Game #1: Sabathia vs. Price.
In what might be the showdown for the AL CY Young, the first game appears to be the marquee pitching show down. In his career, Sabathia has an 8-4 record, with an ERA of 3.08 vs Tampa Bay while Price is 2-1, with a 3.98 ERA. This one appears too close to call, however, I would imagine Sabathia will come out strong to account for his poor showing against Baltimore at home, which ended his 21 game undefeated streak at home. I give the slight edge to the Yankees here, but would imagine a maring of 2 runs or less.
Prediction: Yankees 5 and Rays 4.
Player of the game: Jeter (2-5) with 2 runs, a double and RBI.
Game #2: Nova vs. Garza
The rookie with the live arm against a proven winner. Nova possess a sizzling fastball and sharp breaker, while Garza has already tossed one hitter this year, with the ability to shut down any offense. I would take experience over talent in this one, as Nova has yet to experience the pressure that comes with a playoff push, but would not discount the Yanks from stealing this one as Garza has been nothing special of late and has bad numbers against the Yanks historically.
Game #3: Hughes vs. Shields.
Phil needs to rebound and based on his recent bullpen appearance in Texas, it looks as if his command is back. Shields has had an unimpressive year and is a back end guy for the Ray. I would take Hughes in this one as I see a high scoring game, with the Yankees bats carrying them to victory. Let’s not forget, Phil gets some of the best run support on average.
Prediction:
Yankees take 2 out of 3 and pad their lead to 1.5 in the East before they take the trip up to Baltimore.
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