The Halos prompted one of the most emotional comebacks in the postseason as the famous rally monkey appeared before the start of the inning and fueled the Angels to comeback and then win in dramatic fashion 7-6 in front of a sell out Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
Now we move onto the stadium in Bronx, New York for game number six in probably one of the best series I have ever witnessed. This is what baseball in general is all about, two titans clashing for a chance to play in the fall classic pulling out all the stops to achieve their goal.
On Saturday it will be a 7:45pm start in the Bronx and it will be on the FOX Network
The matchup for tomorrow night will be lefty versus lefty as Angels workhorse Joe Saunders (16-7) battles the veteran and big game pitcher Andy Pettite of the Yankees (14-8).
Now let's make some comparisons for tomorrow night shall we.
Hitting: The Angels are very streaky hitting wise, the punch of Guerrero and Hunter worked well on thursday, but can the Angels' supporting cast of Rivera, Abreu, and Aybar be beneficial to the offense?
New York: very potent, very dangerous, and what makes it even more threatening is that A-Rod can hit now in the postseason. New York can beat a team in quite a few ways hitting wise, besides Swisher this whole lineup can do a lot of damage. The launching pad in the Bronx compared to spacious Angel Stadium should play in their favor.
Advantage: New York
Pitching:
Anaheim: With Joe Saunders on the mound who is 1-0 against New York this year in two starts with a 4.72 ERA according to yankeesdaily.com. The Angels don't necessarily have a lock on the mound like John Lackey but Joe when he is on he is nearly unhittable as he closed out the season with a 5-0 record and a sparkling 2.89 ERA.
New York: Andy Pettite has been there, done that, he has been on the big stage for the Yankees so many times it is hard to argue his credibility in the postseason. 15-9 with a 3.96 ERA according to www.baseballreference.com, Pettite has been in big game situations and has won those games 60% of the time. But this season he has struggled mightily against the Angels giving up 14 earned runs in only 3 starts with a 1-2 record.
Advantage: Anaheim
Defense:
Anaheim: In the ALCS the defense of the Angels has been at moments incredible and down right boneheaded. But besides the bad moments and horrendous calls by the seeing eyed umpires, they are still a fundamentally sound club who can produce double plays like they were on the assembly line at the ford plants. Their outfield is among the best in the majors with all three of them having big time arms.
New York: the quiet but productive part of the Yankee game has been defense. with a better infield than Anaheim but then again a much weaker outfield will hurt their chance of a throw out at the plate compared to the cannons wielded by Guerrero, Hunter, and Rivera.
advantage: Anaheim
Bullpen:
Anaheim: Boy where to start with this bunch? Their closer has been shaky at best, the bullpen blew the gem Lackey threw in game 5, and their biggest gun Darren Oliver got rocked by Texiera and who knows if he has recovered from it? If Saunders gets pulled early this might be the end of the road for the Angels unless they pitch to near perfection.
New York: The bullpen for this bunch is no rock either, with their best reliever Alfredo Aceves and former starter Phil Hughes giving up the two losses respectively, besides Mariano Rivera, I wouldn't trust any of these relievers late in a game.
advantage: Draw.
Conclusion: This will be a game for the ages no doubt about it! It will be a crazy night in the Bronx that is for damn sure!
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