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New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers: Pitching Prediction for A.J. Burnett

Posted by on 10 August 2010, 2:42 am

After splitting a series 2-2 with the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees head down south, deep in the heart of Texas, to face the Rangers.

The Rangers have been at the mercy of the Yankees for over a decade, and this season has been no different, as the Bombers swept the Rangers in their last meeting back in April.

The Yankees have enjoyed playing in Texas, posting a 15-4 record since 2005.

This time the Rangers look a little different, with the addition of ace Cliff Lee. Lee is quite familiar to the Yankees, as he has dominated the team as an Indian, Mariner, and Phillie—but as a Ranger, he is yet to be seen.

Let’s look at the first showdown in this two-game trip, Tuesday night’s match-up:

A.J. Burnett (NYY) vs. C.J. Wilson (TEX)

Yankees starter A.J. Burnett can safely add “scratch” to his personal history, as Burnett was slated to start on Sunday night against the Red Sox but did not due to back spasms. Last outing, Burnett allowed a historical five doubles during a seven-run fifth inning against his old team, the Blue Jays. Burnett had just won his last two starts before imploding in the fifth. It was the same old tune for Burnett, as his fastball wasn’t sinking and then he got wild. Burnett is a crucial part of the puzzle for the remaining stretch of the season and this would be a perfect time to start giving the Yankees some solid outings again. In 2010, Burnett is 9-9 with a 4.93 ERA.

C.J. Wilson is also coming off a horrible start, his worst in 2010. The lefty Wilson lasted just three innings, striking out three, walking four and allowing four earned runs against the awful Mariners. Wilson has the most walks in the AL with 66, but has struck out 103 batters over 22 starts. Yankee bats crushed Wilson earlier this season, as he lost the game, 5-1. Wilson will be especially careful with new Yankee Lance Berkman and Nick Swisher, who both have hit Wilson well in the past.

PREDICTION:

Wilson’s major advantage would have been his lack of Yankees face-time, as the Bombers struggle with unfamiliar pitchers. Problem is, they never got scared in the first place and that is not good.

Burnett is 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in his four starts against the Rangers in pinstripes, so I am predicting Burnett will come through with a solid performance.

Burnett gets the win.

Yankees beat Rangers 6-2.

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The Yankees Biggest Problem, Solved!

Posted by on 26 August 2009, 3:57 am
Another game, another nail bitter for the Yanks tonight playing the heavy hitting Texas Rangers.

It is starting to become almost surreal, win or lose the way this Yankee team fights till the end. Heck, watching the game I even gave-up when the scoreboard showed 5-10, bottom of the ninth.

For all Yankee fans out there, it is starting to make us look pathetic giving up when our team isn’t.

The team deserves us to be better fans and that must start today!

The Bombers are leading the AL East by six games and have the most wins in all of baseball right now with 78 in total.

If that isn’t enough our beloved Captain, Derek Jeter is looking like the MVP award is more in his reach now than when the talk started a few weeks back.

That is the ultimate dream for Yankees fan. Jeter is our pride. This man is on our team. I sure don’t like the fact he has been voted shy of this honor before when it was well deserved. Fans should scream the “MVP” chants louder then ever before for Jeter is out ego too.

The fans matter and it is easy to forget how true a statement that is. Fans inspire in any aspect and that goes for not only sports but in life. Winning is for all involved and this team deserves us to be better.

Listen to what Nick Swisher said after tonight’s lose, “Well, half the stadium left before the ninth inning started.”

Swisher summed it up. He noticed and with all of the above included, the Yankees fans heard it. At least this one did.

As of tonight, the races are still going. Yanks still have a comfortable six game lead over Boston Red Sox.

The Rangers, by winning keep themselves just a shy one and a half games behind in the Wild Card. You don’t have to look much further to see that the Tampa Bay Rays are right there and making a run at it.

The Rays still should be just as feared because the potential has been seen and no team wants to face last years Rays.

The Yankees didn’t worry me as much when the bats came to life in the ninth to almost have another come-back win.

Why?

The Yankee team is continually fighting. And when a team’s odds go up in situations, like tonight’s game against Texas, that can only be a good thing.

Let’s just cheer so the AL East divisional race gets won with a little room left to breathe. It can be gone so quickly that it will seem like it never was.

All the proof for that can be seen over in Colorado, as the Dodgers are about to be dethroned by a determined team known as the Rockies.

Wouldn’t mind seeing our old Joe get some new material for book #2….How To Collapse.



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Can’t We All Just Calm Down…..

Posted by on 11 June 2009, 3:11 am

Well the Yankees lost tonight 6-5. The team is a game out of first place, do I dare or for that matter, need to explain why I am so furious? I am going to state the obvious, so bare with me.

It’s the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees came to Boston in first place, after last night’s victory Boston caught us for a tied lead and now my Yankees are in second place with Toronto just a half game behind us. Forgot about Toronto Blue Jays pretty fast. So now that the I had to be reminded of the Jays, I almost forgot all about the young and talent Rays catching up is inevitable I predict!

Did Girardi and company think tonight was a good time to test Wang? Obviously but I sure did not agree. Fact is Wang did win 38 games his last two seasons which is the most in all the majors. No one can knock that stat but most of the wins were in our own Stadium and Wang is not as reliable on the road except he is great on astroturf fields but other then the Rays and Texas not to common. In his first couple of start this season his ERA was almost equal to as his total # of wins over previous two years, his sinker was not sinking like the Wang we know in addition to the speed being slower as well. His broken foot (from running the bases) is fully healed but he seemed like in his first start was an initial struggle he has not broken out of.

My confusion is….what was going through the brain of the Yankees managers when putting Wang in his first game in Boston, against our rivals, during a race to be in first, in one of the oldest ballparks where the grass is as real as Fenway would only have it? Not much strategy there but who knows and really I can’t put the entire loss on one player. Let’s not forget how the Yanks have made stranding players on base. It became their M.O. The team seemed to shake that reputation by dominating the past six or seven weeks. Enough to climb up and take the lead, which was well deserved I might add. So what is the problem? 7-0 against Boston has not happened since 1923 and leaving ten stranded on the bases scared me back to the idea that a slump might be inevitable, it sucks all around! I literally felt sick to my stomach tonight watching this game, pacing in front of my TV and I hated every minute of it.

I finally said to myself PLEASE STOP, PAUSE and STOP THERE ARE TOO MANY REASONS TO LOSS FAITH. All of a sudden I felt like the wacko!

Instead I started to think of many reasons why these last two games need to be put in the past asap. Here are just the facts, read them and you will agree! If you don’t get what I am talking about you have a lot more problems then being in denial…..

1 – The Yankees are good. Not just good, really, really good this season, period! Continue reading ‘Can’t We All Just Calm Down…..’ »

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