The 2009 MLB season is just a game away from being over with the Yankees up 3-1 in the World Series over the Phillies who send Cliff Lee to the hill for Game 5 on Monday.
The New York Yankees can wrap up their 27th World Series championship – and first since 2000 – by beating the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies in Monday’s Game 5. However, oddsmakers aren’t sure the series will end Monday, as they have installed Cliff Lee and the Phils a $1.35 home favorite over A.J. Burnett and the Yanks. The total opened at 8½ over (-130).
Philadelphia tied Sunday’s Game 4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, but New York posted three runs in the top of the ninth to prevail as a -170 road favorite, 7-4. The combined 11 runs eclipsed the 8½-run closing total, helping the ‘over’ cash in the second consecutive contest. The ‘under’ had prevailed in the first two games of this Fall Classic.
The Yankees bullpen went 2.1 innings, with Joba Chamberlain and closer Mariano Rivera both tossing an inning. Damaso Marte went one-third of an inning to close out the seventh.
New York’s ninth-inning rally occurred with two outs, starting with a Johnny Damon single and stolen base. Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch before Alex Rodriguez doubled and Jorge Posada doubled in the final two runs of the game.
Philadelphia’s bullpen went three innings in the Game 4 setback, with Chan Ho Park, Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge all pitching one inning. Lidge’s ninth-inning effort was disastrous for the Phillies, as he surrendered three runs on three hits.
Game 5 pits a pair of starting pitchers that have already won earlier starts during this World Series. New York right-hander A.J. Burnett (14-9, 3.99 ERA) captured Game 2 with a sterling performance, while Philadelphia’s Cliff Lee (17-13, 2.89 ERA) was masterful during his Game 1 triumph.
The Yankees took Thursday’s Game 2 as a -200 home chalk, 3-1, while the combined four runs never seriously threatened the nine-run closing total. Burnett was reached for the lone run on four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts over seven innings. New York has gone 6-1 his last seven starts, with the ‘under’ going 5-2.
The 32-year-old went 8-6 with a 4.83 ERA this season in 18 road starts, pitching 108 innings while yielding 63 runs (58 earned) on 113 hits with 48 walks and 94 strikeouts. The Yankees are just 3-5 his previous eight road outings, with the ‘over’ going 5-3.
Lee went the complete-game route in Wednesday’s Game 1 victory as a $1.60 road underdog, 6-1. The combined seven runs slithered ‘under’ the 7½-run closing total. The southpaw surrendered an unearned run on six hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts.
The former Arkansas Razorbacks pitcher went a modest 8-8 with a 2.54 ERA this season in 18 home starts split between the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies. Philadelphia acquired the eight-year veteran at this year’s trading deadline. The Phillies are 6-2 his previous eight home outings, with the ‘under’ going 5-3.
Veteran umpire Dana Demuth will be behind the plate for Game 5 after being the first-base umpire for Sunday’s Game 4. Unfortunately for totals players concerning home-plate umpires, Demuth saw the ‘over/under’ go 16-16 during his 34 games this season. There was an average of 9.85 runs per contest, with a combined 13.5 strikeouts per contest and 7.4 walks.
Monday’s forecast for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania calls for cloudy skies and a 20 percent chance of rain, with a projected high of 56 degrees and a low of 42.