FOR a month, the Yankees thought they were going to play the Twins and got the Tigers.
Considering how the Tigers stumbled and flushed the AL Central title and don’t have a Johan Santana, the Yankees will gladly welcome the Tigers to Yankee Stadium tonight for Game 1 of the ALDS.
Here is a closer look at the clubs:
CATCHER
Jorge Posada has been chasing Pudge Rodriguez for a while and the gap has never been closer. Posada had his best all-around season and improved defensively in the second half. Rodriguez still is a threat at the plate and nobody tests his arm. Has thrived in a leadership role.
EDGE: EVEN
FIRST BASE
Gary Sheffield has played nine games lifetime. In his final two, he swung the bat better than at any time since returning from a fourmonth stint on the DL. Look for defensive replacement Andy Phillips as early as the sixth inning if Yankees are leading.
Left-handed-hitting Sean Casey was acquired to stabilize the position and hit .245 after batting .296 for the Reds. Lacks power but will hit the ball the other way.
EDGE: YANKEES
SECOND BASE
Johnny Damon calls Robinson Cano the best hitter in the AL and his defense is among the upper half thanks to an above-average arm and good range up the middle. Cano finished third in the AL batting race with a .342 average. A separated left shoulder limited Placido Polanco to 110 games in which he batted .295.
Good at manufacturing runs.
EDGE: YANKEES
SHORTSTOP
Carlos Guillen’s .320 average was ninth in the AL and with Polanco is a lineup catalyst. Yet, even before you examine several careless errors, he doesn’t measure up to Derek Jeter. The Captain is a strong MVP candidate and the second-place finisher in the batting race (.343). Guillen’s postseason experience is six games.
EDGE: YANKEES
THIRD BASE
Alex Rodriguez, the man Yankees fans love to hate, is a big key to the Bombers kicking the Tigers to the curb. By anybody else’s standards, ARod had a sensational year, batting .290 with 35 homers and 121 RBIs.
But he is judged differently.
Brandon Inge has made himself into a dependable player who slugged 27 homers. Fastball hitter who struggles with breaking balls.
EDGE: YANKEES
LEFT FIELD
Hideki Matsui missed four months due to left-wrist surgery and returned as if he was never away. Proved he was healthy enough to get back in the outfield and that turned Melky Cabrera into a bench player.
Craig Monroe hit 28 homers and drove in 92 runs because he kills mistakes and thrives on pitches down and in. Breaking balls give him trouble.
EDGE: YANKEES
CENTER FIELD
Johnny Damon cooled down the stretch, going 9-for-56 (.161), but provided the Yankees a leadoff catalyst throughout the season. Brings big-game experience that Tigers counterpart Curtis Granderson doesn’t have. In his first full big-league season, Granderson batted .260 but struggled in August and September.
Fanned an AL-leading 174 times.
EDGE: YANKEES
RIGHT FIELD
Magglio Ordonez led the Tigers with 104 RBIs and is their best hitter. Use of the entire field makes him hard to pitch to, and he has remained aggressive at the plate.
According to scouts, he’s regressed in the field. Bobby Abreu fit into the Yankees’ lineup very well, hitting .330 in 58 games.
EDGE: EVEN
DESIGNATED HITTER
A balky left wrist denied Jason Giambi a monster year. Still, 37 homers and 113 RBIs wasn’t bad. Giambi has taken three cortisone shots in the wrist and admitted last weekend the hinge felt tired.
According to a scout, former Yankee Marcus Thames is “Craig Monroe light.” Thames hit 26 homers and drove in 60 runs.
EDGE: YANKEES
STARTERS
This is the Yankees’ biggest question.
And that goes beyond Randy Johnson’s ailing back. He is slated to pitch Game 3 Friday in Detroit. For all his cool, Game 1 starter Chien-Ming Wang has made one postseason start. Mike Mussina should thrive against the fastball-hitting Tigers. Jaret Wright is the No. 4 hurler.
Any rotation that houses Kenny Rogers (Game 3 starter) against the Yankees is doomed. Game 1 hurler, lefty Nate Robertson, pitches better than his stuff indicates. Justin Verlander (Game 2) saw his velocity drop in the second half. Jeremy Bonderman (Game 4) throws everything hard.
EDGE: YANKEES
BULLPEN
A healthy Mariano Rivera gives the Yankees the edge over every other pen in baseball. Add Scott Proctor’s emergence as an elite set-up man and Mike Myers as the lefty specialist and the Yankees are in good shape even if Kyle Farnsworth’s back is a hit-and-miss thing. Tigers closer Todd Jones notched 37 saves with a sneaky fastball that looks quicker than its 90-92 mph clocking.
Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney provide power arms from the right side.
EDGE: YANKEES
BENCH
Melky Cabrera gives the Yankees a quality defensive replacement in the outfield and a switch-hitter who batted .280 in 130 games. Bernie Williams brings an ocean of postseason experience. Phillips likely will appear in every game at first base. Tigers are thin on the pine. Alexis Gomez, Omar Infante and Neifi Perez don’t measure up.
EDGE: YANKEES
MANAGER
Joe Torre has more postseason experience than anybody he will face this year. Yet, in Jim Leyland, Torre will see the ultimate game manager. Both like the horses, so this one is a dead heat.
EDGE: EVEN
PREDICTION
Too much muscle and a huge edge in the bullpen get the Yankees through a series that will prove tougher and longer than most would expect.
YANKEES IN FIVE
