New York Yankees Host LA Angels On ESPN
NOTE: The Los Angeles Angels called up Garrett Richards from their Double-A club in Arkansas for Wednesday's start in New York.
A battle of second-place teams continues Wednesday night in the Bronx where the New York Yankees host the Los Angeles Angels. ESPN will broadcast the contest beginning at 4:00 p.m. (PT).
Weather and shifts in both starting rotations make the pitching matchup for Game 2 a bit of a mystery. Tuesday's series opener was slated to be a mound clash between the Halos' Dan Haren and New York's AJ Burnett. The Yankees were carrying -120 MLB odds into that game with an 8½-run total.
Rain was falling in the New York City area Tuesday, however, meaning a postponement could push Game 1 starters into Wednesday when skies are expected to be clear. Assuming there is no cancellation, Game 2 should find lefty Hisanori Takahashi (0-0, 3.35) on the hill for the Angels against Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova (13-5, 3.81).
New York is a perfect 7-0 in Nova's last seven trips to the mound, a span that dates to mid-June. This will be his third assignment since being called back up on July 30 and Nova has been extremely tough in the previous two (2-0, 1.84, 16:1 K:BB).
Nova's 7-game winning stretch started following a loss to the Angels in Anaheim on June 3. He was +125 on the road with Jered Weaver winning the 3-2 duel.
Halos manager Mike Scioscia is pulling Takahashi (0-0, 3.35) into the rotation after demoting Joel Pineiro to the bullpen this past weekend. Pineiro has been lit up since the all-star break – 15.23 ERA, 2.69 WHIP, 5 HR – and is 1-3 with a 5.96 in his last four starts vs. the Yanks.
Takahashi, who has made 43 relief appearances this season, made two starts against Yankees in 2010 while pitching for the Mets and worked six scoreless innings in both assignments. He was a big 180 'dog on the closing MLB betting ticker last June at Yankee Stadium when the Mets won, 4-0.
The southpaw saw the Yanks in relief for just a third of an inning during the June series and kept them off the board once again. Takahashi's most recent outing came in relief of Pineiro a week ago, and it was also his longest appearance of the season (2 2/3 IP, 42 pitches). My best guess is something around a 75-80 pitch limit for him on Wednesday, meaning five innings is the most Scioscia is expecting, six innings if he's lucky.
It will be interesting to see if Scioscia makes the call for Pineiro should Takahashi struggle early. The Halos have a pretty decent bullpen and they will have had Monday off, so everyone should be available assuming Haren can go deep in Tuesday's contest.
Los Angeles is without Weaver this series while he serves a 6-game suspension following an ejection in his July 31 assignment at Detroit.
The Yankees took two of three from the Angels when the clubs met in Anaheim and had won nine of the last 12 regular season meetings in the Bronx heading into Tuesday's battle.
New York is closer to seeing Alex Rodriguez (knee surgery) return from the disabled list, but he'll remain out of action at least through this week. The Angels are not reporting any new injuries.
The clubs are scheduled to close things out with a Thursday matinee when Tyler Chatwood is expected to oppose Bartolo Colon.
NOTE: The Los Angeles Angels called up Garrett Richards from their Double-A club in Arkansas for Wednesday's start in New York.
A battle of second-place teams continues Wednesday night in the Bronx where the New York Yankees host the Los Angeles Angels. ESPN will broadcast the contest beginning at 4:00 p.m. (PT).
Weather and shifts in both starting rotations make the pitching matchup for Game 2 a bit of a mystery. Tuesday's series opener was slated to be a mound clash between the Halos' Dan Haren and New York's AJ Burnett. The Yankees were carrying -120 MLB odds into that game with an 8½-run total.
Rain was falling in the New York City area Tuesday, however, meaning a postponement could push Game 1 starters into Wednesday when skies are expected to be clear. Assuming there is no cancellation, Game 2 should find lefty Hisanori Takahashi (0-0, 3.35) on the hill for the Angels against Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova (13-5, 3.81).
New York is a perfect 7-0 in Nova's last seven trips to the mound, a span that dates to mid-June. This will be his third assignment since being called back up on July 30 and Nova has been extremely tough in the previous two (2-0, 1.84, 16:1 K:BB).
Nova's 7-game winning stretch started following a loss to the Angels in Anaheim on June 3. He was +125 on the road with Jered Weaver winning the 3-2 duel.
Halos manager Mike Scioscia is pulling Takahashi (0-0, 3.35) into the rotation after demoting Joel Pineiro to the bullpen this past weekend. Pineiro has been lit up since the all-star break – 15.23 ERA, 2.69 WHIP, 5 HR – and is 1-3 with a 5.96 in his last four starts vs. the Yanks.
Takahashi, who has made 43 relief appearances this season, made two starts against Yankees in 2010 while pitching for the Mets and worked six scoreless innings in both assignments. He was a big 180 'dog on the closing MLB betting ticker last June at Yankee Stadium when the Mets won, 4-0.
The southpaw saw the Yanks in relief for just a third of an inning during the June series and kept them off the board once again. Takahashi's most recent outing came in relief of Pineiro a week ago, and it was also his longest appearance of the season (2 2/3 IP, 42 pitches). My best guess is something around a 75-80 pitch limit for him on Wednesday, meaning five innings is the most Scioscia is expecting, six innings if he's lucky.
It will be interesting to see if Scioscia makes the call for Pineiro should Takahashi struggle early. The Halos have a pretty decent bullpen and they will have had Monday off, so everyone should be available assuming Haren can go deep in Tuesday's contest.
Los Angeles is without Weaver this series while he serves a 6-game suspension following an ejection in his July 31 assignment at Detroit.
The Yankees took two of three from the Angels when the clubs met in Anaheim and had won nine of the last 12 regular season meetings in the Bronx heading into Tuesday's battle.
New York is closer to seeing Alex Rodriguez (knee surgery) return from the disabled list, but he'll remain out of action at least through this week. The Angels are not reporting any new injuries.
The clubs are scheduled to close things out with a Thursday matinee when Tyler Chatwood is expected to oppose Bartolo Colon.