ANAHEIM, Calif. — Their arms and fingers have looked like they are borrowed from Edward Scissorhands. Their bats have produced all the oomph of a wet newspaper. And their closer was exposed as unreliable the first time they needed him.
Welcome to the life-support world of the Angels, a team ripe to be knocked out of the ALCS by the Alex Rodriguez-driven Yankees.
When Andy Pettitte takes the Angel Stadium mound today for Game 3, the Yankees will be looking to tighten the 2-0 grip they have on the best-of-seven series. Pettitte will be opposed by Jered Weaver.
The Angels committed five errors in the first two games, one that cost them Game 2 on Saturday night in The Bronx, they sport a team batting average of .154 (12-for-78) and closer Brian Fuentes blew a victory by giving up a tying home run to Rodriguez in the 11th inning of Game 2 on an 0-2 pitch.
Nevertheless, the Yankees insist nothing has been settled. After all, it’s not hard to forget what happened to them in the 2004 ALCS against the Red Sox.
“Our whole mindset this entire year is to try and win every single game we play,” said Derek Jeter, who is 3-for-10 (.300) against the Angels and 7-for-20 (.350) in five postseason games. “You know that mindset doesn’t change. We aren’t looking at what happened in the first two games. In our opinion Game 3 is just as important as the first two.”
If the Angels cooperate like they did in Games 1 and 2, the Yankees will move one victory away from going to the World Series for the first time since 2003, when they were stunned by the upstart Marlins.
Three errors in Game 1 led to two of the Yankees’ four runs being unearned. In Game 2, early yesterday morning, second baseman Maicer Izturis’ ill-advised and wild throw to second in the 13th inning allowed Jerry Hairston Jr. to score from second with the winning run in a 4-3 victory.
Add that to the dead bats and Fuentes not being able to deliver and the Angels are on the brink and looking at CC Sabathia, who dominated them in Game 1, ready to start Game 4 tomorrow on three days rest.
“There were some negatives that we need to get better at if we are going to win the series,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said before his club worked out yesterday. “I am confident we will. I am confident we are going to hit better.”
If Rodriguez continues to blister postseason hurlers, Scioscia’s team can improve and it won’t matter. Two years ago, Rodriguez was going so good in the regular season that former Yankee Jason Giambi described him as “The biggest kid in Little League.”
Five games into his fifth postseason with the Yankees, Rodriguez is more like Michael Jordan, when he was hitting every big shot.
“Alex has had a great postseason so far and we expect him to continue it,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of his cleanup hitter, who is batting .368 (7-for-19) with three homers and eight RBIs in five postseason games. “He has been absolutely huge for us.”
Yet, Girardi is correct when he says Rodriguez can’t carry the Yankees alone.
“It can’t all fall on Alex,” Girardi said. “[But] I am not sure where we would be right now without him.”
Try home.