Also: Series Breakdown
The Yankees won the American League East with ease. If anything, they had it even easier in the first round of the playoffs against the overmatched Twins. While the games were close, the series wasn't.
This step will be tougher, because the Angels rarely make it easy on any opponent. They pressure you with their speed and their deep lineup, and as the Red Sox found out, they just keep coming at you.
The Angels are one team that won't be intimidated by coming to the Bronx, where the ALCS begins Friday night. Manager Mike Scioscia holds a 50-41 record against the Yankees -- making the Angels the only American League team with a winning record against New York over the past nine years -- and nine Angels remain from the team that eliminated the Yanks in the first round in 2005.
Playoff history favors the Angels. Other history favors the Yankees, because they beat out the Angels for both Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia on last winter's free-agent market.
The Angels recovered well from losing Teixeira by handing the first-base job to Kendry Morales and by using a fraction of the Teixeira money to sign right fielder Bobby Abreu. They used some of the Sabathia money to sign closer Brian Fuentes, and had enough left to absorb Scott Kazmir's salary in an August trade with the Rays.
The Yankees and Angels finished 1-2 in the majors in runs this season, but they got there in different ways. The Yanks hit far more home runs. The Angels stole far more bases and forced more action with their speed.
But with Abreu bringing more patience to the Angels' traditionally aggressive lineup, these two teams aren't the polar opposites at the plate that they once were.
On the mound, the Angels have the deeper rotation, the Yanks the deeper bullpen. If there's a big edge, it's at the very end of the game, where Mariano Rivera is the steadiest closer in the game and Brian Fuentes (to be kind) isn't.
The Angels figure to have a lot harder time shutting down the Yankees than they did in the first round with the Red Sox (where Angels pitchers allowed seven runs in three games). But the Yankees will have a harder time with the Angels hitters than they did with the Twins (who scored six runs in three games).
One big question: How will Alex Rodriguez do? He was great in the Twins series (5 for 11, two home runs), and he was great this year against the Angels (five home runs in seven games). But he did well against the Twins in 2004, too, and his string of postseason failures includes an awful series against the Angels (2 for 15, no RBIs) in 2005.
Another question: How will Sabathia do? He faced the Angels twice in the regular season and lost both times, allowing nine earned runs in 13 1/3 innings for a 6.08 ERA.
Then there's Teixeira, who batted .225 with no home runs against the Angels this year. He also hit .167 in the first-round matchup with the Twins, although one of his two hits was a walk-off home run in Game 2.
Sabathia and Teixeira are part of what makes this an evenly matched, fascinating series.
It should be fun.
Prediction: Angels in 7
