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Yankees (103-59) vs. Phillies (93-69)

All times Eastern
Season Series: Philadelphia won 2-1

Yankees lead series 3-1

Game 1: Phillies 6, Yankees 1

Game 2: Yankees 3, Phillies 1

Game 3: Yankees 8, Phillies 5

Game 4: Yankees 7, Phillies 4

Game 5: Phillies 8, Yankees 6

Game 6: Wednesday, Nov. 4 at New York, Pedro Martinez v. LHP Andy Pettitte

Game 7 (If necessary): Thursday, Nov. 5 at New York: TBA v. LHP CC Sabathia (19-7, 3.21)
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Projected Lineups
Phillies: SS Jimmy Rollins (.250, 21 HRs, 77 RBIs, 100 runs, 31 SBs), CF Shane Victorino (.292, 10, 62, 102 runs, 25 SBs), 2B Chase Utley (.282, 31, 93, 112 runs, 23 for 23 SBs), 1B Ryan Howard (.279, 45, 141, 105 runs), RF Jayson Werth (.268, 36, 99, 20 SBs), DH Raul Ibanez (.272, 34, 93), 3B Pedro Feliz (.266, 12, 82), LF Ben Francisco (.278, 5, 13 in 37 games after trade from Cleveland; .257, 15, 46 overall), C Carlos Ruiz (.255, 9, 43).

Yankees: SS Derek Jeter (.334, 18, 66, 107 runs, 30 SBs, 212 hits), LF Johnny Damon (.282, 24, 82, 107 runs), 1B Mark Teixeira (.292, 39, 122, 103 runs, 43 2Bs), 3B Alex Rodriguez (.286, 30, 100), C Jorge Posada (.285, 22, 81), DH Hideki Matsui (.274, 28, 90), 2B Robinson Cano (.320, 25, 85, 103 runs, 48 2Bs, 204 hits), RF Nick Swisher (.249, 29, 82), CF Melky Cabrera (.274, 13, 68).
———
Projected Rotations
Phillies: LH Cliff Lee (7-4, 3.39 in 12 starts with Phillies after trade from Cleveland; 14-13, 3.22 overall), RH Pedro Martinez (5-1, 3.63 in 9 starts), LH Cole Hamels (10-11, 4.32), RH Joe Blanton (12-8, 4.05) or LH J.A. Happ (12-4, 2.93).

Yankees: LH CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37, 230 IP), RH A.J. Burnett (13-9, 4.04), LH Andy Pettitte (14-8, 4.16), RH Chad Gaudin (2-0, 3.43, 11 games, 6 starts with Yankees after trade from San Diego; 6-10, 4.64 overall) or RH Joba Chamberlain (9-6, 4.75, 31 starts, 1 relief appearance).
———
Relievers
Phillies: RH Brad Lidge (0-8, 7.21, 31/42 saves), RH Ryan Madson (5-5, 3.26, 10/16 saves), LH Scott Eyre (2-1, 1.50), RH Chad Durbin (2-2, 4.39), RH Chan Ho Park (3-3, 4.43 in 45 games, 7 starts), LH Antonio Bastardo (2-3, 6.46 in 6 games, 5 starts), RH Brett Myers (4-3, 4.84 in 18 games, 8 relief appearances).

Yankees: RH Mariano Rivera (3-3, 1.76, 44/46 saves, 72 Ks, 12 BBs, 66 1-3 IP), RH Phil Hughes (8-3, 3.03, 3 saves, 51 games, 7 starts, 96 Ks, 28 BBs, 86 IP), RH Alfredo Aceves (10-1, 3.54, 1 save), LH Phil Coke (4-3, 4.50, 2 saves, 72 games), RH David Robertson (2-1, 3.30, 1 save, 63 Ks, 43 2-3 IP), LH Damaso Marte (1-3, 9.45, 21 games).
———"; spt_MLB_playoffs[i++] = new Array("","Position matchups","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_MLB_playoffs[i-1].body = "

Catcher
Carlos Ruiz has a powerful arm, and isn't afraid to use it to keep running games in check. He's thrown out 28 percent of base-stealers. He is also a decent No. 8 hitter with a little power, and is enjoying a big postseason.

Despite missing about one-third of the season, Jorge Posada at 38 put up numbers similar to his biggest years. He also threw well behind the plate, but isn't a great handler of pitchers, and his base-running decisions are awful. Backup Jose Molina catches A.J. Burnett's starts. He won't hit much but is an excellent receiver.
Edge: New York when Posada starts, Philadelphia when Molina starts.

First base
Ryan Howard may never match his 2006 MVP numbers, but the 2009 totals were pretty scary. And he hits in the clutch, too – as he is showing in his big post-season to date. On the downside, he has improved defensively, but remains average at best.

After a slow start, Mark Teixeira delivered on the big contract, putting up his usually strong numbers from both sides of the plate. The production and Gold Glove-caliber defense will get him serious MVP consideration. His post-season has been sub-par offensively.
Edge: Even

Second base
Chase Utley put together another season that makes him the best all-round second baseman in the game. He's a five-tool offensive threat who topped 30 homers and 20 steals, and drew enough walks to push his on-base percentage above .400. But you really have to wonder if he’s playing hurt in this post-season.

Robinson Cano has taken the final step to stardom, reaching career highs in average, runs, hits, doubles, home runs and OPS. He also hit better than .300 at home and on the road, and against lefties and right-handers, and almost .350 after Aug. 1. His arm is shortstop-strong.
Edge: Philadelphia

Shortstop
Jimmy Rollins' 2007 MVP season looks more and more like a one-year aberration. Not that that's so bad, but his batting average in the .240s is pretty inexcusable for a top-of-the-order guy with a .274 career mark. He is a clutch hitter, though. And what hasn't suffered is his stellar defense, complete with great range.

Derek Jeter is another solid AL MVP candidate after one of the best seasons in his Hall of Fame career. Besides passing Lou Gehrig to become the Yankees' all-time hit leader, Jeter topped his seasonal averages in hits, average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS, and committed a career-low eight errors.
Edge: Even

Third base
Pedro Feliz never has been a star in his nine big-league seasons, but he remains an excellent defensive third baseman, and posted his best batting average since 2004 and highest RBI total since 2006. His home runs have fallen from 20 to 14 to 11 in the last three seasons.

Alex Rodriguez is about the only Yankees regular who didn't exceed, or even match, his usual regular-season numbers. That's what happens when you don't play a game until May 8. But he got better in every month since June, and so far this October, has been spectacular, changing the dynamic of the Yankees offense.
Edge: New York

Left field
Raul Ibanez found Citizens Bank Park to his liking after five years in spacious Safeco Field. He tied his career home-run best, and set career highs in slugging percentage and OPS. But he has played since June with a muscle tear in his abdomen, and his production has suffered as a result.

Johnny Damon – with a lot of help from the new Yankee Stadium – tied a career high with 24 homers in another quality, productive season. He hit 17 of them at home. About the only thing that he doesn't do as well as he used to is steal bases – down to only 12. And as most everybody knows by now, his arm is sub-par.
Edge: Philadelphia

Center field
Shane Victorino is one of those high-energy guys who plays better -- especially at key moments -- than his overall numbers indicate. Not that there is anything wrong with his season numbers -- a near-.300 average, 100-plus runs, 60-plus extra-base hits, 25 steals.

Melky Cabrera reached career highs in homers and slugging percentage, and for all the criticism he gets for what he doesn't do, remember that he's still only 25 and getting better. And he’s having a good post-season.
Edge: Philadelphia

Right field
Jayson Werth may be the offensive key to the Phillies' post-season as he emerged as the primary right-handed power threat in a lineup otherwise filled with left-handed hitters. He has hit for higher season batting averages, but enjoyed a breakout season power-wise, and can run.

Nick Swisher is an all-or-nothing type – low batting average, power and too many strikeouts – but also drew almost 100 walks to jack up his on-base percentage. Unlike the rest of his teammates, he hit two-thirds of his homers on the road. His struggles in the post-season could cost him a start, as he could be replaced by speedy Brett Gardner.
Edge: Philadelphia

Designated hitter
Much like Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui rebounded from an injury-interrupted 2008 to put together a very productive year. If you throw in his nine outstanding seasons in Japan, he has totaled 472 career regular-season homers. In short, he's still a threat who must be respected. This could be his Yankees swan song, as he is eligible for free agency.

The Phils are well-equipped to handle this spot. The three primary options are left-handed bats Greg Dobbs and Matt Stairs, and playing right-handed-hitting Ben Francisco in left field and using Ibanez as the DH.
Edge: New York

Rotation
Just like their lineup, the Phillies are so heavily tilted to the left side in their rotation. Cliff Lee was brilliant immediately after being acquired from Cleveland, finished the regular season with a thud, then would have been the division series MVP if they awarded such an honor. Cole Hamels had been on a nice September run until getting hit hard in his second-to-last start against Houston. And he hasn’t pitched well at all in the post-season, lending doubt to the Phils’ chances of repeating. Pedro Martinez will get the call in Game 2 or Game 3 after being bypassed in the division series, and pitching very well in his any NLCS start. Joe Blanton or J.A. Happ could get a start in Game 4, and otherwise will come out of the bullpen.

CC Sabathia will get some Cy Young Award consideration, and certainly has grabbed the Yanks' ace role and ran with it – just as they hoped he would. Yes, his post-season numbers were terrible in the past, but in Cleveland and especially Milwaukee, he was heavily taxed leading to playoffs. That's obviously not the case this time around, as he has been dominant in three victories. A.J. Burnett was only one shy of Sabathia in quality regular-season starts, but only had 12 wins to show for it. His division series start against Minnesota was his first in the post-season, and he couldn’t close out the Angels in Game 5. Andy Pettitte has pitched in the post-season so much that he has accumulated 218 innings – basically a full regular season. The numbers speak for themselves – 16 wins, the most in post-season history.
Edge: New York

Relievers
Brad Lidge has notched three post-season saves, and his slider is biting again. But one of those was only a one-out save, as Manuel started that inning with lefty Scott Eyre. That pattern likely will continue. Ryan Madson is a quality setup man who faltered in the closer role and has been only OK in the post-season. Moving Joe Blanton to the pen has been a good call, necessitated by the fact that Brett Myers and Chan Ho Park were dealing with late-season injury issues, and Jamie Moyer and J.C. Romero are out for the playoffs. Park has an 8.10 post-season ERA; Myers could be re-activated for this series after sitting out the NLCS. J.A. Happ has been used to face key lefties in the middle innings. Charlie Manuel has done a nice job of managing what little he has to work with here.

Mariano Rivera just keeps rolling along on his way to the Hall of Fame – another sub-2.00 ERA and his first 40-plus-save season since 2005, and his usual post-season excellence. Phil Hughes emerged as a dominant setup man in the regular season. His 2.99 season ERA is misleading; the number to know is 1.27 – his ERA as a reliever. Problem is, he has struggled in the post-season, as has Joba Chamberlain until a solid seventh inning in Game 6 of the ALCS. Rookie Alfredo Aceves went 10-1 in a middle-to-setup role, with a sub-2.00 ERA and sub-.200 opponents average at home. But he did tail off in September, and couldn’t close out the Angels in Game 3. Chad Gaudin has good stuff and can command it. Hard-throwing Brian Bruney missed time in May, then had a big August. The lefties are nothing special – Phil Coke and Damaso Marte.
Edge: New York

Role players
The Phils' AL-type lineup doesn't require much in the way of pinch-hitting decisions for Manuel. The two left-handed options are both good ones -- Greg Dobbs and Matt Stairs. The former plays some first and third base, the latter pretty much just pinch-hits. Ben Francisco was a nice mid-season addition as a fourth outfielder, while longtime Yankee Miguel Cairo also found his way to the post-season roster.

Don't look for Joe Girardi to do much with this group, as nobody other than Brett Gardner accumulated more than 128 regular-season at-bats. He could get a start of two if Nick Swisher’s slump continues. Backup catcher Jose Molina is a very good receiver with a strong arm, but doesn't hit much. Jerry Hairston Jr. is a versatile player and right-handed hitter with some pop. Rookies Francisco Cervelli and Freddy Guzman have one post-season at-bat apiece.
Edge: Philadelphia

Manager
Charlie Manuel is a folksy, friendly guy, but don't let that fool you. He's tough and sharp, too, and has a real grasp for the offensive game and strategy decisions. You don't win a World Series by accident, and his handling of a shaky bullpen has been excellent to date.

Joe Girardi already has been heavily scrutinized in his post-season debut. Part of that comes with the territory, and part of it has been well-deserved.
Edge: Philadelphia
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What are you thinking if you’re an Indians fan right now? Your two former Cy Young Award-winning aces could square off as many as three times if this series goes the distance – and it very well could, as this is a pretty-even match-up of the two best teams in baseball. A little history: The Phils won two of three in a May series at Yankee Stadium, despite two blown saves by Brad Lidge. The first game featured seven home runs, the latter two were one-run games - 5-4 and 4-3 in 11 innings. Cole Hamels pitched well and CC Sabathia allowed three runs in eight innings. Both offenses are high-powered and include strong running games, and given the home ballparks, we could see plenty of home runs.

Whether Lee comes back on three days rest in Game 4 – as Sabathia is expected to do – could depend on how the series stands at that point. If the Phils are trailing, look for Lee to make that Game 4 start. The Yankees have the more-settled rotation, especially in light of Hamels’ struggles. And there is little doubt that the Yankees’ lineup is more potent than the Rockies’ or Dodgers’, so we’ll see if the Phillies starters can step up.

Another key likely will be which bullpen performs better. The Yankees had a big edge in the regular season, but Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes haven’t been up to form in the post-season, while the Phils pen has been better than expected, especially Lidge. Either way, the Phils are very capable of defending their title, and you know they won’t go down easy, even against Mariano Rivera in the eighth and ninth innings. We’ll stick with our pick heading into the post-season.

Prediction: New York in six games

Vote: Who will win World Series?"; spt_MLB_playoffs[i++] = new Array("","ALCS: YANKEES-ANGELS","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_MLB_playoffs[i++] = new Array("","Results","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/SPORTS/LOGOS/MLB/LAAngelsLogo.gif","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "98", "98", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_MLB_playoffs[i-1].body = "

Yankees (103-59) vs. Angels (97-65)

Yankees win series 4-2

Game 1: Yankees 4, Angels 1

Game 2: Yankees 4, Angels 3, 13 innings

Game 3: Angels 5, Yankees 4, 11 innings

Game 4: Yankees 10, Angels 1

Game 5: Angels 7, Yankees 6

Game 6: Yankees 5, Angels 2
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Phillies (93-69) vs. Dodgers (95-67)

Phillies win series 4-1

Game 1: Phillies 8, Dodgers 6

Game 2: Dodgers 2, Phillies 1

Game 3: Phillies 11, Dodgers 0

Game 4: Phillies 5, Dodgers 4

Game 5: Phillies 10, Dodgers 4"; spt_MLB_playoffs[i++] = new Array("","ALDS: YANKEES-TWINS","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_MLB_playoffs[i++] = new Array("","Results","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/SPORTS/LOGOS/MLB/twins.gif","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_MLB_playoffs[i-1].body = "

Yankees (103-59) vs. Twins (87-76)

Yankees win series 3-0

Series Schedule
Game 1: Yankees 7, Twins 2
Game 2: Yankees 4, Twins 3, 11 innings
Game 3: Yankees 4, Twins 1"; spt_MLB_playoffs[i++] = new Array("","ALDS: RED SOX-ANGELS","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_MLB_playoffs[i++] = new Array("","Results","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/SPORTS/LOGOS/MLB/redsox.gif","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_MLB_playoffs[i-1].body = "

Angels (97-65) vs. Red Sox (95-67)

Angels wins series 3-0

Results
Game 1: Angels 5, Red Sox 0
Game 2: Angels 4, Red Sox 1
Game 3: Angels 7, Red Sox 6"; spt_MLB_playoffs[i++] = new Array("","NLDS: CARDINALS-DODGERS","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_MLB_playoffs[i++] = new Array("","Results","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/SPORTS/LOGOS/MLB/dodgers.gif","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_MLB_playoffs[i-1].body = "

Cardinals (91-71) vs. Dodgers (95-67)

Dodgers win series 3-0

Results
Game 1: Dodgers 5, Cardinals 2
Game 2: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2
Game 3: Dodgers 5, Cardinals 1"; spt_MLB_playoffs[i++] = new Array("","NLDS: PHILLIES-ROCKIES","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_MLB_playoffs[i++] = new Array("","Results","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/SPORTS/LOGOS/MLB/rockies.gif","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", ""); spt_MLB_playoffs[i-1].body = "

Phillies (93-69) vs. Rockies (92-70)

Phillies win series 3-1

Series Schedule
Game 1: Phillies 5, Rockies 1
Game 2: Rockies 5, Phillies 4
Game 3: Phillies 6, Rockies 5
Game 4: Phillies 5, Rockies 4
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