Sports Articles Johnson

The Yankees will Chop Down the Indians

Sunday’s Football Recap
Pick – Colts -10 over Bucs
Patriots -16.5 over Browns
Chargers +1.5 over Broncos
Result – 3 Wins
Amount - 150 units
Season Bankroll - +$350

I had a great week in the NFL, winning all 3 of my best bets. Hopefully you followed suit as well. Tonight, it’s back to baseball and I like the Yankees to even the series with the Indians.

After looking flat in the first two games of the AL division series, the New York Yankees offense is finally showing signs of life as they pounded the Indians 8-4 on Sunday. The Yankees try to continue their push to the AL championship series and even their best-of-five division series with the Cleveland Indians in Game 4 on Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

As always with the Yankees, there was off the field controversy. With losses in the first two games of the ALDS, New York owner George Steinbrenner said before Sundays Game 3 that Torre likely won return as manager unless the Yankees reach the ALCS for the first time in three years.

New York responded by rallying from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Indians 8-4 in Game 3.
New York hopes to come back from an 0-2 hole - a feat it pulled off in a 2001 ALDS against Oakland. That team was one of four to recover from an 0-2 deficit in a five-game series since the postseason expanded in 1995. The Yankees scored 968 runs during the regular season - 76 more than anyone else in the majors - but managed only four in the first two games of this series at Cleveland. New York batted .121 (8-for-66) in the losses at Jacobs Field, but had 11 hits - including its first back-to-back hits in the series - in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium.

Johnny Damon had three hits and drove in four runs on Sunday, but has struggled against Clevelands Game 4 starter Paul Byrd (15-8, 4.59 ERA), going 3-for-19 (.158) lifetime.
Alex Rodriguez finally got a hit to end his postseason hitless streak at 18 at-bats with a second-inning single and also beat out an infield hit. However, the New York third baseman is still just 6-for-54 (.111) with no RBIs in postseason play dating to a home run against Boston in the ALCS three years ago.

Meanwhile, Yankees captain Derek Jeter grounded into two double plays and was hitless in four at-bats on Sunday. Jeter is just 1-for-12 (.083) in the series, although he is 11-for-27 (.407) lifetime against Byrd.

The Yankees will send Chien-Ming Wang to the mound Monday on three days rest, hoping to push the series back to Cleveland for a decisive Game 5. Wang was pounded for eight runs, nine hits - including home runs by Victor Martinez and rookie Asdrubal Cabrera - and four walks in just 4 2-3 innings of a 12-3 loss in Game 1 on Thursday. This will be the right-handed sinkerballers first career start on three days rest. I think this will help his sinker sink, something it didn’t do in that game 1 loss.

The Indians starter, Byrd, has not defeated the Yankees since his first career start against them in 1999, going 0-4 with a 4.87 ERA in seven starts since then. Byrd finished up this regular season in disappointing fashion, going 1-3 with a 6.83 ERA in his final five starts. In his final regular-season outing, Byrd gave up four runs and 11 hits in 6 1-3 innings of a 4-2 loss to Seattle on Sept. 27.

The Yanks looked good last night and I expect the same tonight.

Good luck with your action tonight!


by Johnson