NYaT Roundtable: Division Series Picks

The Yanks' bobblehead and I

As I walked through midtown today, I saw a giant Yankees and Phillies bobblehead right outside the Major League Baseball offices (the picture on the right). TBS was sponsoring it and it reminded me that they're back doing broadcasts (sans Chip Caray) and playoff baseball is back. We're also back here at NYaT to give our picks (and quick thoughts) about the division series starting this afternoon:

New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins

Jay: "Yankee pitching (even sans AJ Burnett) keeps Minnesota in each game, but Yankees scratch out enough runs to escape in five games. Small ball and an effective bullpen help the Yankees win games on the road." Yanks in 5

Sarah: Yanks in 4

Ben P: "The Yankees offense has enough to carry them over the Twins in this series. The Twins do everything well, but nothing great. CC wins his two starts and the Yanks find a way to get one more win." Yanks in 4

Ari: "Minny is missing some big pieces. And they don't have many to miss. Yanks gut this one out." Yanks in 4

CC Sabathia will target the Twinkies tonight at Target Field (CBC)

Elissa: "Just like with the Rays, it all comes down to pitching. The Yankees have a shaky starting rotation at best. Andy Pettitte has only pitched in 3 games since coming off the DL (3 underwhelming outings), Phil Hughes has been relatively ineffective in August and September, A.J. Burnett needs no explanation on why he's a liability in the rotation, and although CC pitched outstanding in the 2009 playoffs, his previous experiences in Milwaukee and Cleveland were less than stellar. I really don't see how the Yankee's pitching staff can pull it together this week." Twins in 5

Ben W: "Yanks need to turn on the switch and there's no better opponent to do it against than the Twins. Liriano matches up well against Sabathia but he's still CC. After that it's Carl Pavano and the illustrious Brian Duensing. The Yanks will put their faith in Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. The Yankees know better than any other team that you start over again in the postseason and that their poor September is but a piece of history. Look for the Yanks to play like they did for the first five months of the season." Yanks in 4

My opinion: "The Yankees and Twins have met quite a bit recently in the postseason and despite optimism things would change, they've stayed the same. Although the Yankees have holes after their #1 starter, the Twins holes look just as bad--and worse considering the Yankees have an edge in the top tier of their bullpen. If the Twins had Justin Mourneau and Joe Nathan, I would feel differently about this series, but without them, I'm not sure the Twins have enough firepower or pitching to go toe-to-toe with the defending champs." Yanks in 4

Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays

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Enemies Getting Along

Jordan messages to report that the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets have made a trade: Jeff Francouer for Ryan Church. Not sure how this really helps either team, but I guess it gets Ryan Church out of Queens where Jerry Manuel seems to hate him.

Also I have no clue why the Mets and Braves are trading with each other. I guess Omar Minaya is desperate.

Braves Fans Stating the Obvious

Check out the top left corner of the picture. The Braves fans wanted to make sure the whole world knew that Alex Rodriguez cheats and so they taped it to the stairs so it would be on TV (it has since been taken down).

But we already knew he cheated on his wife so I don't know why this is anything new...maybe he's cheated on Kate Hudson and she sent an operative to post the sign.



Ohhhh.....they mean he takes steroids? I get it!

Well I guess that it's working as he's having a big game along with the rest of the Yankees offense. This offensive outburst is what the Yankees desperately needed. Now they can come back for the Subway Series Part Deux and feel comfortable about their offense.

Well, until they try to hit homeruns in Citi Field...