This was a game the Yankees had to have last night. And they took it in a very surprising way. Game 2 last night showcased two very good pitching performances from Pedro Martinez and A.J. Burnett, with the latter throwing up 7 innings of magnificent work comprised of 4 hits, 1 earned run, and 9 strikeouts. Burnett was wheeling and dealing some nasty stuff, using his curveball and four-seam fastball to weave a gem against the Phillies all-star lineup. However, as typical with Burnett this season, there were many nerve-racking situations that he got himself into but, and this is the surprising part, he managed to work his way out of them. The only situation Burnett didn't get out of was the one time the Phillies got the lead on a Matt Stairs base hit in the 2nd. And at that point I'm sure every Yankee fan was starting to think "Oh my god, Pedro's gonna shut us down and the quest for #27 is as good as lost". Yet, in the 4th inning of last night's win, Mark Teixeira stepped up to the plate and demonstrated why he has been the MVP for the Yankees this season, delivering a solo blast out to right-center field that tied the game at 1. This gave the Yankees some much-needed momentum throughout the game against Pedro and allowed them to operate with a quiet confidence and relax a little bit in the game. Eventually, the Yankees were able to finally get to Pedro again with a Godzilla attack out in right field. Matsui crushed a low curve ball by Pedro and allowed for the Yankee Stadium crowd to finally celebrate the fact that they had a lead in the World Series. Before Matsui's home run, Pedro was having a very decent game of his own, striking out hitters left and right and getting out of scary situations when the Yankees were threatening. And let me just say one thing, where the hell has A-Rod been in this series? It seems the Kate Hudson Effect is starting to wear off a little bit, kinda like the Secret Stuff in the movie Space Jam. If this is going to be a problem for the rest of the series, then it looks like the rest of the Yankee lineup is gonna have to discover that they don't need the Secret Stuff anymore and score some runs with or without A-Rod. However, I am not worried about A-Rod entirely. I think he will come through when the Yankees visit Philadelphia for Games 3, 4, and 5.
In a much similar fashion to Game 1, the Yankees were able to provide a little leeway between themselves and the Phillies when Charlie Manuel left Pedro in for the 7th inning (a Grady Little moment perhaps?) and he gives up 2 base hits and leaves with runners on 1st and 3rd with nobody out. Jorge Posada nails an RBI single and the Yankees were able to take a 3-1 lead. To show how much the Yankees needed this game, Joe Girardi brought out the Sandman for 2 innings last night. Despite getting into a little bit of trouble in the 8th, Rivera took care of business against the Phillies lineup, striking out Matt Stairs with authority to end Game 2 last night and send the Yankees to Philly with the series tied at 1.
Now, a little preview of Game 3. The pitching matchup is very interesting to say the least. Andy Pettitte is obviously one of the best postseason pitchers in MLB history and will no doubt bring his A-game to the table for Game 3. However, the guy to watch is obviously Phillies starter Cole Hamels, who had an incredible postseason last year and was named World Series MVP. This year has not been so incredible for Hamels as he has struggled consistently and has not been able to give the Phillies a strong outing on the mound. If Hamels can find some way to shut down the Yankees lineup (and that is a very tall order), then Game 3 could be very interesting especially being on the road in Philadelphia. Another thing to watch for is if the Phillies lineup starts to hit against Yankees starting pitching. Against CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, the Phillies lineup has only managed 6 hits collectively and just 3 ER. And with Andy Pettitte stepping on the mound for Game 3, the Phillies' struggle to score runs just might continue. Again though, a lot depends on what you're getting from Cole Hamels as well. Can he bring his A-game to the mound on Saturday? Can the Phillies score some runs off Pettitte? Will the Yankees control the pace of the game? We shall find out all this on Saturday night and I think it's gonna be very interesting.
Game 3 Prediction: Yankees 4, Phillies 2
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