Well, despite an impressive weekend series against Detroit, I woke up with a familiar, sick feeling in my gut. For the Yankees are on the West Coast, and specifically in Anaheim, where good things never seem to happen. Moreover, the pitching matchups don't favor the Bombers.
The best matchup is probably tonight, when Phil Hughes takes on Dustin Moseley. Hughes has been impressive on the road (0.73 ERA, 0.65 WHIP), while Moseley just isn't very good (1.40 WHIP, 1.55 K/BB). Even when the odds seem to favor the Yankees though, the Angels have been a consistent bugaboo since that infernal 2002 Divisional Series.
Then, things take a turn for the worse. Mike Mussina, who misses the warm comforts of mediocrity, and Andy Pettitte take on Cy Young candidates Kelvim Escobar and John Lackey. Hughes might turn into something great (please God, please), but right now the Yankees don't have a starting pitcher as good as Lackey or Escobar. Or Josh Beckett. Or C.C. Sabathia. Or Johan Santana. With Chien-Ming Wang struggling badly, the Yankees don't have an ace, which will be a problem this week.
The Yankees and Angels usually only play six games a year. So why I am so sick of Mike Scioscia's smug face?
