Starting Pitchers:

• RHP Roy Halladay (8-4, 1.96) vs. LHP CC Sabathia (6-3, 4.01)
• RHP Kyle Kendrick (3-2, 4.80) vs. AJ Burnett (6-4, 3.86)
• LHP Jamie Moyer (6-6, 5.03) vs. LHP Andy Pettitte (8-1, 2.46)

Notes:

• Alex Rodriguez will “hopefully” be in the starting lineup on Tuesday but my guess is that he probably won’t be. The rest of the Yankees lineup will have to make up for the drastic difference in power between A-rod and Ramiro Pena who has assumed the starting job at third. That gap has been filled, not surprisingly, by Robinson Cano and, surprisingly, by Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada. While Jeter suddenly decided that he was Babe Ruth for a day against the Astros, let’s hope that two grand slams in two days will be enough to give Posada some confidence to get off the schneid and become the integral part in the batting order that he once was.
• Halladay going up against Sabathia will be an incredible matchup. With the Phillies struggling, dropping three of their last four and fourteen of their last twenty, Halladay will look to be the stopper. But, Sabathia will be looking to take advantage of a Phillies offense that has been struggling and might be able to pull out a victory.
• With 38 years of big league experience and 84 years on this earth between them, the matchup between Moyer and Pettitte is about as improbable as any pitching matchup you are likely to find in the MLB. Most players don’t last 5 years so having these two pitchers in the same game is pretty remarkable. That said Moyer and Pettitte couldn’t be more different. Moyer finally appears to be dropping off while Pettitte is having one of the best starts of his career.

Yankees Keys to the Series:

• Score at least two runs off Halladay. With the Phillies offense looking anemic in recent games, two runs should be enough for CC to keep the game within striking distance so that when (or if) the Phillies bullpen has to come in the Yanks have a chance to steal the game.
• Get some production out of the backups. Pena and newcomer Chad Huffman filled in nicely but in order to keep the Yanks in this series with A-rod still not 100 percent, if he plays at all, they will need to continue to come up with singles in important spots.
• Defense. Surprising that I would put defense as a key but I believe that the team that makes the fewest mistakes during this series will win it. Giving either of these offenses, despite the Phillies woes and the Yankees injuries, any extra chances could mean the difference between winning and losing a game.

Expected Outcomes:

• Look for the Yankees to take two from the struggling Phils. Even with all the problems the Yankees have had with their offense being completely shut down sometimes, they will have enough firepower to beat Kendrick and Moyer. Whether or not the Bombers can take down their nemesis Halladay is a different matter.

Starting Pitchers:

RHP Javier Vazquez (3-5, 6.86) v. LHP Brian Matusz (2-5, 5.76)

RHP Phil Hughes (6-1, 2.70) v. RHP Brad Bergesen (3-3, 5.96)

LHP CC Sabathia (4-3, 4.16) v. RHP Kevin Millwood (0-5, 3.89)

Notes:

• At the time I posted this I could not find a single preview for even the first game of the Yankees and Orioles series that was more than a paragraph. It just goes to show how unimportant the series in the first third of the season are. Fans shouldn’t get too upset over the first part of the season (see April 2010 Red Sox) but they shouldn’t think that their team is the best in baseball because of one good month either (see May 2010 Red Sox).
• Matusz seems to get better the deeper he goes into games and against the Yankees he is pretty solid. In his past two starts he has given up 11 runs in the first two innings so if the Yankees get to him early look for Matusz to get the hook. The Yankees, however, have only had moderate success against Matusz who is 1-2 with a 2.37 ERA against the Bombers in three career starts. Yankee pitching is pretty much the only reason why Matusz is 1-2 against the Yanks rather than 2-1 or 3-0 and with Vazquez pitching, who knows what kind of pitching the Yankees are going to get.
• Hughes has by no means dominated the Orioles. He is 2-2 with a 5.97 ERA in 9 games, six of which were starts, against the O’s and his last outing resulted in a no decision.
• Millwood might just be the unluckiest guy in the league. He is the first pitcher with an under 4 ERA to go winless in 11 starts since 1978. His lifetime numbers against the Yankees, 1-8 with a 6.16 ERA, doesn’t make it likely that he get his first win anytime soon.

Yankees Keys to the Series:

• Javier Vazquez needs to pitch at least six innings. Not only because he needs to regain some sort of confidence in his considerable abilities but because the Yankees bullpen needs to be kept off the mound for as long as possible.
• As mentioned above, get to Matusz early to support Vazuqez and get to the Orioles bullpen early.
• Shout out to Francisco Cervelli who has been on a tear recently. Until Posada returns the Yankees need him to keep performing. particularly with runners in scoring position.

Expected Outcome:

The Yankees will win this series and have a great chance to sweep. Look for CC to get the win in the third game and look for Hughes to go deep into the night and grind out a win against Bergesen. The only question surrounds Vazquez and whether or not he will be able to get deep enough into the game to prevent the Yankees from having to call on their bullpen to throw three or more good innings. If he does that the Yankees will sweep. If he doesn’t, the Yankees will still take two of three from the MLB-worst birds.

So I know everyone who is a Yankee fan has been on edge lately. Bullpen this, Rays that, whatever. Anyway since I feel like I have been locked in a library for a week writing two research papers and studying for 2 exams, the only two scheduled exams I have, which are both conveniently scheduled on the last day of the exam period and both worth a totally reasonable 60% of my final grade, I figured that I would lighten my spirits and yours by pursuing the Onion to see what I could come up with. As I was doing so I found these two gems.

Angry A-rod Man Throws Perfect Game – This one cracks me up. Maybe it is because it is after 2 AM, but I think its hysterical.

Yankee Hat Purchased – Just true, so true.

Probable Starters:

RHP AJ Burnett (4-1, 3.31) vs. RHP Wade Davis (3-3, 3.38)

LHP Andy Pettitte (5-0, 1.79) vs. RHP James Shields (4-1, 3.00)

Notes:

• Joba Chamberlain’s stellar performance against Boston last night marks the third time in 19 appearances that he has given up 2 or more earned runs and the second time in as many appearances that he has given up 3 runs earned runs. In 18.1 innings he has allowed 18 hits and 10 earned runs while only allowing 6 walks and striking out 22. He is not that bad. Two bad performances in a row does not mean he should be hung out to dry. Just saying.
• After skipping one of his starts, Pettitte threw 6.1 shutout innings against the Twins to earn himself his 5^th win of the year. In the 7 games that Pettitte has started the Yankees have 7 wins. I know this isn’t statistically significant but I still love to say it.
• The Rays have won 4 straight but their offense shows has been sporadic. In their last 9 games the Rays have scored 33 runs while the pitching staff gave up 26 runs. Even though they have one of the better run differentials in baseball, 207 runs for only 116 runs against, they have been slowing down recently. But don’t look for that trend to continue and don’t expect this to be an easy series for the Bombers.

Yankees Keys to the Series:

• Burnett needs to continue his dominance of the Rays if the Yankees hope to win. In his last 7 starts he is 6-0 and has a 1.76 ERA against Tampa. He is going up against Davis who has posted two straight losses but primarily due to a lack of run support.
• James Shields needs to be taken out of the game early. The only two times the Rays have lost when Shields has taken the hill is when he has been pushed off the hill after 6 innings. If the Yanks want to help Pettitte out, they need to get Shields off the mound before the 6^th like they on April 11^th when Shields was taken out of the game after 5.1 innings of work and the Yankees got a 7-3 win.
• Bullpen. Having given up 5 run leads to the Red Sox two days in a row, the bullpen needs to right itself. Not only for this series but for the season because the Yankees will not be able to compete with the Rays if the bullpen keeps giving up what would be easy victories.

Expected Outcome:

Complete toss up. You might as well flip a coin because the Yankees and the Rays are the two best teams in baseball right now and it really all depends on how deep the starting pitching can go and how well the bullpens hold up. If Pettitte and Burnett are able to go 6 or 7 strong, the Yankees could easily sweep if the bullpen holds up. But that is a big if. On the other hand if Davis and Shields have good performances the Rays could very well end up taking the series. Your guess is as good as mine. It should be a good series.

Fueled by the media, Dallas Braden’s perfect game, and Braden’s grandmother’s infamous “Stick it A-rod” comments this spat has grown out of control. It even has Darryl Strawberry coming out of the woodwork to chime in on the affair. Anytime someone asks Strawberry for a comment, you know the situation has gotten out of control. Not surprisingly another stellar jerk Curt Schilling chimed in on “The Herd” about the incident. I think I speak for everyone involvedwhen I say GIVE ME A BREAK!

Report on something else. This is one of the most idiotic, childish, and annoying “fights” that has ever occurred in all of sports. I have played rounds of mini-golf that have had more legitimate beefs than this one. The worst part about it is that Braden pitched the 19^th perfect game in major league history and on the cover of many newspapers was “Stick It A-rod,” not “Perfect Game” or “UnbelAvable” or some other horrible pun that headline producers come up with. Since when did Braden’s perfect game have anything to do with Alex Rodriguez? Is Dallas Braden the Incredible Hulk of pitching and when Arod crossed the mound did it make him angry? ESPN, in one of the many articles about Braden and A-rod, intimated that Braden said he might fight Rodriguez the next time the two teams played. That would be in July.

During an interview with ESPN, Braden finally took the high road and said that he expected a well-played series when the two teams meet again. Rodriguez, after his initial comments which did not qualify as taking the high ground, said that he was happy for Braden and the he did a good job. So I am officially declaring this “spat” dead. If I hear one more anchor say Dallas Braden and Alex Rodriguez in the same sentence I will make Bobcat Goldthwait sound like Michael Cera.

Well well, I guess Dallas Braden showed everyone that it is HIS MOUND! Seriously though, that was a fantastic performance by Braden. Obviously you have to have a lot of respect for anyone who can throw a perfect game, especially against an offense as potent as the Rays. Not much you can really say about the 19th perfect game in history. There wasn’t anything like DeWayne Wise’s catch last year which saved Mark Buehrle’s perfect game. He just pitched really really well. In the post-game interview he seems like a nice guy, very complimentary of the opposition, a little cocky but hey he just threw a perfect game what do you want. Plus, you can be pretty sure that he was thinking about his mom who died while he was in high school. I don’t think there is a much better thing you can do than honor your mother by throwing a perfect game on Mother’s Day. So happy Mother’s Day all the moms out there, we are so very very blessed that you are in our lives.

Everyone. That’s who. A survey of 650 people from Public Opinion Strategies was conducted to figure out what the differences were between the two fan bases. There couldn’t be two different teams and two different fan bases in the same city. The only other two teams that even come close are the Lakers and the Clippers. I mean, come on! The Mets fans have had to deal with completely inept management for decades now whereas the Yankees management has, for the most part, helped the team. Fans of the Metropolitans have watched helplessly as Johan Santana’s immense talent has been squandered by an anemic offense, shoddy defense, and inconsistent managers. How could Mets fans be the same as Yankees fans?

In this New York familial relationship the Mets are the younger brother and the Yanks are the older brother, that much is clear. The younger bro has shown some potential but is still in his awkward growing phase and constantly psychs himself out with bad decisions while his older brother the Yanks plays starting quarterback and gets with all the cheerleaders after winning state championships. Add on top of that getting rejected by girls in public two times in a row (blowing massive leads with barely weeks left to play) and not hitting your growth spurt yet (not fielding a full major league roster since Bill Buckner watched a ball go through his legs in 1986), it seems unlikely that Mets fans and Yankee fans would have much in common. But there is one thing that little bro can be proud of.

He is hammered. How else could he pretend to have fun at Mets games?

More Mets fans drink alcohol and own guns.

Awesome. Mets fans are 43% more likely to drink beer while 30% of Yankee fans polled said they don’t drink. Hey, but at least when we win we are sober. My guess is that Met’s fans use alcohol as a coping mechanism. After 10 beers I bet you could convince yourself that re-acquiring Anderson Hernandez is a great decision. So we drink less. I guess that is okay. It can’t get any worse right? I mean its not like Yankees fans are a bunch of preppy 20 year old artists who majored in English in college or dropped out to play music. Right?

More Yankees fans drink Starbucks coffee and own a Mac.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Remember this guy?

RHP Phil Hughes (3-0, 1.44) vs. Josh Beckett RHP (1-0, 6.31)

LHP CC Sabathia (4-1, 2.74) vs. RHP Clay Buchholz (3-2, 2.97)

RHP AJ Burnett (4-0, 1.99) vs.  LHP Jon Lester (2-2, 3.93)

Notes:

• Don’t expect the games to go quicker even after umpire Joe West called the length of the games between “embarrassing.” Yanks-Sox games always go long because they are so important for each team. My advice to Joe West, deal with it.
• Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada should be available for this series. If they do not play tonight look for them to get some work in during the second and third games of the series.
• Since Posada went out, Francisco Cervelli has a .360 average and 6 RBIs in 25 at bats with only one strikeout.
• During his last two appearances against the Bombers, Beckett has given up an incredible 13 runs and 7 homers in only 12 2/3 innings though in his last start against Baltimore he went 7 strong and only allowed 2 earned runs. Nevertheless look for the Yankees to keep raining homeruns down on Beckett’s head.

Yankees Keys to the Series:

• Hughes needs to continue his impressive string of performances and forget about his past appearances against Boston. The Red Sox have knocked Hughes around before but they haven’t face him when he has had his best stuff which he certainly does now.
• Get to the back end of the bullpen. While their top bullpen guys have been performing well, if the Yankees see Ramon Rameriz or Scott Atchinson on the mound chances are they will win the game.
• Mariano needs to come back. Each of these games could be pitcher’s duels and late innings guys will make the difference. While Joba Chamberlain has been pitching well, there is nothing like seeing number 42 come out in the 9^th.

Expected Outcome:

The Red Sox have started hitting the ball, their pitching has improved, and the Yankees closer, catcher, and centerfielder are hurt. Despite all that the Yankees still have the edge in the series. I don’t think there will be a sweep either way, the pitching is too good for that. The series hinges on Josh Beckett and AJ Burnett. Despite not pitching well this season, everyone knows Beckett is capable of dominating a game. Burnett, ever the enigma, can be one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball or be knocked out of a game in 4 innings. Look for the Yankees to win another series, taking two games from the Red Sox behind strong pitching performances by CC and AJ.

Robbie Cano, Dontcha Know!

This is do or die for Javier Vazquez. And unfortunately for Javy the way John Danks has been throwing the ball lately, it is looking more like the former. Fans are not going to be kind to the man who is making $11.5 million dollars who has been outpitched by 23 year old Phil Hughes who is making $447,000. Hughes is far and away performing better than Vazquez this year and the Yankees fans are certainly going to let him know that.

On the bright side Robinson Cano has been playing out of his mind, Andy Pettitte is off to one of the best starts of his career and is looking to finish April with a flawless record, and AJ Burnett, despite some really wild pitches, has been rock solid in 4 of his 5 starts. Even more heartening is the fact that Yankees have the third best record in the league, behind Tampa Bay and St. Louis, all while Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez have been performing poorly, Vazquez has yet to get off the schneid, and backups like Francisco Cervelli and Marcus Thames are performing well.

The White Sox, on the other hand, have not been playing very well. Coming off losing a series to Texas, there are serious questions about the pitching staff. Perhaps the only player who is performing well is John Danks. Danks put together back to back 8 inning starts against Tampa Bay and Seattle, only giving up one run to the potent Tampa offense. Which is why it is all the more unfortunate that Vazquez is going to be facing him. If Danks can hold down the Rays it is more than likely that he can hold down the Yankees as well.

Probable Starters:

LHP Andy Pettitte (3-0, 1.29) vs. RHP Freddy Garcia (0-2, 5.82)

RHP Javier Vazquez (1-3, 9.00) vs. LHP John Danks (3-0, 1.55)

RHP Phil Hughes (2-0, 2.00) vs. LHP Mark Buehrle (2-3, 4.68)

Notes:

• If Cano finishes better than .400 for the game tonight, he will finish April with 8 homeruns and a .400 batting average, something no Yankee has ever done.
• Posada has been listed as doubtful for the game tonight. His knee is still swollen after being hit by a pitch by Jeremy Guthrie.
• Vazquez needs to perform well on Saturday. It is just a fact.
• Teixeira is hitless against Garcia in 11 at bats with one walk and four strikeouts.

Yankees Keys to the Series:

• Javier Vazquez will need to hold down the fort against a surging John Danks.
• Get to their starters quickly. The White Sox have one of the best bullpens in baseball and have not given up a great deal of runs. Hammering the starters is the way the Yankees will win this series
• Will the real Mark Teixeira please stand up?

Expected Outcome:

I hate to say it, but I don’t think the Yankees will sweep. And the reason they won’t will be Javier Vazquez. Look for Pettitte and Hughes to win their respective starts and while I believe that Vazquez will pitch well, Danks will in all likelihood pitch better. I really hope I am wrong.

Look for Mark Teixeira to break out his slump (I won't ever stop saying that until he does, deal with it.)

If the last series with the Los Angeles Angles is any indication of how the Yankees three game series over the weekend with the Halos will go, Yankee fans have little to be worries about. The marquee matchup between AJ Burnett and Ervin Santana, who is coming off a complete game against the Blue Jays, will not be a pitcher’s duel as neither pitcher has had much success against the opposition during their career. Look for the Yankees to have the edge as they shelled Santana earlier in the year.

Andy Pettitte dominated the Angles, specifically former Yankee Hideki Matsui, and outdueled Santana to earn the W. Look for Andy to continue his dominance on the road and get his third win of the year as he faces off against Joel Pineiro. Pineiro is having a very good year and he beat the Yankees during the first go around. But, he was also facing Javier Vazquez who clearly was having trouble adjusting to his new environment. Vazquez has a solid start under his belt and looks a lot more comfortable on the mound. Plus being 3,000 miles away from hyper-critical Yankee fans should help to ease his nerves for his 4^th start of the year.

The Yankees offense is coming in as hot as it has been all season. Look for Mark Teixeira, who still is way south of the Mendoza Line, to keep trying to dig himself out of the cellar. A good indication of how the slugger is doing is to keep track of his strikeouts. In his first 10 games he had 12 strikeouts; in the past 5 games he has struck out only twice. Look for his dismal .125 batting average to rise and certainly don’t expect Nick Johnson to be filling in for the all-star first basemen during this series.

Probable Starters:

RHP AJ Burnett (2-0, 2.37) vs. RHP Ervin Santana (2-0, 4.35)

LHP Andy Pettitte (2-0, 1.35) vs. Joel Pineiro (2-1, 1.77)

RHP Javier Vazquez (1-2, 8.27) vs. RHP Scott Kazmir (1-1, 7.45)

Notes:

• Scott Kazmir was known as a Yankee killer during his days with Tampa Bay but he got shelled by the Bombers the last time out, giving up 6 earned runs in only 4 innings of work.
• Lefties have batted .091 against Pettitte this season, while righties have hit .271 against the veteran starter.
• This will be the second series against the Angels and the Yankees still have not faced their number one starter Jered Weaver.
• Derek Jeter has had a great deal of success against Santana, 12-27 with three homeruns, but almost none at all against Weaver, 2-17 with two RBIs, and Kazmir, 6-39 with 12 strikeouts.

Yankees Keys to the Series:

• I know I sound like a broken record, and the Yankees seem to be doing just fine without him, but Marx Teixeira needs to get it going if the Yankees are going to take two straight series from the Angels.
• Get to Pineiro quickly and force their bullpen to carry a heavy load in the second game.
• All of these games could be very close contests. Mariano Rivera will need to continue his dominance for the 156^th straight season in order for the Yankees to come away with a series win.

Expected Outcome:

This series could go either way but look for the Yankees to continue their winning ways, taking 2 of 3 from the Angles. The series hinges on Vazquez and Santana. If Vazquez is able to control himself and throw 6 solid innings then the Yankees will likely score enough runs off of a shaky Kazmir to earn the win. Santana, coming off a great start, will most likely ride that momentum and force the Yankees lineup to try and score enough runs to keep with the Halo’s offense, which has had a lot of success against Burnett. The matchup between Pettitte and Pineiro is a tossup, but look for Andy’s ability to perform under pressure as the difference maker in this series.