Yankee fans had to be pleased (and relieved) with the effort of Mike Mussina last night. In a rotation full of question marks, it was comforting, for one evening at least, to have one of those questions removed. Last night’s result puts the Angels in a tough spot with Randy Johnson lurking in Game 3 in New York. John Lackey pitched in some big games for the Angels in 2002, but I get the sense that this Angels team doesn’t have the aura of the ’02 version. Like Butch Stearns says, it’s just a feeling.
Question number 2 (Chien-Ming Wang) is on the mound tonight for the Yanks and it remains to be seen how he will perform in a pressure situation. He did pitch on Armageddon Weekend (my hyperbolic name for last weekend’s anti-climactic series) versus the Red Sox and he did OK. A good effort tonight will certainly be a confidence boost for all involved.
Although the pitching is always a concern this year, one thing I like about this edition of the Yankees is that they are playing their best ball coming into the playoffs. You couldn’t say that in past years, most notably 2001. The team looked perfectly at ease last night in LA/Anaheim probably because they have been playing must-win games for at least 3 weeks. Here’s hoping that they can keep it up.
A couple of other thoughts re: Sox v. Sox:
I stated a couple of days ago that I thought the White Sox were frauds. That statement looks hollow after yesterday’s walloping. Jose Contreras looked very solid in Game 1 and I found that surprising. He has been hot in the second half of the season so maybe he’s turned a corner. That would be a nice story based on what he has been through to get to this point in his career.
However, I’m not ready to back off my earlier statements yet. I think Boston can still win this series, but they really need a starter to step up and go some solid innings. I’m sure David Wells will do his best. With that being said, I’m rooting for Chicago. I want no part of Boston-NY III.
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Worry not, Yankee fan. The Red Sox don't have that "feel" of a confident, together team. One senses that half of the players on the team are thinking about which U-Haul truck to get this Winter, because many will be moved. The pitching staff is average at best, and there is no 1-2 that can step up, the way one needs in the playoffs. Even their vaunted line-up has a swiss-cheese feel to it, with a variety of dead spots throughout. Chicago will beat Ortiz in 5 and Theo Epstein will upgrade his telephone service.
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