Dave Malinsky 11.2.09
Dave Malinsky
World Series Special - Yankees/Phillies #5
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (Lee)-150 over New York Yankees (Burnett)
3* PHILADELPHIA over NY YANKEES
The Phillies, to go back to Dylan Thomas, will not go gently into that good night. This is a poised and veteran team that brings a lot of character to the table, and there will not be a sense of defeat after the last two games on this field got away. That gives us a prime opportunity to play the spectacular form of Cliff Lee, and go into A. J. Burnett on three day’s rest, something that the latter has only one four times in his career, and not once this season. Lee’s post-season work has been nothing short of brilliant. He has allowed just two earned runs on 20 hits over 33.1 innings (an 0.54 allowance), with 30 strikeouts vs. only three walks. From this mound he has allowed one run in 17 innings, with 15 Ks and no walks, and the only thing that kept him from working shutouts each time was an 11-0 lead over Los Angeles that left little reasons for him to take the mound for the 9th inning. His stuff was as good in the dominating Game #1 win at Yankee Stadium as anything that we have seen this season, with 10 strikeouts, no walks and only six hits allowed, and given the way that the Yankees were not able to adjust to him over the course of the evening, getting a second look is not necessarily an asset. There were a lot of confused swings on Wednesday, and we expect more of the same here. Meanwhile Burnett also threw well in winning Game #2, but in getting stretched out to 108 pitches, the lack of proper down-time between starts becomes a factor. He only worked to an 8-6/4.83 tune on the road this season, and in the lone playoff outing from a foreign mound was clubbed for six runs in as many innings against the Angels. His game is much different than Lee’s, which makes a quick second look a plus for the Phillies ? in three outings this season in which he had to face the same team twice in a span of 11 days or less he worked to a 6.75 tune. Even if he can bring anything near his top game to the table he is unlikely to be able to bridge this one to Mariano Rivera, and that brings the New York set-up corps into play, a clear weakness even in building this 3-1 series lead.
Reply With Quote