ALDS Preview Twins vs. Yankees

New York Juggernaut Faces Tough Task In Hot Minnesota Team

Oct 6, 2009

After their dramatic win over the Detroit Tigers last night, the Minnesota Twins' reward is a date with a team that has owned them over the years, the New York Yankees.

The Yankees will be huge favorites in their ALDS series with the Twins, but they should not look past them. The Twins go into the playoffs with a lot of momentum and are a dangerous team. Here is a look at how the two teams stack up.

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees

The fact that the Twins had to play until Tuesday means that they can't set up their rotation the way they'd like. Rookie Brian Duensing will get the start in Game 1 in Yankee Stadium and that is a tough spot for any rookie. He will be followed up by a decent but not great trio of Carl Pavano, Nick Blackburn, and Scott Baker. The bullpen is average outside of their great closer Joe Nathan. The Twins ranked 23d in the majors in ERA, not a good sign against the great Yankee offense.

For a team that won 100+ games, the Yankees are not void of issues, especially on their pitching staff. C.C. Sabathia had a very good year, winning 19 games, but he has a poor track record in the post-season with an ERA approaching 8. #2 starter A.J. Burnett struggled in the second half and had problems throwing to Posada all year. Word is Jose Molina will catch him in Game 2. Andy Pettitte had a solid bounce back year as the #3 starter. Joba Chamberlain was teriible late in the season and appears headed to the bullpen. Speaking of the bullpen, the Yankees' is excellent at the back end with Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera. The middle relief is a little inconsistent. Overall, the Yankees ranked 12th in the majors in ERA.

Even with their issues, the edge in the pitching department goes to the Yankees.

The Twins ranked are a good offensive team, ranking 5th in the majors in runs scored. Even without Justin Morneau, they still have a very good middle of the order with the likes of Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and Joe Mauer, the probable American League Most Valuable Player. The bottom of the order, though, is not great.

WIth names like Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, and Hideki Matsui, the Yankees have the best offense in baseball. They led the league in runs scored and 1-9, everyone in the lineup is a tough out. They had a whopping 7 guys with over 20 home runs and led the majors in runs scored. One concern, though, is that their clean-up hitter, Alex Rodriguez has a very poor track record in the post-season.

The Twins are an excellent defensive team. They tied for second in the majors in fewest errors. They have an above average defender at just about every position.

The Yankee are a solid defensive team that tied for 9th in baseball in fewest errors. They are very good on the infield but anything hit in the outfield is an adventure.

Ron Gardenhire has done an outstanding job since taking over as Twins manager. They have been the most over-achieving team in baseball during his tenure and have won 5 division titles.

Joe Girardi led the Yankees to 100+ wins but he had the luxury of having the highest payroll in baseball. He still makes a lot of decisions that make you scratch your head.

The Yankees have dominated the Twins over the years and went 7-0 against them this year. The Twins, though, come into this series on fire, having won 17 of 21 and the Yankee pitching issues should make this a closer series than most people expect. In the end, though, the Yankees have too much offense for the Twins pitching staff to handle.

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