New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers
The Yankees and Tigers battled down to the end of the season to determine who would have the best record in baseball, but Detroit fell off towards the end and ended up finishing behind the Twins and because of that will face the difficult Yankees in the first round.
The Wild-Card winning Detroit Tigers put together the best season the team has had since the 1987 season, when the Tigers won the division and finished 98-64. Although the Tigers did seem to fall asleep at the wheel towards the end of the year, they still finished with 95 wins. The Tigers turned around what had been a losing franchise through a combination of young pitching, a good bullpen, a veteran ace, and good hitting.
The pitching staff consists of three starters who had great seasons, but none with a good record in important games or playoffs. Kenny Rogers, the veteran ace, finished with a record of 17-8 with a 3.84 ERA, but is 0-3 with an 8.85 ERA in 9 post-season games. The team's young starters, Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander, do not have any post-season experience and Verlander's arm appeared to be tired down the stretch, in his first full season of baseball. Bonderman put together a 14-8 season with an ERA just over 4, while Verlander, the leading candidate for AL Rookie of the Year, went 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA. Nate Robinson (13-13, 3.84 ERA) should round out the playoff rotation, while Wilfredo Ledezma (3-3, 3.58 ERA) will move into the bullpen.
Veteran Todd Jones serves the Kenny Rogers role in the bullpen. Jones had 37 saves with a 3.94 ERA this season, and is set-up by young flamethrower Joel Zumaya (6-3, 1.94 ERA, 97 strikeouts in 83.1 IP). Fernando Rodney (3.52 ERA), lefty Jamie Walker (2.81 ERA), Jason Grilli and Zach Miner round out the bullpen. It will be interesting to see if Miner, or the young Andrew Miller, who was the Tigers' first round draft pick this season out of UNC, makes the post-season roster. Miller was impressive in his 8 games in the majors and it could give him solid experience to stay on the roster, as of September 28th, it was still up in the air.
The Tigers were led on the batting side by a group of veterans. Sean Casey came over mid-season from the Pittsburgh Pirates and took over at first base, after Chris Shelton, who got off to a blistering start cooled off, and hit .272 with 8 home runs and 59 RBI this season. Carlos Guillen at short and Placido Polanco at second give the Tigers a very good hitting and fielding middle infield. Guillen hit 19 home runs with a .320 batting average and 85 RBI, while Polanco hit .295. Brandon Inge gives the Tigers a good glove at third and power in the middle of the lineup, with 27 home runs and 83 RBI. Craig Monroe (28 HR) and Curtis Granderson (19 HR) are two young and powerful outfielders, while fellow outfielder Magglio Ordonez is the team's offensive star with a .298 batting average, 24 home runs and a team high 104 RBI.
While the Tigers success came from great pitching and a balanced offense, the Yankees success came from a dominating offense. The Yankees order is dangerous from top to bottom and its bench features players who could be starters on nearly every other major league team. The pitching staff is not nearly as good as the Tigers, but veterans Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera, and Randy Johnson provide the playoff experience that Detroit's rotation lacks.
The first starter for the Yankees will be Chien-Ming Wang who has had a great season, with a record of 19-6 and a 3.63 ERA. Wang relies on the ground ball to get outs and has done a fantastic job this season doing that effectively. Behind Wang is Mike Mussina, who was nearly as good this season with a 15-7 record and a lower 3.51 ERA. After Mussina and Wang, the rotation gets shaky. Randy Johnson's bad back could keep him out of the playoffs entirely. Jaret Wright is a former ALCS hero who pitched the Indians to the World Series, but those days are long gone and Wright had a 4.49 ERA this season. Cory Lidle is an up and down pitcher who had a 4.85 ERA this season.
On the offensive side of the game, the Yankees have the best lineup in baseball. Johnny Damon is the game's best leadoff hitter, and hit .285 with 24 home runs and a very high 80 RBI out of the leadoff spot. Derek Jeter could be the second best leadoff hitter in baseball and he is batting behind Damon. Jeter hit .343, finishing just behind Joe Mauer for the AL batting title, with 14 home runs and 97 RBI, often driving in Damon after he got on base. Robinson Cano bats ninth, and often gets on base for Jeter and Damon, with a .342 batting average and 78 RBI. From there the Yankees lineup is a power house. Jason Giambi had 37 home runs at DH/1B, Gary Sheffield, one of the game's most powerful hitters, has returned from injury to play first, Alex Rodriguez has 35 home runs and 121 RBI, Bobby Abreu is an on base machine and also hit for power since coming over from the Phillies, and Hideki Matsui is back from injury and is one of the game's most consistent hitters.
Prediction: New York Yankees in 3
The Yankees will win behind solid pitching from Mussina and Wang in games 1 and 2, and then overpower the Tigers for the win in Game 3.
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