Yankees Favored In Game One

NFL News - October 28th, 2009 - Written by John

Former teammates C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee will face each other in Game One of the World Series on Wednesday, providing the most interesting pitching match-up of this year's entire postseason. Both were former Cy Young winners during their time in Cleveland and both were part of firesales in back-to-back years when the Indians began to tank in the middle of the '08 and '09 seasons.

Both have pitched exceptionally well in the postseason to justify their accolades, with a mere 0.45 difference in their ERAs. Sabathia has won all three of his games with a 1.19 ERA, while Lee got a no-decision in the NLDS and is 2-0 with a 0.74 ERA.

Both have struck out 20 batters and allowed only three walks. Surely it's difficult to find a flaw in either pitcher, but the New York Yankees get the edge because they are at home, and are favored by 1 1/2 runs, according to MLB Betting Lines on Bodog. Taking the Yankees minus the runs will net a payout of +125, while a bet on the Phillies returns at -145.

The sportsbook also has the Yankees as the odds-on favorite to take the whole kaboodle, setting a series price of -190, and a price of +190 on Philadelphia

The Yankees and Phillies are the highest-scoring teams in their respective leagues. Wednesday night will be only the third time in MLB history that the top home run hitting teams will meet in the championship and the first time since 1926. New York has 244 and the Phillies have 224. Both lineups ooze with power, boasting four players who have won at least one league MVP and three former Cy Young winners (Pedro Martinez, who will pitch in Game Two, is the other). The Yankees appear to have the edge, and the hype with the best top-to-bottom lineup in baseball.

Alex Rodriguez is in the middle of his best postseason ever, hitting .458 with five homers and 12 RBI. He set an MLB record with nine-straight games with an RBI.

But don't forget it is the Phillies who are defending the crown and have legitimate stars with serious playoff experience. Philadelphia hasn't lost a postseason series since 2007, and their best slugger, Ryan Howard, is in the middle of a historic playoff performance, as well. He won the NLCS MVP and is only one behind Rodriguez's RBI because it took the Phillies fewer games to get to the championship. For his career, Howard is 3-for-7 against Sabathia with a double.

“I think the fact that we’re playing the Yankees and it’s close to Philadelphia and how the fans and the media react to it and how both cities look forward to it, that puts more icing on the cake,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told reporters Monday. “It does something for the game.”

And with Brad Lidge apparently over his season-long rut, and Mariano Rivera peeling back the pages of history, conventional wisdom would indicate the team that gets ahead early will have a good chance holding on.

Because of that, analysts have seemed to peg A.J. Burnett as the wild card. Few hitters have gotten to Lee or Sabathia, and Philadelphia's second starter, Martinez, has been brilliant in his last few starts. His most recent performance came in Game Three of the NLCS, in which the righty tossed seven scoreless innings and was in line for a win when he was pulled.

The Phillies have two championships, while the Yankees lead all franchises with 26. However, Wednesday night will be the first World Series game in the new $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium.

To discuss this and other sports related stories be sure to check out our new forum at:
https://www.usaplayers.com/forums/