ALCS

So the Yankees disposed of the Minnesota Twins in game 3 behind a dominant Phil Hughes and an offense that looks like it's being paid $100 million dollars...o wait, it is. Well good to see the Yankees making noise in the post season and putting the poor September behind them, but beating Minnesota in the first round is like the last few weeks of the regular season. It's like a tune up before the big dance. Texas beat the Rays in 5 games so the Yankees will face the Rangers in Arlington starting on Friday night, and this will not be a tune up. This will be a dog fight.

What Each Team Brings To The Table:

• Starting Pitching

1. The Rangers have a solid rotation spear headed by the ace of the staff, Cliff Lee. Cliff was absolutely sensational in both his starts this October and will no doubt give the Yankees headaches. The other starters Colby Lewis and CJ Wilson have both been great all season but they may not be ready to handle the pressure of October baseball against the Yankees. Tommy Hunter is the 4th starter and he defines the 4th starter. He is an acceptable pitcher who will give them innings but is certainly not a weapon for this team.
   
2. The Yankees will combat those starters with CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Andy Pettitte, and AJ Burnett. CC struggled in his only postseason start but has been a workhorse all season and is a dominant starter. Andy and Phil looked great vs Minn, Andy shook off the rust and Phil rose to the occasion. However, the stakes are higher. I expect them to pitch well but not at the level they did in the first round. AJ is the wild card, he does not belong in the rotation considering how he's been pitching lately but in a seven game series the Yankees might not have a choice. Let's hope we see good AJ and the Yankees will manage just fine.
3. The Edge: Cliff Lee had to pitch in game 5 of the Rays series and won't be fresh until game 3. He also declared he does not want to pitch on 3 days rest. As a result the Yankees won't see him except 3 and 7. If this series goes 7 then we are in trouble, but we should be able to take 4/6 only seeing Cliff once. Wilson and Lewis don't know the postseason and don't know Yankee stadium rocking. Hughes, CC, Pettitte, and AJ all did this run last year and know what it's like to see the world's biggest stage. Let's also no forget CC is willing to do whatever it takes for the Yankees to win, he'll pitch in 1-4-7 on 3 or even 2 days rest. Just get him out there. Yankee rotation gets the edge.

• Bullpen

1. The Rangers bullpen was statistically great this season. Neftali Feliz was tremendous as their closer and their trio of O's, Ogandu, O'day, and Oliver all pitcher extremely well. However so far in the postseason this bunch has struggled, especially Feliz. They all power arms and great stuff, we'll see if they are back to their form against the Yankees.
2. The Yankee pen is monstrous. What was a weakness half way through the season has now become a huge strength. The addition of Kerry Wood, resurgence of Robertson and Joba, the finding of Logan, and of course Mariano has provided stability at the back end. We finally have a bridge from starter to Mo. This pen looked great in the first round and Mariano is the best in the biz at saving games in pressure situations.
3. The Edge: you best believe this one goes to the Yankees. They have Mariano (automatic edge) and the Rangers power arms don't worry the Yankees. Change ups and off speed pitches are harder for the Yankees then hard throwers. The Yankees patience at the plate will cause the rangers to walk hitters and have to come over the plate, which is not good for the Rangers pen. The Yankee relievers are up to the task and with the right combination of mixing and matching will successfully get the ball to Mo with a lead.

• Offense

1. The Rangers have an absolutely beast lineup. Kinsler, Young, Vlad, Hamilton, Cruz, Molina, Moreland, Murphy, Cantu, Andrus, Borbon. That is a lot of talent and depth, that scares me. Although their guys have struggled at the end of the regular season and playoffs, they can still explode at any time and always keeps them in the game. I expect we will see Hamilton heat up and don't be surprised if Michael Young plays a huge role, the man is the most underrated hitter in baseball in the last 10 years. Andrus and Kinsler have great speed and quickness and that should torment the Yankees as well. I think Vlad should be neutralized, but I think Cruz is the scariest hitter I've seen in the box since Edgar Martinez. He is a complete machine and worries me that every swing is headed for the bleachers.
2. How many superlatives can we use to describe this lineup? Cano, Jeter, Tex, Arod, Swish, Posada, Granderson, Gardner, Thames, Berkman...I mean WOW. The whole lineup looked great against the Twins and they know how to get it done when it matters. They take pitches, get clutch hits, and hit the ball very very far. This team is a force to be dealt with for any starter, even good ol Cliff. I expect the lineup to have it's moments where as a fan you are concerned (site exhibit a- Francisco Liriano's first 5 innings) but in the end this group will get it done.
3. The Edge: The Yankees by a nose. They have a little more talent and the know how to be successful in October. The Rangers have the 2nd best offense in the league but the Yankees have the best and have gotten used to the heroics and I don't see that ending this series.

So Let's recap, The Yankees have better starting pitching, bullpen, and offense? Yes, they do. Will that lead to a victory in the playoffs despite being the wildcard and playing on the road. Yes it will. Yankees in 6, Friday night begins the quest for the World Series. Let's see CC bring it.