Yankees-Twins Division Series Preview
Sparked by the midseason trade for Shannon Stewart, the Twins won three more games than the Yankees in the second half.
AP |
| SEASON SERIES STATS |
| |
Yankees |
Twins |
| Wins |
7 |
0 |
| Runs |
49 |
13 |
| HR |
16 |
1 |
| Avg. |
.293 |
.203 |
| ERA |
1.71 |
7.05 |
| SB |
3 |
4 |
| Errors |
3 |
3 |
|
By John Donovan, SI.com
The Yankees have not had a ton of fun this season, what with David
Wells' tell-all book, Derek Jeter's Opening Day injury and The Boss
always looking over everyone's shoulder. Mostly, of course, Joe Torre's
shoulder.
But at least they've been winning all along. The Twins struggled through
the first half at 44-49 before, finally, they turned things on to win
another AL Central pennant. They come into the postseason
on a tear, winning 12 of their last 15 games. They had the best record in
baseball in the second half at 46-23.
The Yankees, with the best record in the AL, have quietly had a pretty
good second half themselves, holding off Boston to win the AL East with
the strength of their old-line starting pitching, an often shaky bullpen (starring the still really good Mariano
Rivera) and a hitting attack that ranked fifth in the league, third in
home runs.
This series will, once again, be headlined as the mighty and mighty rich
Yankees against the latest small-market wannabe giant killers. The Yanks
are used to it (after playing the Angels last season, the A's for two
years before that). But playing it that way wouldn't be giving the Twins
quite the credit they deserve.
The Twins, remember, beat a 103-win team last year, the A's, to advance
to the AL Championship Series. And they've shown through this second
half that they can rise to the occasion.
A trade with Toronto for Shannon Stewart energized the
Twins, but Minnesota is a well-balanced team still built around its
pitching. The Twins' staff may not have the names or reputations of the
Yankees' rotation, but they're pretty good.
OK, so the Twins have lost all seven games they've played against the
Yankees this year. But all those games were in April. The Twins are a
vastly different team now.
Good enough to upend the Yanks? Well, let's not get carried away just
yet.
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OFFENSE
|
Yankees
Jason Giambi has been bothered by everything from a bad eye to a bum
hand this season, but he still managed to pound out 41 homers and drive
in 107 runs. Rookie Hideki Matsui drove in 106 and catcher Jorge Posada
drove in 101. Add Alfonso Soriano's bat (37 homers) and Derek Jeter's
(.326), and you have a formidable offense (second in on-base
percentage). The key, though, may be the switch-hitting Bernie Williams
in the middle of the lineup.
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Twins
The Twins don't have anywhere near the power of the Yanks. They're still
a get-on, get-over, score-however-you-can kind of squad. The Twins were
ninth in homers (center fielder Torii Hunter led with 26), but they can
hit for average (.277, third in the AL) and they'll run, given the
chance. The Twins surprised Oakland last postseason. They have the stuff
to shock the Yanks, too, if the Yankees slip up.
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| The Edge: |
 |
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DEFENSE
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Yankees
Matsui is a fine left fielder, Aaron Boone has upgraded the Yankees at
third and Soriano is improving at second. Still, the Yanks are a
below-average defensive team, the lowest-ranked of any AL playoff team.
Look for the Twins to try to take advantage of Posada, who threw out
only 28 of 100 basestealers this season.
|
Twins
Only the Mariners played better defense than the Twins this season. It
starts with Hunter, the Gold Glove center fielder. Corey Koskie is
underrated at third, Doug Mientkiewicz had only four errors at first
this year and newcomer Stewart is plenty good in left, which has turned
Jacque Jones into primarily a designated hitter.
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| The Edge: |
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STARTING PITCHING
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Yankees
They're old, but they're plenty solid. Mike Mussina (17-8), Roger
Clemens (17-9), Andy Pettitte (21-8), David Wells (15-7) ... and we're
just getting started. None of these guys may blow you away with stats
but, overall, they're hard to beat. The Yanks have the third-best ERA in
the league (4.04) among starters. They don't hurt themselves with walks
or give up a lot of home runs, they have guys who can power it by
opponents.
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Twins
The Twins like to say they're built on pitching and defense. But they
don't have a starter with more than 14 wins. Their team ERA is middle of
the AL. But, like the Yanks, they don't hurt themselves (they're second
to the Yankees in walks allowed). And they have a
good-enough bullpen to call on to make sure the starters don't get in
too much trouble. Look out for young Johan Santana, who is 8-1 with a
3.13 ERA in 14 second-half starts.
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| The Edge: |
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BULLPEN
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Yankees
Mariano Rivera (39 saves, 1.68 ERA) is fine. Don't worry about him.
Ex-Braves lefty Chris Hammond has been fine, too, with a 2.86 ERA in 62
appearances. There are enough guys out there to get to Rivera before
doing too much damage. And once it's in Rivera's hands, he rarely drops
it (one blown save in his past 22 appearances).
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Twins
Everyday Eddie Guardado blew a save the other night against the Tigers,
but he's blown only four all season and has 41. Former closer
LaTroy Hawkins serves as a nice setup man, with a 1.86 ERA. Righty Ron
Rincon and lefty J.C. Romero will get plenty of use, too.
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| The Edge: |
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INTANGIBLES
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Yankees
How aching is Giambi? Can Williams spark this team? How will Clemens be
in his final postseason? Is Wells reliable enough? How much pressure is
The Boss putting on? Can Boone contribute at the plate? Is this it for
Torre? There are a ton of questions. But there always are. The Yanks eat
this stuff for breakfast.
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Twins
Losing three of four to the Tigers to end the season put a bit of a
damper on a great September run. Still, the Twins have to be feeling
pretty good. They'll especially feel good in the Metrodome, which should
be a huge advantage for them in Games 3 and 4, but probably not as much
as you'd think (only the Cubs, among playoff teams, lost more at home
than the Twins).
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| The Edge: |
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| RECAP |
| Offense |
 |
| Defense |
 |
| Starting Pitching |
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| Bullpen |
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| Intangibles |
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| PREDICTION |
The Yankees and the Braves tied for the most wins in baseball, with 101.
Sometimes it's amazing to see New York keep winning. Despite the turmoil
that always seems to surround them, the Yanks got good starts when they
needed them, their bats came around and their bullpen was good enough.
The Twins should be commended for pulling themselves together. But the
Yanks just have too much of just about everything to lose.
Yankees in four.
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