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One for me
NY -140 4 Units
This line seems to be boosted a little by both Wilson's performance against Tampa as well as the performance of Lee and his tutelage of Wilson. Let's address the first issue, Wilson did dominate Tampa but that is a team that can't send out a capable lineup against a LHP. At full strength the Yankees have a considerably better offense vs LHP than Tampa. And the two players in their lineup who haven't hit Wilson well are Arod and Texiera, and considering their track record I have no concerns about them hitting. Also while Wilson can go back and look at video to see how Lee attacked this lineup he certainly doesn't have the power or control that Lee has shown when beating NYY.
And on the other side we have one of the best postseason pitchers in baseball right now. He is a bulldog who will battle all game and will be rested. And while Texas generally hits good fastballs, CC mixes his offspeed pitches much better most guys that can dial it up from the left side. And the topper is that everyone in the lineup except Michael Young has struggled mightily against CC. The one advantage that Texas has is their ability to take bases on Posada but if CC keeps the bases clean that won't be much of an issue.
The other X factor is the performance of the bullpens, in this game the Yankees aren't likely to need anyone other than CC, Wood, Logan for Hamilton and Rivera. Texas on the other hand will likely be going to the bullpen by the end of the 6th at the latest. With Wilson's tendency to walk batters the Yankees should have plenty of opportunities to put runs on the board. I like NYY 6-7 Texas 2-3. I think the extra days off will help reduce any adrenalin rush that the Rangers have after winning their first playoff series. I would be shocked if NY isn't ahead atleast 2-1 in the series and I expect the first 2 W's to come in Texas. Full disclosure, I am a Yankees fan but it seems like they were the popular team to be upset in the first round and now that they have been out of sight they are also out of mind.
NY -140 4 Units
This line seems to be boosted a little by both Wilson's performance against Tampa as well as the performance of Lee and his tutelage of Wilson. Let's address the first issue, Wilson did dominate Tampa but that is a team that can't send out a capable lineup against a LHP. At full strength the Yankees have a considerably better offense vs LHP than Tampa. And the two players in their lineup who haven't hit Wilson well are Arod and Texiera, and considering their track record I have no concerns about them hitting. Also while Wilson can go back and look at video to see how Lee attacked this lineup he certainly doesn't have the power or control that Lee has shown when beating NYY.
And on the other side we have one of the best postseason pitchers in baseball right now. He is a bulldog who will battle all game and will be rested. And while Texas generally hits good fastballs, CC mixes his offspeed pitches much better most guys that can dial it up from the left side. And the topper is that everyone in the lineup except Michael Young has struggled mightily against CC. The one advantage that Texas has is their ability to take bases on Posada but if CC keeps the bases clean that won't be much of an issue.
The other X factor is the performance of the bullpens, in this game the Yankees aren't likely to need anyone other than CC, Wood, Logan for Hamilton and Rivera. Texas on the other hand will likely be going to the bullpen by the end of the 6th at the latest. With Wilson's tendency to walk batters the Yankees should have plenty of opportunities to put runs on the board. I like NYY 6-7 Texas 2-3. I think the extra days off will help reduce any adrenalin rush that the Rangers have after winning their first playoff series. I would be shocked if NY isn't ahead atleast 2-1 in the series and I expect the first 2 W's to come in Texas. Full disclosure, I am a Yankees fan but it seems like they were the popular team to be upset in the first round and now that they have been out of sight they are also out of mind.
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