Yankees aim for ALDS sweep at Minnesota Twins
The New York Yankees can claim half of the ALCS on Sunday night when they send veteran lefty Andy Pettitte to the mound in Minnesota to face Carl Pavano and the Twins.
How would you like to make half a million dollars per hour?
That's roughly what Carl Pavano made from 2005-08 while he was with the Yankees. After signing a four-year contract with New York for just shy of $40 million in December 2004, Pavano made just 26 appearances in pinstripes, and just going on an average of three hours per game, it works out to $512,179, and change, per hour on the job. Not bad work if you can get it.
Certainly Pavano put in more than 78 hours in those four years, so that half a million per hour isn't really fair to him. But then I'm guessing George Steinbrenner probably feels like that's what he paid the righthander who made more starts this season for Cleveland and Minnesota than he did in all four seasons as a Yankee.
Sunday night when the Twins and Yankees meet for Game 3 of their NLDS in the Metrodome, Pavano will face his former team when he takes to the mound for Minnesota and Andy Pettitte and New York. It makes for some added drama to a series that has already had plenty of excitement in the first two games back in the Bronx, both victories for the Yanks who can close the ALDS out with a win against Pavano.
The oddsmakers say New York will complete the sweep with the Yanks opening as -185 favorites, a number knocked down to -175 during the day Saturday. The total was set at 9½ and was holding.
What must be going through Pavano's mind right now? Maligned by the NY press and fans while with the Yankees, at least he's already gotten the 'first meeting' jitters out of the way with two outings against his old mates this season, both while he was in an Indians uniform. Pavano faced the Yankees order and their fans back in late April tossing six good innings and allowing just a run in what was eventually a 7-3 New York win. About a month later he worked 7.1 frames and surrendered three runs in a 5-4 win for the Tribe in Cleveland.
Minnesota picked him up from Cleveland for the old Player To Be Named Later in early August and Pavano started 12 games with a 4.64 ERA. The Twins were 8-4 in those outings, including 3-2 in his five Metrodome starts for them (4.54 ERA).
Pettitte is of course no stranger to big games. He's made 35 postseason starts in his career, all but four in a Yankees uniform, and his teams are 21-14 in those games with the southpaw owning a 3.95 ERA. He faced the Twins earlier this season (May 18) in New York, going 6.2 innings and allowing four runs in the Yankees 7-6 triumph. His most recent starts here in Minnesota were split between the teams with Pettitte working a total of 13 innings and allowing four earned.
The hitters on this Twins roster have done some damage against Pettitte over their careers, combining for a .394 average and .969 OPS with three homers in just over 100 plate appearances as a group. Delmon Young has owned Pettitte with nine hits in 14 at bats. Compare that to Pavano holding Yankees hitters to a .239 average and .642 OPS, with just one homer (Mark Teixeira) in 76 plate appearances.
The injury to 3B Matt Tolbert also means Brendan Harris will get the start at third for this game. Tolbert strained an oblique and has hit the DL, likely for the rest of the postseason, with Harris 8-for-17 (.471) vs. Pettitte in their careers.
There are two conflicting sides in this one that make it more difficult to pick a winner for me. Generally speaking, you bet against a sweep, whether you're talking the regular season or the postseason. At the same time, the Yankees have now taken nine straight from the Twins this season, Games 1 and 2 in New York plus the seven regular season meetings.
The sweep is my pick, and since I hate to lay that kind of chalk I will take my chances with the runline (-1½, -115) despite dropping the very same decision in Game 2. I'm also going to watch the total and if it drops to 9, go over.
STARTING PITCHERS
ALDS Game 3, Sun, Oct 11, 7:07 p.m. (ET): Andy Pettitte (21-11, 4.16) vs. Carl Pavano (19-14, 5.10)
UMPIRE
Mark Wegner will don the mask and call the balls and strikes in this one. Guess where the 11-year veteran is from? That's right, born next door to the Metrodome in St. Paul, and if that gives you pause for thought, also think about his 21-14 record this year in favor of home teams in the 35 games he worked behind the plate. He was 8-5 in favor of home dogs, though none were priced higher than +140. On the totals board, Wegner was 17-18 O/U.
Wegner last worked behind the mask in a playoff game in 2007 when he had the plate for Game 2 of the NLCS in Arizona. Colorado won that game in 11 innings, 3-2. Of the 24 strikeouts that evening, five were called strike three's by Wegner.
In case you were wondering, Phil Cuzzi should be a third base for this one meaning he will only have responsibility for the first 120 feet or so of the foul line.
WEATHER
There's a darn good chance of snow in the Minneapolis area on Sunday night and lows dipping to around freezing. But inside the Metrodome, it should be comfy and dry.
The New York Yankees can claim half of the ALCS on Sunday night when they send veteran lefty Andy Pettitte to the mound in Minnesota to face Carl Pavano and the Twins.
How would you like to make half a million dollars per hour?
That's roughly what Carl Pavano made from 2005-08 while he was with the Yankees. After signing a four-year contract with New York for just shy of $40 million in December 2004, Pavano made just 26 appearances in pinstripes, and just going on an average of three hours per game, it works out to $512,179, and change, per hour on the job. Not bad work if you can get it.
Certainly Pavano put in more than 78 hours in those four years, so that half a million per hour isn't really fair to him. But then I'm guessing George Steinbrenner probably feels like that's what he paid the righthander who made more starts this season for Cleveland and Minnesota than he did in all four seasons as a Yankee.
Sunday night when the Twins and Yankees meet for Game 3 of their NLDS in the Metrodome, Pavano will face his former team when he takes to the mound for Minnesota and Andy Pettitte and New York. It makes for some added drama to a series that has already had plenty of excitement in the first two games back in the Bronx, both victories for the Yanks who can close the ALDS out with a win against Pavano.
The oddsmakers say New York will complete the sweep with the Yanks opening as -185 favorites, a number knocked down to -175 during the day Saturday. The total was set at 9½ and was holding.
What must be going through Pavano's mind right now? Maligned by the NY press and fans while with the Yankees, at least he's already gotten the 'first meeting' jitters out of the way with two outings against his old mates this season, both while he was in an Indians uniform. Pavano faced the Yankees order and their fans back in late April tossing six good innings and allowing just a run in what was eventually a 7-3 New York win. About a month later he worked 7.1 frames and surrendered three runs in a 5-4 win for the Tribe in Cleveland.
Minnesota picked him up from Cleveland for the old Player To Be Named Later in early August and Pavano started 12 games with a 4.64 ERA. The Twins were 8-4 in those outings, including 3-2 in his five Metrodome starts for them (4.54 ERA).
Pettitte is of course no stranger to big games. He's made 35 postseason starts in his career, all but four in a Yankees uniform, and his teams are 21-14 in those games with the southpaw owning a 3.95 ERA. He faced the Twins earlier this season (May 18) in New York, going 6.2 innings and allowing four runs in the Yankees 7-6 triumph. His most recent starts here in Minnesota were split between the teams with Pettitte working a total of 13 innings and allowing four earned.
The hitters on this Twins roster have done some damage against Pettitte over their careers, combining for a .394 average and .969 OPS with three homers in just over 100 plate appearances as a group. Delmon Young has owned Pettitte with nine hits in 14 at bats. Compare that to Pavano holding Yankees hitters to a .239 average and .642 OPS, with just one homer (Mark Teixeira) in 76 plate appearances.
The injury to 3B Matt Tolbert also means Brendan Harris will get the start at third for this game. Tolbert strained an oblique and has hit the DL, likely for the rest of the postseason, with Harris 8-for-17 (.471) vs. Pettitte in their careers.
There are two conflicting sides in this one that make it more difficult to pick a winner for me. Generally speaking, you bet against a sweep, whether you're talking the regular season or the postseason. At the same time, the Yankees have now taken nine straight from the Twins this season, Games 1 and 2 in New York plus the seven regular season meetings.
The sweep is my pick, and since I hate to lay that kind of chalk I will take my chances with the runline (-1½, -115) despite dropping the very same decision in Game 2. I'm also going to watch the total and if it drops to 9, go over.
STARTING PITCHERS
ALDS Game 3, Sun, Oct 11, 7:07 p.m. (ET): Andy Pettitte (21-11, 4.16) vs. Carl Pavano (19-14, 5.10)
UMPIRE
Mark Wegner will don the mask and call the balls and strikes in this one. Guess where the 11-year veteran is from? That's right, born next door to the Metrodome in St. Paul, and if that gives you pause for thought, also think about his 21-14 record this year in favor of home teams in the 35 games he worked behind the plate. He was 8-5 in favor of home dogs, though none were priced higher than +140. On the totals board, Wegner was 17-18 O/U.
Wegner last worked behind the mask in a playoff game in 2007 when he had the plate for Game 2 of the NLCS in Arizona. Colorado won that game in 11 innings, 3-2. Of the 24 strikeouts that evening, five were called strike three's by Wegner.
In case you were wondering, Phil Cuzzi should be a third base for this one meaning he will only have responsibility for the first 120 feet or so of the foul line.
WEATHER
There's a darn good chance of snow in the Minneapolis area on Sunday night and lows dipping to around freezing. But inside the Metrodome, it should be comfy and dry.
