Yankees-Indians Early Thoughts

It’s less than one hour before the Indians take on the Yankees in game #1 of the 2007 American League Playoffs, and we have to admit we like New York to win this thing in five.

Why?

First off, they were 6-0 against the Tribe during the regular season. Even without CC pitching in any of those games, 6-0 has to count for something.

Second, we believe the Yankees’ patience and professionalism at the plate will wear down the Indians’ starters just enough to win this series.

Third, even though the Indians seem to have the overall pitching advantage, the Yankees have a first ballot Hall of Famer (Rivera) in the back end of the pen while the Tribe has Borowski – a gutsy reliever without a true out pitch who will keep you on the edge of your seat more often than not.

Next, we don’t believe the Indians will do the little things well enough to win the close games. They aren’t fundamentally solid. This is not an outstanding defensive team. They don’t bunt well, nor do they hit behind runners well when asked to, or make enough contact to consistently win close games in the post-season.

Also, the Tribe’s offense has been extremely inconsistent in '07 to say the least. We don’t expect that to change now that October is here. Remember those Tribe offensive units of the late 90s that hammered their way through regular season play? Those offensive units, for the most part, struggled in the post-season because the pitching they faced was better. We expect this offense to struggle even more.

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The Yankees have been there time and time again. That’s what a yearly $200 million payroll will do for you. Most of these Indians have never played in the post-season. Experience does matter.

Look, we want the Tribe to advance. This corner claimed months ago, the Tribe was better suited for post-season than regular season play with their #1 and #2 starters being so talented. They should be a tough out in a short series. That’s what we see happening – a tough first round out (Yankees 3 wins/Indians 2).

What needs to happen for the Tribe to advance?

It’s not that complicated. You already know the answer.

On the mound, CC & Carmona have to dominate. They have to get to their two set up guys and that pair has to continue to be lights out, and then turn it over to Borowski, who has to be solid in the ninth.

At the plate, they have to hit better in the clutch than they did during the regular season.

This Yankee team is certainly beatable. They do not have dominant starting pitching. But it’s up to the Indians to prove they belong – not the other way around.

Here’s hoping we are all wet and the Tribe wins in four.