In the 2nd game of a 3 game series, the New York Yankees (18-12) take on the Texas Rangers (17-16). Bartolo Colon (2-1, 3.00) takes the mound for the Yankees and he''ll matchup against left hander Derek Holland (3-1, 4.66).
The Texas Rangers will be looking to even
up the series as the Yankees were victorious on Friday night. Game time is set
for Saturday at 8:05 pm ET in Arlington, Texas.
In their last matchup, the Yankees defeated the Rangers 4-1. Curtis Granderson
provided the offense, slugging 2 home runs (in the 1st and 7th innings) and had
3 RBI on the night. Ivan Nova pitched a spectacular game, giving up just 1 run
on 2 hits in 7 1/3 innings pitched. Mariano Rivera picked up his 12th save of
the season with 2 strikeouts in the 9th. The Rangers were basically held in
check until a Mike Napoli run in the 8th but this was the Yankees night.
"Spray on the Colon"
Bartolo Colon has been an unexpected surprise to the New York Yankees pitching rotation.
Since filling in for Phil Hughes, Colon is 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA in 21 2/3
innings and has struck out 20 batters. The Yankees couldn't have asked for
anything more. Colon has had major success against Texas in his career.
He's
12-1 with a 2.89 ERA in his last 13 starts against Texas and has won his last 5
outings in Arlington. For his career, Colon is 17-6 with a 3.60 ERA in 26
starts against the Rangers. Colon is a veteran pitcher with a 155-104 mark for
his career. The Yankees have a major edge in this game due to Colon's great
success against Texas.
Homer happy
Curtis Granderson left a lasting impression on the Texas defense on Friday with
a big 2 home run (in the upper deck), 3 RBI performance. Granderson has taken
over the lead in home runs for New York with 10. He's a player that is streaky.
Since coming to the Yankees, he's had a tough time keeping his batting average
up but has done a decent job this year hitting .271.
Granderson had an awful
season in 2010 for two-thirds of the year and then poured it on towards the
end. He's gotten off to a much better start this season and look for Granderson
to start to come on strong. He's only faced Derek Holland 3 times and picked up
1 hit (.333). In his last 3 games, Granderson is 4 for 11 with 3 runs scored
and 2 HR and 3 RBI. Curtis should have an impact on Saturday's game against
Derek Holland and Texas.
A Rod vs his former team
Alex Rodriguez had a very promising spring training but thus far in the regular
season has been merely average, hitting.272 with 5 HR and 18 RBI. Age might be
starting to creep in as Rodriguez is approaching his 36th birthday in July but
Alex still has the ability to be great. He's hit well against Texas in his
career, hitting 18 HR, 76 RBI, and batting .314 in 112 games. Look for
Rodriguez who is hitting .500 in his last 6 at-bats to play well against his
old team.
Overall as an offense, the Yankees don't have the greatest batting averages but
they lead the league in homers and know how to get on base and capitalize. With
Colon at the mound, there's slightly less pressure on the offense and they
should be able to deliver against Holland.
Still playing "Young"
Michael Young may not be a rookie anymore but he's shown the ability to get on
base for a high powered offensive team. He only has 1 home run this year (and
24 RBI). His job isn't to hit the home run, it's to get on base and be knocked
in by one of the power hitters.
No Josh Hamilton at the moment but Texas is 2nd
in HR with 38 and 4th in the league in RBI with 150. Young has done a great job
of getting on base. He possess a .328 batting average. Up until Friday, he hit
safely in 7 consecutive games. Nova was pitching a great game and Young's
streak stopped. He faces another tough pitcher in Colon but look for Michael
Young to get back on track, which is essential for the Rangers success.
No more juice?
I've always considered Ian Kinsler a good 2nd baseman and a reliable bat.
Lately, he hasn't been so reliable. Come to think of it, he's had a significant
dropoff since a stellar 2009 season. In 2009, Kinsler hit 31 HR and 86 RBI.
Last season in 391 at-bats, Kinsler hit 9 HR and 45 RBI and batted .286.
This
season, Kinsler hasn't been able to put it together in the absence of Hamilton.
He's hitting 5 HR, 14 RBI with a .223 BA. I still consider Ian Kinsler a good
player but he need's to get out of this funk. The juice reference is just
speculation. Ian Kinsler is a fierce competitor when he's in the groove.
Kinsler hasn't had much success against the Bronx Bombers, hitting a career
.218 against them but he's hit safely in 6 out of his last 8 games. This is a
player that's unpredictable. He could possibly go 0 for 4 on Saturday or he
might possibly hit the winning home run off of Colon or Rivera.
"Coach: Do I have To pitch today?"
From his past experiences with the Yankees, this thought might have entered
pitcher Derek Holland's mind. Holland hasn't shown anything in 4 starts against
the Yankees for his career. He's 0-3 with a 8.13 ERA. Holland has also allowed
7 HR in 20 innings pitched against New York. This is a career 14-18 pitcher with
a 5.38 ERA. Of course he has plenty of time to turn his career around but this
isn't a good spot for Derek Holland. The Yankees should hit him hard.
What to look for?
You really have to like the Yankees at -105. Some sportsbook even have Texas listed as the favorites on the MLB odds boards. The Yankees are coming off of a great victory in where they pitched
well and Granderson had a great game. This is setup perfectly. Holland has been
a disaster against the Yanks while Colon has been a superstar against the
Rangers. There's a major edge in the pitching matchup. Texas doesn't stand a
chance in this game whether they're playing at home or not. Take the Yankees.
My Pick: Yankees -105