Angels prepare for home series vs. Yankees
East meets West on Monday when the Angels and Yankees open a three-game series at the Big A in Anaheim in what could be an ALCS preview. The Halos are coming off a tough, 3-4 road trip that took them through New York and Boston where they went 1-3 before Howie Kendrick paced the offense over the weekend in Texas for a pair of critical wins that just about wrapped up the AL West for the Angels.
One week later, and the Los Angeles Angels still aren’t out of the woods yet. But they’re very, very close.
When we last talked about the Halos seven days ago, they were about to embark on a challenging road swing through Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park and the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, where the Texas Rangers were hoping to make a last-minute push to the top of the American League West. The New York Yankees did their part by beating the Angels (+118) in a make-up game, and then the Boston Red Sox took two of three. Ruh-oh.
But while all that was happening, Texas was getting swept at home by the last-place Oakland Athletics by a combined score of 19-1, shedding 5.14 units in the process. The dispirited Rangers went on to drop two of their three games against Los Angeles to fall 7.5 games out of first place with two weeks left to go in the regular season. The Angels are now 89-60 with a league-leading 22.26 units in profit. Their magic number for clinching the division is seven, and their estimated playoff chances have improved from 87.9 percent to 99.3 percent.
Next up for Los Angeles: none other than the Yankees, who at 95-55 (8.52 units) own the best record in baseball and need just one more win (or a Texas loss) to at least clinch a Wild Card berth. New York is five games ahead of Boston in the AL East; if the current standings hold up, the Red Sox will earn the Wild Card and meet the Angels in the ALDS, while New York will face the Central-leading Detroit Tigers. That makes this week’s Yankees-Angels series a potential preview for the ALCS and the pennant.
These two teams have faced each other seven times in 2009, with the home team and the over each cashing in at 6-1. The Halos swept their three games at Angel Stadium:
Los Angeles also took five of six home games from the Yankees in 2008 and 19 of the last 26 games at the Big A. The over is 13-3 in the last 16 meetings at this park, which has the second-highest factor for home runs in the majors at 1.240. The new Yankee Stadium is first at 1.270. Blame it on the ballparks, or blame it on the potent power bats in both lineups, but either way, we’re looking at a very good chance of some high scores this week. The warm and sunny weather in the forecast should help matters.
Here are the projected starters for all three games.
Game 1: Andy Pettitte vs. Joe Saunders
Monday, Sep 21, 10:05 p.m. (ET)
Pettitte (4.14 ERA, 4.49 xFIP) coughed up six of the runs in that 14-8 loss back in July. Saunders (4.75 ERA, 5.07 xFIP) led the Angels to paydirt the day before, although he allowed five runs in five innings. The overnight betting odds for this matchup had Los Angeles as a –120 chalk with a total of 9.5 or 10 runs, depending where you shop. Pettitte missed a start last week with shoulder fatigue.
Game 2: Chad Gaudin vs. Ervin Santana
Tuesday, Sep 22, 10:05 p.m.
Gaudin (3.68 ERA, 5.06 xFIP in 29.1 innings with New York) takes over the No. 5 spot in the Yankees rotation from the ineffective Sergio Mitre. New York has won all four of Gaudin’s spot starts for four units of profit, although he’s stranded an unusually high 88.1 percent of his runners. Santana (5.43 ERA, 4.86 xFIP) has settled down very nicely with seven quality starts in his last eight appearances.
Game 3: A.J. Burnett vs. Scott Kazmir
Wednesday, Sep 23, 3:35 p.m.
Burnett (4.22 ERA, 4.65 xFIP) has been alternately hot and cold in his last seven starts; if that pattern holds, he’s due to have a bad game on Wednesday. Kazmir (1.42 ERA, 5.15 xFIP in 25.1 innings with L.A.) is in the same boat as Gaudin, stranding 85.4 percent of runners in four starts for the Halos and getting paid three times. All four starts went under.
East meets West on Monday when the Angels and Yankees open a three-game series at the Big A in Anaheim in what could be an ALCS preview. The Halos are coming off a tough, 3-4 road trip that took them through New York and Boston where they went 1-3 before Howie Kendrick paced the offense over the weekend in Texas for a pair of critical wins that just about wrapped up the AL West for the Angels.
One week later, and the Los Angeles Angels still aren’t out of the woods yet. But they’re very, very close.
When we last talked about the Halos seven days ago, they were about to embark on a challenging road swing through Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park and the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, where the Texas Rangers were hoping to make a last-minute push to the top of the American League West. The New York Yankees did their part by beating the Angels (+118) in a make-up game, and then the Boston Red Sox took two of three. Ruh-oh.
But while all that was happening, Texas was getting swept at home by the last-place Oakland Athletics by a combined score of 19-1, shedding 5.14 units in the process. The dispirited Rangers went on to drop two of their three games against Los Angeles to fall 7.5 games out of first place with two weeks left to go in the regular season. The Angels are now 89-60 with a league-leading 22.26 units in profit. Their magic number for clinching the division is seven, and their estimated playoff chances have improved from 87.9 percent to 99.3 percent.
Next up for Los Angeles: none other than the Yankees, who at 95-55 (8.52 units) own the best record in baseball and need just one more win (or a Texas loss) to at least clinch a Wild Card berth. New York is five games ahead of Boston in the AL East; if the current standings hold up, the Red Sox will earn the Wild Card and meet the Angels in the ALDS, while New York will face the Central-leading Detroit Tigers. That makes this week’s Yankees-Angels series a potential preview for the ALCS and the pennant.
These two teams have faced each other seven times in 2009, with the home team and the over each cashing in at 6-1. The Halos swept their three games at Angel Stadium:
- July 10: Angels 10, Yankees 6
- July 11: Angels 14, Yankees 8
- July 12: Angels 5, Yankees 4
Los Angeles also took five of six home games from the Yankees in 2008 and 19 of the last 26 games at the Big A. The over is 13-3 in the last 16 meetings at this park, which has the second-highest factor for home runs in the majors at 1.240. The new Yankee Stadium is first at 1.270. Blame it on the ballparks, or blame it on the potent power bats in both lineups, but either way, we’re looking at a very good chance of some high scores this week. The warm and sunny weather in the forecast should help matters.
Here are the projected starters for all three games.
Game 1: Andy Pettitte vs. Joe Saunders
Monday, Sep 21, 10:05 p.m. (ET)
Pettitte (4.14 ERA, 4.49 xFIP) coughed up six of the runs in that 14-8 loss back in July. Saunders (4.75 ERA, 5.07 xFIP) led the Angels to paydirt the day before, although he allowed five runs in five innings. The overnight betting odds for this matchup had Los Angeles as a –120 chalk with a total of 9.5 or 10 runs, depending where you shop. Pettitte missed a start last week with shoulder fatigue.
Game 2: Chad Gaudin vs. Ervin Santana
Tuesday, Sep 22, 10:05 p.m.
Gaudin (3.68 ERA, 5.06 xFIP in 29.1 innings with New York) takes over the No. 5 spot in the Yankees rotation from the ineffective Sergio Mitre. New York has won all four of Gaudin’s spot starts for four units of profit, although he’s stranded an unusually high 88.1 percent of his runners. Santana (5.43 ERA, 4.86 xFIP) has settled down very nicely with seven quality starts in his last eight appearances.
Game 3: A.J. Burnett vs. Scott Kazmir
Wednesday, Sep 23, 3:35 p.m.
Burnett (4.22 ERA, 4.65 xFIP) has been alternately hot and cold in his last seven starts; if that pattern holds, he’s due to have a bad game on Wednesday. Kazmir (1.42 ERA, 5.15 xFIP in 25.1 innings with L.A.) is in the same boat as Gaudin, stranding 85.4 percent of runners in four starts for the Halos and getting paid three times. All four starts went under.