Series Preview: Yankees at Tigers | 6/1/12-6/3/12

Pitching Matchups

Friday, 6/1/12, 7:05pm ET

Pitching for the Yankees: C.C. Sabathia, LHP
Last Start: 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 4 K, 2 BB, 1 HR
On the Season: 6-2, 3.66 ERA / 3.74 FIP / 3.31 xFIP, 8.71 K/9, 2.65 BB/9 in 71.1 IP

Pitching for the Athletics: Casey Crosby, LHP 
Last Start (vs. AAA-BOS): 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 10 K, 1 BB, 1 HR
On the Season (in AAA): 4-2, 4.26 ERA / 3.52 FIP, 10.13 K/9, 4.62 BB/9 in 50.2 IP

Crosby will be making his major league debut on the mound tonight in Detroit.

Saturday, 6/2/12, 7:15pm ET

Pitching for the Yankees: Hiroki Kuroda, RHP
Last Start: 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 0 HR
On the Season: 4-6, 3.96 ERA / 5.01 FIP / 4.35 xFIP, 5.43 K/9, 3.08 BB/9 in 61.1 IP

Pitching for the Athletics: Rick Porcello, RHP
Last Start: 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 9 H, 2 K, 3 BB, 0 HR
On the Season: 3-4, 5.21 ERA / 4.39 FIP / 4.14 xFIP, 5.53 K/9, 2.37 BB/9 in 57.0 IP

Sunday, 6/3/12, 1:05pm ET

Pitching for the Yankees: Phil Hughes, RHP
Last Start: 5.1 IP, 7 ER, 11 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 1 HR
On the Season: 4-5, 5.64 ERA / 5.04 FIP / 4.34 xFIP, 8.37 K/9, 2.22 BB/9 in 52.2 IP

Pitching for the Athletics: Justin Verlander, RHP
Last Start: 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, 7 K, 1 BB, 0 HR
On the Season: 5-3, 2.55 ERA / 2.31 FIP / 3.08 xFIP, 9.07 K/9, 1.77 BB/9 in 81.1 IP

NYY Offense

Who’s Hot

— Mark Teixeira – 11 for 24 with 3 doubles, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB in the last 7 days

— Russell Martin – 4 for 13 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 3 BB in the last 7 days

Who’s Not

— Eric Chavez – 2 for 17 with 1 double, 3 BB, 3 K in the last 7 days

— Derek Jeter – 7 for 27 with 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K in the last 7 days

DET Offense

Who’s Hot (much of the Tigers’ lineup):

— Prince Fielder – 15 for 28 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 4 BB in the last 7 days

— Alex Avila – 8 for 18 with 4 doubles, 3 RBI, 3 BB in the last 7 days

— Miguel Cabrera – 12 for 31 with 5 doubles, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB in the last 7 days

— Andy Dirks – 8 for 22 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 1 BB in the last 7 days

Who’s Not:

— Brendan Boesch – 4 for 23 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K in the last 7 days

— Ryan Raburn – 2 for 12 with 1 RBI, 6 K in the last 7 days

Enjoy the series!

Series Preview: Yankees vs. Tigers | 4/27/12-4/29/12

Pitching Matchups

Friday, 4/27/12, 7:05pm ET

Pitching for the Yankees: Ivan Nova, RHP
Last Start: 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 5 K, 0 BB, 1 HR
On the Season: 3-0, 3.79 ERA / 4.00 FIP / 2.77 xFIP, 9.47 K/9, 0.95 BB/9 in 19.0 IP

Pitching for the Tigers: Justin Verlander, RHP
Last Start: 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 8 K, 3 BB, 0 HR
On the Season: 2-1, 1.72 ERA / 1.78 FIP / 3.17 xFIP, 8.90 K/9, 2.30 BB/9 in 31.1 IP

Saturday, 4/28/12, 4:05pm ET

Pitching for the Yankees: Freddy Garcia, RHP
Last Start: 1.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0 HR
On the Season: 0-1, 9.75 ERA / 4.73 FIP / 3.92 xFIP, 6.00 K/9, 2.25 BB/9 in 12.0 IP

Pitching for the Tigers: Drew Smyly, LHP
Last Start: 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 7 K, 2 BB, 1 HR
On the Season: 0-0, 1.13 ERA / 3.96 FIP / 3.52 xFIP, 8.44 K/9, 3.38 BB/9 in 16.0 IP

Sunday, 4/29/12, 1:05pm ET

Pitching for the Yankees: C.C. Sabathia, LHP
Last Start: 8.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 8 K, 1 BB, 1 HR
On the Season: 2-0, 5.27 ERA / 3.37 FIP / 2.71 xFIP, 9.88 K/9, 2.30 BB/9 in 27.1 IP

Pitching for the Tigers: Max Scherzer, RHP
Last Start: 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, 6 K, 2 BB, 0 HR
On the Season: 1-2, 8.24 ERA / 3.25 FIP / 3.52 xFIP, 10.53 K/9, 2.75 BB/9 in 19.2 IP

NYY Offense

Who’s Hot

— Derek Jeter – 12 for 22 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 2 BB in the last 7 days

— Robinson Cano – 7 for 21 with 2 doubles, 2 BB in the last 7 days

— Nick Swisher – 7 for 21 with 3 doubles, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1 BB in the last 7 days

Who’s Not

— Curtis Granderson – 3 for 17 with  RBI, 5 BB, 8 K in the last 7 days

DET Offense

Who’s Hot:

— Miguel Cabrera – 8 for 24 with 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB in the last 7 days

Who’s Not

— Jhonny Peralta – 2 for 18 with 1 doubles, 1 BB, and 4 K in the last 7 days

— Austin Jackson – 3 for 19 with 1 doubles, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB in the last 7 days

— Delmon Young – 4 for 22 with 1 double, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K in the last 7 days

Enjoy the series!

Morning Bits: Rotation, Mason Williams, Empire State Yankees, Pettitte, Mariano

Good morning all.  After a rained soaked weekend the Yankees will now start a series with the red hot bats of the Texas Rangers.  This should be a great series.

Let’s start the week off with some morning links….

— Chad Jennings of Lohud writes that the Yankees struggling rotation faces tough spin vs. Rangers, Tigers.

— The Times Tribune has the story of The Empire State Yankees come back to beat Norfolk.

— Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York writes don’t mess with Texas.

— Keith Law of ESPN says Mason Williams has moved passed Banuelos as the Yankees top prospect.

— Buster Olney sat down with Mariano Rivera for the Sunday conversation.

— Mike Bauman of MLB.com writes that Andy Pettitte is a necessity, not a luxury for the Yankees.

— The yankees expect Brett Gardner back after the 15 days on the DL writes Jason Mastrodonato of mlb.com.

 

Staff Predictions for the 2012 MLB Season

The MLB season starts tomorrow (not including those ridiculous Japan games) and the Yankees Fans Unite staff has made their predictions on the standings and awards for the 2012 MLB season. The awards will be posted tomorrow. We did the AL only since that’s what we focus on most with the Yankees.

AL East: Well let’s get this out of the way early since I know everybody is wondering. It is almost unanimous among the staff that the Yankees will win the AL East. Myself, Matt S, Mike D, Brian, Fish and Delia all have the Yankees taking the division. Mike P stands alone in taking the Rays. Mike P’s reasoning is that he thinks the Rays have the best rotation in MLB, enough hitting to support them, and they have great prospects to help them once August rolls around. Everybody who picked the Yankees likes the balance of their team among the offense, starting rotation, and bullpen and think they are no worse than their 97 win team from a year ago.

Previewing The Yankees 2012 Season: April

 

Spring Training will come and go before we know it and once Spring Training is over, that is when the Yankees have to focus on their Chase for 28. In April 2012, the Yankees will face 7 teams and all of them will be pretty tough to beat (well, except for a selected few), but the Yankees will have to face them nonetheless to get one step closer to the playoffs.

April 6, 2012 – April 8, 2012:

New York Yankees 2011 Record: 97-65
Tampa Bay Rays 2011 Record: 91-71
Stadium: Tropicana Field

Preview: If we have learned anything in the 2011 season about the Tampa Bay Rays, it’s that they don’t give up so easily. Sure, like the Yankees they were a first round knockout from the play-offs but the Rays had overcome the odds while digging the Boston Red Sox into a hole. In the 2012 season, the Rays have made slight changes to their lineup. There is no Johnny Damon and Carlos Pena has decided to re-join them. The Rays pitching rotation is a bit threatening as well with David Price, James Shields, Wade Davis, Jeff Niemann & ROY winner Jeremy Hellickson but the Yankees bats have been able to rock around this rotation a few times before. I would expect close games between these two teams and since the Yankees have Michael Pineda & Hiroki Kuroda, I would expect the Yankees to win the series in 2 games.

April 9, 2012 – April 11, 2012:

New York Yankees 2011 Record: 97-65
Baltimore Orioles 2011 Record: 69-93
Stadium: Camden Yards

Preview: So the 2011 record says it all that the Baltimore Orioles aren’t exactly going to be a playoff contending team anytime soon, but they do hit the Yankees when they have to. The Yankees could defeat the Orioles in all 3 games since the Yankees have more bat power and the starting pitching has improved dramatically, but the Baltimore Orioles might not make it so easy. The Orioles after all signed FA Wilson Betemit and they do have the young catcher Matt Weiters (who makes everything impossible for the Yankees). At the end of the day, pitching is what counts. The Orioles pitching is notoriously know for giving up a lot of runs to the Yankees. This is one of the series that I am looking foreward to. It should be interesting…as long as the Orioles don’t intentionally hit anyone.

April 12, 2012: OFF DAY

April 13, 2012 – April 15, 2012:

New York Yankees 2011 Record: 97-65
Los Angeles Angels 2011 Record: 86-76
Stadium: Yankee Stadium

Preview: In this series, the Angels have the upper hand after making a huge splash during the Winter Meetings in December, inking Albert Pujols & C.J Wilson. The Angels offense had gotten more potent with Albert Pujols and the Angels have seriously become contenders. Taking what the Yankees have and what the Angels have, I would say that the Angels will win this series in 2 games for 2 obvious reasons. One is the Yankees RARELY play well vs. the Angels & two is the new additions to the team. I believe most people would go to the home opener series to see Albert Pujols & C.J Wilson in an Angels uniform.

April 16, 2012 – April 19, 2012:

New York Yankees 2011 Record: 97-65
Minnesota Twins 2011 Record: 63-99
Stadium: Yankee Stadium

Preview: The 2011 Twins were plagued with injuries, which is what caused their spiraling downfall. During the offseason the Twins lost Michael Cuddyer to the Colorado Rockies and Jim Thome has gone to the Phillies. Since this series is a 4 game series, I see the Yankees and the Twins splitting it 2 games a piece. (Oh, come on. The Yankees can’t win every series.) In the long run the Twins would have to stay healthy if they hope to make it to the ALDS. But for now, this ca be the 2010 ALDS rematch and the outcome can be the same.

April 20, 2012 – April 22, 2012:

New York Yankees 2011 Record: 97-65
Boston Red Sox 2011 Record: 90-72
Stadium: Fenway Park

Preview: We all remember what happened to the Red Sox last September where they had that horrific collapse, made Terry Francona the scapegoat and hired a former Mets manager to attempt to take them to the World Series. Well, things for the Red Sox had gone bad to worse. Jonathan Papelbon is a Philadelphia Phillie, Marco Scutaro packed his bags (via trade) and headed to Colorado and the Red Sox are rumored to make their set-up man Daniel Bard into a starter? During the offseason, (and I’m not sure this is possible) the Red Sox were more quiet than the Yankees. In this series, I can see the Yankees taking 2 out of 3 here but I wouldn’t expect any flashy leather in left field due to the Green Monster (which really limits Yankees OF Brett Gardner‘s fielding abilities). The Red Sox might make it to the playoffs this year…if they don’t have a horrific collapse to start the season and to end it. (Oh wait, that happened already; 2011.)

April 23, 2012 – April 25, 2012:

New York Yankees 2011 Record: 97-65
Texas Rangers 2011 Record: 96-66
Stadium: The Ballpark In Arlington

Preview: The Texas Rangers lost starter C.J Wilson to the L.A Angels, but they did get something in return; Yu Darvish. This is one of the series that I look forward to since it would be interesting to see Darvish pitch in a MLB environment. The only issue with Darvish is that the Yankees hitters have never faced him and it could be tough to pick up his pitches when he’s pitchig well. If Darvish is pitching in the series, I would say the Yankees would take 2 out of 3, but it won’t be easy with Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and Nelson Cruz in the way. The Rangers have the players and staff to go to the World Series…they just need to win a World Series.

April 26, 2012: OFF DAY

April 27, 2012 – April 29, 2012:

New York Yankees 2011 Record: 97-65
Detroit Tigers 2011 Record: 95-67
Stadium: Yankee Stadium

Preview: To round off April, the Yankees are faced in a 2011 ALDS re-match with the Detroit Tigers. There are just a few changes to the Tigers. Since Victor Martinez is out or the whole year after injuring his knee, the Tigers decided to act fast and get a hitter that could help them go above and beyond. The hitter is Prince Fielder. The Yankees have seen Fielder before when he was with the Brewers last year during interleague, but Fielder could find a way to mash the Yankees since he will be in the American League for the next 9 years. To end April, I would say that the Tigers will take 2 out of 3 with Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera and CY Young & AL MVP winner Justin Verlander leading the pack. The Tigers are only going to get more dangerous. When Victor Martinez comes back, he’ll bat in between Cabrera & Fielder. Now that’s a deadly combination.

Previewing the 2012 Tigers | Interview Series

Over the course of the next month or two, we will be previewing the Yankees’ competition in the American League. To do this, I will interview one blog for each team in the league.

We’re going to take a short break from the AL East and preview the reigning AL Central champs, the Detroit Tigers. I had the pleasure of interviewing Lee Panas of Tiger Tales.

Now as you may have heard, Victor Martinez was recently reported to have torn his ACL and will be out for the 2012 season. This interview took place before that came out, so I was unable to ask Lee about the impact of the injury. However, he does have a good piece out about how much the Tigers will be losing without Martinez in the everyday lineup.

Keeping the injury in mind, let’s get started…

1. The Tigers certainly excelled in 2011, reaching the ALCS (after ousting the Yanks, I might add). Could you reflect on why you think they were able to achieve success? In extension, what do you think the team could have done better at, in order to get beyond the ALCS?

The 2011 Tigers were able to win because they had a core of star players which allowed them to overcome a few weak spots. They had one of the highest-scoring teams in the league primarily because of four players – first baseman Miguel Cabrera, catcher Alex Avila, shortstop Jhonny Peralta and designated hitter Victor Martinez. This allowed them to score consistently, despite offensive voids at second base, third base, center field and right field. On the pitching side, they had the best pitcher in the league in Justin Verlander. He allowed them to survive gaping holes in the fourth and fifth spots of the rotation. The acquisition of Doug Fister, who actually pitched better than Verlander down the stretch, was also huge. They relied upon Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit to do the bulk of the relief work while trying to fill the back of the pen with youngsters.

Luck also played a factor in their success. They had the good fortune of playing in a division in transition where no other team won more than 80 games. They also won more games than their run differential suggested they should have won. This was the result of a great record in close games. Valverde was partly responsible for that, but good fortune also probably played a role.

I consider the playoffs to be mostly a crap shoot. The Tigers happened to have some key offensive players – Avila, Martinez and Delmon Young – get hurt at the same time, which put them at a disadvantage versus the high-powered Rangers offense in the ALCS. The Tigers also could have benefited from a deeper bullpen.

2. The story of 2011, or at least the end-of-the-year awards, was Justin Verlander. Fans of other teams have an outside look at how terrific a pitcher he is, but from a Tiger fan’s perspective, what does he mean to the organization?

As indicated above, the Tigers 2011 success was largely due to a group of star players. Verlander was obviously one of those players and he can be counted upon to excel again for the next few years. Because the Tigers have an ace in Verlander, they can afford to carry a young developing pitcher in the number five slot as they may do this year. Verlander’s ability to pitch deep into games all season long also helps to save the bullpen for other pitchers. Finally, one of the best things about Verlander is that fans know that the team is likely to get a great performance and probably a win every fifth game.

Miguel Cabrera plays a similar role among position players. They are pretty much guaranteed an outstanding season from him, so it’s not too much of a concern if they have one or two sub-par hitters elsewhere in the line-up.

3. Although they have shown some interest in several starting pitchers, the Tigers have had a relatively quiet offseason. Why do you think that is? Is it that the team doesn’t really have any gaping holes or weaknesses?

The quiet off-season has been a bit surprising, but I don’t think they are done yet. They have been relatively inactive partly because their biggest offensive needs – second baseman, third baseman and lead-off hitter – are not easy things to find this winter. I expect them to be heavily involved in the Yoenis Cespedes sweepstakes. They have scouted him for a long time and I believe owner Mike Illitch is willing to open up his wallet to sign a potentially exciting young player. That doesn’t mean they will get Cespedes, but I believe they will be one of the finalists. If they fail to get him, I think they may get more aggressive in pursuing a trade for a lead-off hitter or third baseman.  They have now pretty much settled on a Ramon Santiago / Ryan Raburn platoon at second.

The Tigers have made a couple of smaller moves which should help. The addition of Gerald Laird gives the Tigers a real backup catcher which allows them to rest Avila more often. Hopefully, with fewer games played, Avila will be stronger at the end of 2012 than he was last year. The move also means that Martinez can be a full-time designated hitter which should help keep him healthier. They have also addressed their bullpen depth with the signing of veteran reliever Octavio Dotel.

4. What is the general confidence level in the Tigers going into the 2012 season?

I still want to see the Tigers make more improvements, but I think they are the favorites to win the AL Central even if they stand pat. The Indians should be better and the Royals have an emerging young offense, but I believe the Tigers still have the most talent in the division. An upgrade at third base, a lead-off man or a proven fifth starter would certainly add to a fan’s confidence in the Tigers. One of the biggest factors in every season, of course, is health. An injury to one of their star players especially Verlander would change everything, but that is something you can’t worry about too much until it happens.

RHP top prospect, Jacob Turner.

5. How do you feel about the current state of the Tigers’ prospects, and minor-league system? Are there any prospects that you think could have an impact on the 2012 team?

In general, the Tigers do not have a lot of prospects who project to be stars in the majors. However, their top prospect Jacob Turner has the potential to eventually be a top of the rotation starter and could make an impact as early as this season. He’ll probably get an opportunity to make the club as the fifth starter coming out of spring training. If he doesn’t make the opening day roster, then we can expect him to get starts later in the season. Other prospects with a shot at the fifth spot include Duane Below, Andy Oliver, Drew Smyly and Adam Wilk.

None of their hitting prospects figure to play much of a role in the Tigers 2012 season.  Their most promising position player in the minors is third baseman Nick Castellanos, but he is probably a couple of years away.  Other youngsters include outfielders Danry Vasquez and Avisail Garcia, and catchers Rob Brantly and James McCann, all of which need more development time.

6. Lastly, how do you project the team will do in 2012?

It’s too early for my final projection but, at the moment, I project 92 wins and a division title. As I said earlier, I think the playoffs are a crap-shoot generally won by the team which gets hot at the right time. The Cardinals were a perfect example of that last year. Hopefully, it will be the Tigers turn this year.

Justin Verlander commits rare feat; Wins both Cy Young & AL MVP

Justin Verlander commits rare feat; Wins both Cy Young & AL MVP

By Delia E.

The American League MVP was just announced and the honors go to Justin Verlander who committed a rare feat. He won both the AL Cy Young Award along with a MVP honor. Verlander was 24-5 with a 2.20 ERA. Verlander became the second pitcher to win both the Cy Young and the AL MVP award since Dennis Eckersley in 1992.

In 2^nd place in the MVP voting was Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox, in 3^rd place was Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays and in 4^th place was Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees. Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia & David Robertson also had MVP votes.

Congratulations to Justin Verlander!

What’s your Game 5 Prediction?

Coming into the series, it seemed the middle of the order would have to hit for the Yanks to win.  ARod, Tex & Swish have not done well but they have been picked up by the bottom of the order.  The 7, 8 & 9 hitters have gotten on base more than anyone on the team.  Posada  is 4 for 10  with 4 walks for a team best .600 OBP.  Russell Martin has just 3 singles but he’s added 2 walks & 2 HBPs for a .413 OBP and #9 hitter Brett Gardner has had perhaps the best series of anyone besides Cano.  Gardner is 5 for 13 with 5 RBI and 2 very clutch 2-strike, 2 RBI hits.

Fister vs Yankees Offense

Tonight’s pitcher Doug Fister was effective against the Yanks for the first 4 innings in Game 1.  He worked fast and was aggressive in the strike zone, attacking with all of his pitches.  After Posada’s early baserunning gaffe, Fister settled in and retired 11 hitters in order with 5 Ks.  I started to have flashbacks of Cliff Lee in previous postseasons but they eventually got some clutch hits and knocked him out.

Fister did a good job of tying up the RH batters with his Fastball running down and in.  This was very effective so Jeter, ARod & Martin need to lay off that pitch and make Fister get something out over the plate.  Jeter has alternated looking terrible at the plate and looking great in this series (5 for 19 with 7 Ks) but had a lot of problems with that Fister 2-seamer. ARod looked like he may have finally found his stroke in game 4 looking much more comfortable and getting his first 2 hits of the series (2 for 14).  If Fister leaves something over the plate, Alex could make him pay and the crowd will erupt.  Martin was the sole righty to have a good Ab against Fister with a 2B in the 2nd inning but he is very susceptible to the double play against Fister and needs to wait for a pitch up and over the plate.

The LH batters hit Fister well as Tex and Cano both took his low and away fastball the other way for doubles.  The Yankee lefties need to take this approach again.  Look to go the other way with that fastball running away and if he leaves it over the plate turn on it.  If they try to pull his 2-seamer low and away there will be a lot of 4-3 groundouts.  It will also be interesting to see if the home plate umps continue to give the Detroit RHPs 3-5 inches off the outside corner.

The Yanks need to continue to be aggressive since Fister attacks with a lot of strikes.  Look for anything up and over the plate to rip.  I’m hoping they can knock Fister out early enough to get Leyland to go with one of his lefties because I really like our matchups against them not to mention it gets my man Jesus Montero into the game (2 for 2 with RBI in Game 4). I’d expect to see Scherzer and Benoit pitch from the 6th inning one so I’d like to come out hitting against Fister. Not that Scherzer & Benoit are unhittable but I think they are the 2 toughest pitchers for the Yanks to match up with besides Verlander.

Nova vs. Detroit Offense

From a pitching point of view, Nova needs to do exactly what he did in Game 1.  Get ahead in the count, mix his pitches, stand tall and throw on a nice downward plane. And DO NOT LET MIGUEL CABRERA beat you.  The key is getting the 3 hitters in front of him out. Austin Jackson can easily be pitched to and cannot be walked. Delmon Young looks for fastballs middle out to drive the other way so don’t put anything in that wheel house. Cabrera needs to be pitched around and contained as much as possible. Attack him with no runners on but be very careful if runners are on base. Victor Martinez is a great hitter behind him but not nearly as dangerous as Miguel.

Nova doesn’t need to throw a complete game as the Yanks have a well rested and able bullpen to back him up. Robertson and Mo can definitely get 9 outs between them and Soriano, Logan and maybe even C.C. can be used to matchup in the 6th inning or whenever needed. So with Robertson ready to start the 7th, Nova needs to go all out knowing he only needs to go 5-6 innings before handing the baton to the best 1-2 bullpen punch in the A.L.

MY PREDICTION:

Hope to see a lot of Cano's shit-eating grin tonight

Both teams will score some runs early and it will come down to a battle of bullpens. Granderson & Cano will hit well and at some point Cano will be pitched around and ARod will make them pay.  Tex or Swish will come up with a big hit at some point as well. Yankees pen will out pitch Detroit’s pen and Yanks win 7-4.

LET’S HEAR YOUR PREDICTIONS AND PLAYER OF THE GAME.

Morning Bits: Tigers lineup, Nova, Players not on Yankees next year

Here we go!!! Tonight is Game 5.  Nova vs Fister.  It’s not the sexiest of names to be matching up but I’ll take cool calm Nova over Fister any day.   All hands will be on deck for the Yankees tonight out of the bullpen.  They moved the game time up to 8PM instead of 8:30 since this is the only game today.  Enjoy and Let’s go Yankees.  Listen to Enter sandman to get you pumped up for tonight’s game. Enter Sandman

and here are your morning links….

* The Tigers will stars Ordonez (RF) and Kelly (3B) in game 5.

* 5 Players who will not be on the Yankees in 2012.

* Nova feels no pressure for Game 5.

Morning Bits: Granderson, Nova, Burnett, Offense, Forbes

Well we got what we needed from A.J. and Gardner had a great game as well as Granderson with two amazing catches. Game 5 will be Thursday.  Back to the Bronx.  Should be a good one.

……and here are your morning links.

* Yankee offense finally breaks out.

* Granderson’s clutch catches saved the season.

* Nova set for game 5 but C.C. available for relief.

* Yankee bats almost make Burnett a footnote.

* The Yankees win the most valuable franchise is the world title given by Forbes.

NOTE: Ricky is putting together another podcast for Game 5 if you have any questions leave them in the comment section please and he will answer them for you.

2011 ALDS: Game 4 | Yankees @ Tigers

Lineup:

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Russell Martin C
Brett Gardner LF

Pitchers:

A.J. Burnett (0-0, 0.00) vs. Rick Porcello (0-0, 0.00)

This is it if the Yankees want to stay in the playoffs. In a matter of a little while, we will see how Burnett will handle a tremendous amount of pressure. Hopefully, enjoy the game.

By the way, here is Ricky’s Game 4 Podcast Preview. Check it out!

UPDATE

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that all pitchers are available out of his bullpen Tuesday night except for CC Sabathia.

Even Freddy Garcia, whom Girardi instructed “to get his shoes on.” Girardi said Monday that ALDS Game 4 starter A.J. Burnett will be on a short leash, so it makes sense to have all hands on deck. Rafael Soriano, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera are all fairly well-rested and could be used early if Burnett runs into trouble. Burnett posted a disappointing 5.15 ERA in 190 1/3 innings this regular season and owns a poor 5.67 career ERA in the playoffs. Detroit leads the series 2-1 and can advance to the ALCS with a victory Tuesday at Comerica Park

Morning Bits: Elimination game, A.J., Girardi, Tex, Jeter

Well today is D-Day.  All hands on deck as all Yankee fans will take back every bad word they have ever said about A.J. if he can get the Yankees a win tonight.  I’m not that confident are you?  Oh well that’s why they play the game though.   Earth to A-Rod please hit the little white ball.  Thanks.

and here are your morning links…

* Yankees face elimination game with little pop from big guns.

* A.J. will be on a short leash in tonights game.

* Girardi questions the strike zone in game 3 loss.

* Tex struggled again in a big spot.

* Jeter had the chance to be the hero instead he is left to look like a zero.

Morning Bits: Jeter, A-Rod, Valverde

Almost a good comeback but almost doesn’t count.  Tonight is the pitching matchup we have all been waiting for.  I know I can’t wait.  Enjoy!

and here are your morning links…

* Jeter’s Strikeouts and error were costly in the Yankees loss.

* Playoff monkey on A-rod’s back again.

* Closer Valverde guarantees Tigers win the series.

2011 ALDS: Game 1 (Take 2) | Yankees vs. Tigers

Ivan Nova is making his first postseason start, as is his opponent, Doug Fister.

Lineup:

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Russell Martin C
Brett Gardner LF

Pitchers:

Ivan Nova (0-0, 0.00) vs. Doug Fister (0-0, 0.00)

Pregame Notes:

— It is currently raining at Yankee Stadium, supposedly quite hard and steady at the moment (6:50pm). Hopefully it stops sometime soon, so they can get the game in tonight. If not, the schedule for the rest of the ALDS will be pretty darn hectic, I’m sure.

— The game will pick up right where they left off last night: 1-1, bottom of the 2nd inning, no one on, no one out, except Ivan Nova and Doug Fister are replacing C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander, respectively.

Enjoy the game.

Morning Bits: Nova, Starting Rotation, Burnett

Well the Yankees and Tigers game got rained out yesterday as you are all aware now i’m sure.  Tonight is the make up of Game 1 same time as last night and Sunday will be game two with now no off day.  This is going to change a lot of what both managers planned to do with their rotations.  This should be really interesting.   Nova will start the game for the Yankees tonight.

and here are your morning links….

* Nova is making most of his second chance.

* The rain has shuffled the Yankees starting rotation.

* Forecast: Rain with a chance of A.J. Burnett in the ALDS.

Burnett likley to start game 4

A.J. Burnett would likely start Game 4 of the ALDS against the Tigers.

Of course, that’s assuming the series goes to four games. Burnett was originally scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen, but the Yankees may have no other choice but to start him after Friday’s series opener was suspended due to rain. Ivan Nova will pitch when play resumes Saturday while Freddy Garcia starts Game 2 and CC Sabathia tentatively lines up to start Game 3.

Source: Mark Feinsand on Twitter