The Yankees won three out of four from the Angels in September. Was that a sign they finally have shed having the Angels in their heads, or was this just a momentary blip in the Angels’ dominance of this series.
If the Yanks are to beat the Angels, here is a five-point scouting report to honor:
GET INTO THE ANGEL ’PEN
One scout said: “Mike Scioscia doesn’t like his bullpen.” The proof is he used journeyman lefty Darren Oliver to get the final five outs of Game 1 and Kevin Jepsen to get one out in the ninth before summoning closer Brian Fuentes. “The key to the series is if the Yankees can get into their ‘pen,” an NL scout said. Indeed, the days of Scot Shields bridging to Francisco Rodriguez are over.
Against the Red Sox, Angels starters pitched 202/3 of a possible 27 innings, so Boston did not get enough shots at the ‘pen. For the most part, Angels starters threw strike one, stayed away, and Boston hitters were too pull-happy macho to take what was given them.
“The Yankees have to remember that you can still have a long at-bat after strike one.” an AL executive said.
In other words, if John Lackey throws a good game, make it a good game where he is out after six innings and 100-plus pitches rather than pitching into the eighth, as he did against Boston.
HOW GOOD IS THIS SCOTT KAZMIR?
The Angels obtained Kazmir with his strong history vs. the Red Sox and Yankees in mind. Among active pitchers with
10 starts vs. the Yankees, Kazmir’s 2.64 ERA is second best to A.J. Burnett (2.43). But scouts insist this is not the same Kazmir: His slider no longer is a lethal weapon, his fastball is not as hot and his control is more erratic. Against Boston, Kazmir walked three, fanned one and gave up five runs in five innings. Nevertheless, in three starts this season vs. the Yanks, he remained strong (2-1, 3.20 ERA).
And the Yankees history is poor: Derek Jeter’s .111 average against Kazmir is his worst vs. anyone (minimum 20 at-bats). Jeter, Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher are a combined 27-for-177 (.153) vs. Kazmir. The saving grace: Mark Teixeira is 7-for-11 with four doubles and five walks and Jorge Posada is 11-for-25 with three doubles.
MEET SPEED WITH SPEED
In the period in which the Angels have dominated the Yanks, they were always faster and more defensively sound. They probably still have a speed edge, but the Yanks probably are a better defensive team, which means one better equipped to handle the Angels’ speed game. Look at it this way: If an Angel is picked off, he no longer can take off for second with impunity knowing Jason Giambi will throw the ball into left field or fake drop it to avoid a throw.
The Angels still stole 17 bases against the Yanks, the most vs. any opponent. But the Yanks were 9-for-9 against the Angels, and were 5-1 this year against the Angels when they stole a base. Mike Napoli, in particular, is not a strong throwing catcher. Howie Kendrick can be shaky at second, so the Yanks have to go hard on double-play pivots. The Yanks are familiar with Bobby Abreu’s foibles: He will not get near a wall and his throwing loses juice if he has to move laterally for the ball. Juan Rivera has an accurate arm, but has lost a step in left and Gary Matthews Jr. probably will defend late.
STOP CHONE FIGGINS
You can do this and still lose. Figgins was 0-for-12 with six strikeouts against Boston and the Angels still swept. But if Figgins is getting on base and causing distractions, the Angels are at their best. Figgins is full of speed and lacks power, so he is the last guy you want to walk, yet he led the AL in walks (101).
So throwing strikes is key. If you can make him bat righty, he hits and walks worse, strikes out more and has almost no pop. The scouts said you need to work him inside hard and try to get him to become a flyball hitter by working in the upper parts of the zone hard.
SLOW DOWN!
One NL executive described the Angels as “the biggest momentum team in baseball.” When they get it going, the Angels speed up the game. They run the bases with abandon. They distract, annoy. And they want to get the opponent to play fast (and mindlessly) with them, especially amid the Rally Monkey, Thunderstix furor of the Big A. This is the moment to step off the mound, do a visit with the pitcher, throw to first some. Slow the pace down. Execution becomes more of a premium and so the need to think it out and work at your pace and not theirs is vital.
joel.sherman@nypost.com