2010 MLB Playoffs: Twins Vs. Yankees ALDS Game 1 Viewing Guide
Time: 8:37pm ET
Starting Pitchers: LHP Francisco Liriano vs. LHP CC Sabathia
Series: 0-0
TV: TBS
TV Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Ron Darling, and John Smoltz
Radio: ESPN Radio
Radio Announcers: Jon Miller and Orel Hershiser
Umpires: Jerry Crawford, Hunter Wendelstedt, Greg Gibson, Brian O’Nora, Gary Darling, Chris Guccione
MLB.com Gameday: Link
Team Blogs: Twinkie Town, Pinstripe Alley
Situation
For the fourth time since 2003, the Twins are meeting the Yankees in the ALDS. This time, however, Game 1 will be in Minnesota, and this time, you could make a pretty convincing argument that the Twins are the better of the two teams. Previously, they were the underdogs. This time, they'll be expected to compete and at the very least make the Yankees lose a lot of blood. There's no reason for this to be an easy series. While ghosts of series past may linger, the actual levels of talent on these two ballclubs are just about equal.
Three Keys
(1) CC Sabathia might not be the best left-handed pitcher in baseball, but he's certainly among them, and he's going to make life all kinds of difficult for Joe Mauer, Jim Thome, Jason Kubel, and Denard Span. Obviously, this puts pressure on the right-handed bats to deliver, but the best of them is Delmon Young, whose aggressiveness could be taken advantage of by a superior pitcher. Those annoying guys like Orlando Hudson and Michael Cuddyer could really stand to come through with a couple hits apiece.
(2) Francisco Liriano vs. lefties this year: 52 strikeouts, 4 walks, 0 home runs, and a .517 OPS. The Twins may be up against a tough lefty, but the Yankees might be up against a tougher one. I know, I know, I make a lot of platoon splits. Just don't expect too much from Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, or - if he plays - Brett Gardner. The only question when Liriano's facing a lefty is how many pitches it'll take for him to put the batter away.
(3) The Yankees have an offense built around drawing walks and slugging extra-base hits. The Twins, as a team, never walk anybody, and Target Field has become well-known for its ability to turn home runs into something far more harmless. I wonder if the home-field advantage in this series might be more pronounced than usual. The Twins’ pitching staff is suited well for their park, and not so well for smaller ones. Game 3, then, could be an adventure. In Game 1, they might be able to shut the Yankees totally down.
