I’ve written in the past about the singular greatness of Alex Rodriguez’ 2009 post-season.

And, if my narrative on that was not enough. How about some stats that support just how great it was? Click here to see how A-Rod was a machine during that run. And, click here to see how clutch he was during that post-season.

Bottom line, there is an extremely strong case to be made that A-Rod’s 2009 post-season was one of the best overall offensive performances by a single player on a team who won a World Championship in the last 30 years of baseball history – if not the best “such season” ever.

Sure, we all know about Barry Bonds’ 2002 post-season - but, the Giants didn’t win it all that year.  And, David Ortiz was super for the Red Sox post-season of 2004.  But, he didn’t do it day-in and day-out, consistently, for Boston in that run like Rodriquez did for the Yankees in ’09.  Another player to consider would be Troy Glaus in 2002.   He was a monster who carried the Angels that post-season to their ring - but,  he was not quite at the level of A-Rod in ’09.  (It is interesting that Bonds, Ortiz, Glaus and A-Rod are in the team picture here – since they all have been linked to PED-usage in the past.)

Seeing all this, what would you say?  Was Alex Rodriguez’ 2009 the best overall post-season by a player on a World Series winner ever?  If not, how about over the last 30 years?  And, if not, why?

Well, now we know, for sure, that the Yankees, Rays, Rangers and Twins will be fighting it out in the 2010 ALDS. But, as the numbers below show, there’s still the issue of who in the A.L. will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

                   
Rk    Tm  W  L W-L%
1    TBR 94 63 .599
2    NYY 94 64 .595
3    MIN 92 65 .586
4    TEX 87 70 .554
5    BOS 87 70 .554
6    CHW 84 73 .535
7    TOR 81 76 .516
8    DET 80 76 .513
9    OAK 77 80 .490
10   LAA 77 80 .490
11   CLE 66 91 .420
12   KCR 65 92 .414
13   BAL 62 95 .395
14   SEA 61 96 .389

Expect the Yankees to lose tonight’s game. Between hangovers and Javy Vazquez, it’s bound to happen. That would leave the Yankees with 94 wins and three games left to play – all up in Fenway Park against the Red Sox.

After today, the Rays and Twins each have four games left. Minnesota will be hosting the Blue Jays for four games and Tampa Bay heads to Kansas City for four games.

My estimation is that it will take at least 96 wins to win home-field advantage for the A.L. post-season this year. And, I think that means the Twins are out of it – as I see Minny ending up with 95 wins this season when it’s all said and done.

So, for New York to be in the hunt for “home-field,” they’re going to have to take two of three from the Red Sox. In fact, maybe they’re going to need a sweep if the Royals roll over for the Rays.

Yesterday, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that having the best record, and home-field, was important. But, he also said that he’s seeing a lot of tired bodies out there when the Yankees are in the field. Hearing this, and knowing that the Yankees would need a big series in Fenway to get home-field, I’m thinking the odds are in favor of the Rays ending up with the best record in the league.

And, this would make the ALDS match-ups: Rangers-Rays and Yankees-Twins, with the Yankees never having home-field advantage in the post-season, at all.

Hey, you gotta give Carl Pavano some credit – as much as it hurts to do it. For the first six innings of this game, he was awesome. And, on the whole, he pitched a very nice ballgame. That all said, it doesn’t take anything away from his time in New York. He was, flat out, a bust.

Alex Rodriguez was the Yankees MVP this ALDS. Then again, Derek Jeter batted .400 in the series and made some nice plays. That throw to Posada, which went back to A-Rod, in the 8th inning of this game, will be replayed forever now…along with “The Flip” and “The Dive” highlights from Jeter’s collection. And, Mark Teixeira, while not getting many hits, had some big ones in the second game of this series…that really enabled Rodriguez’ hits in that one to be worth remembering. Lastly, of course, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte were excellent in these games – each going at least six innings in their starts and none of them allowing more than one earned run. Heck, maybe CC, A.J., and Andy should be the co-MVPs of this ALDS?

Or, maybe Joe Girardi should be the MVP of this series – managing each game like it was do-or-die with the pen, going with quick hook after quick hook? And, yeah, Mo was Mo…so Mariano deserves some MVP consideration…

Nah, this series was A-Rod’s day in the sun. He batted .455 and all his hits came in huge spots. Plus, he did this all coming into the series with a huge monkey on his back. So, he gets extra points for coming through with all that baggage to carry as well. Alex Rodriguez was the Yankees most valuable player in the 2009 ALDS.

On the flip-side, Nick Swisher and Johnny Damon looked terrible at the plate in these three games. They need to do better in the next round – a lot better. And, Phil Hughes allowed 6 base runners in 2 innings worth of work. That’s a tad troublesome.

Speaking of troublesome, it is a bit concerning – at least to me – that the Yankees didn’t exactly beat the stuffing out of the Twins in this series. Yes, New York swept Minnesota. But, they did it by smacking around a rookie in Game One (Brian Duensing) and by getting key breaks in Games Two and Three when the Twins made some terrible mistakes on the bases in critical spots – Carlos Gomez on Friday and Nick Punto today. Plus, Joe Nathan did squat for the Twins when he pitched.

I think many would be willing to admit that these last two games were, actually, pretty close and could have gone either way.

And, let’s face it – the Los Angeles Angels are not the Minnesota Twins, especially in the context of how those two teams play against the New York Yankees. But, there will be plenty of time over the next 100 hours or so for analysis on the ALCS before that series starts. For now, it’s all about this game, and this series, and the fact that the New York Yankees have advanced past the ALDS for the first time in five years. That’s pretty big, and great, news in Yankeeland. Enjoy it. It’s all good – and should be that way at least for the next four days plus a few hours, give or take.

In the last 2 and 1/2 years, thereabouts, Andy Pettitte has pitched in the Metrodome just once. And, in that start, he went 7 innings, allowing 5 runs (4 earned), while giving up 10 hits and zero walks. It was a game that Kyle Farnsworth eventually choked up.

But, over his career, Pettitte has pitched well in Minnesota – allowing an opponent’s BA/OBA/SLG line of .251/.311/.346 in 12 games and facing 348 batters.

Should be interesting to see how #46 does on the bump this evening, in Twinkie Town, for the Yanks.

The 1995 Yankees.
The 1999 Indians.
The 2001 A’s.
The 2003 A’s.

These were all teams who had a 2-0 lead in an ALDS and then blew it (losing the next three games in a row). Is there a common thread here?

In Game 3 of the 1995 ALDS, Yankees starter Jack McDowell went 5 innings allowing 5 runs. And, in Game 4 of the 1995 ALDS, Yankees starter Scott Kamieniecki went 5 innings allowing 5 runs.

In Game 3 of the 1999 ALDS, Indians starter Dave Burba was only able to go four innings – and he was followed by Jaret Wright who allowed 5 runs in the next two innings. And, in Game 4 of the 1999 ALDS, Indians starter Bartolo Colon only went one inning allowing 7 runs.

In Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS, the A’s lost a heart-breaker by the score of 1-0. And, in Game 4 of the 2001 ALDS, A’s starter Cory Lidle went 3 1/3 innings allowing 6 runs.

In Game 3 of the 2003 ALDS, the A’s lost a heart-breaker in 11 innings by the score of 3-1. And, in Game 4 of the 2003 ALDS, A’s starter Tim Hudson had to leave the game after just one inning.

The Yankees, in their current ALDS, have a 2-0 lead in the series with Andy Pettitte scheduled to start Game 3. If needed, he will be followed by CC Sabathia to start Game 4.

Looking at those teams who lost an ALDS after being up, 2-0, I think the message to Pettitte and Sabathia is clear: Don’t screw this up like the 1995 Yankees and 1999 Indians – by getting banged around in your starts. And, don’t screw this up like the 2001 and 2003 A’s by losing a heart-breaker or getting banged around.

O.K., so, the not losing a heart-breaker in Game 3 also falls upon the Yankees bats too…I know. But, with Carl Pavano starting for the Twins in Game 3, the Yankees should have no problem scoring runs…at least on paper. So, it all falls back to Andy and CC.

Just give us a quality start…and everything should be fine.

A.J. Burnett and Nick Blackburn, with a little help from some friends, pretty much made the first seven innings of this game moot. Yup, indeed, the story of this game centers around the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th innings. Check this out:

Top of the 8th inning: Phil Hughes, who has been so wonderful for the Yankees out of the pen this season, gets a quick two outs. But, he then allows a two-out walk to no-stick, hack-happy, Carlos Gomez – and before you know it, New York is losing 3-1 (and they’re six outs away from a loss).

Bottom of the 9th inning: Easily, hands-down, the single greatest moment for Alex Rodrguez in his six year career with the Yankees. Actually, after Teixeira singled and Joe Nathan fell behind Rodriguez, 2-0, I had a feeling it was coming. And, three pitches later, there it went. You know, Nathan is a really nice guy. But, against the Yankees, he pitches like he’s Armando Benitez throwing in an important game. See this game. And, this one. And, this one. And, this one. And, now, of course, we have the contest from this evening too. Anyone else seeing a pattern?

Top of the 10th inning: Alfredo Aceves tries to copy Phil Hughes and allows a 2-out walk that leads into a first-and-third situation with the score tied. But, he works out of it, getting the pesky Orlando Cabrera to fly out.

Bottom of the 10th inning: Brett Gardner has a “Dave Roberts” moment in the making and then gets doubled off third in an inning ending line-out-dee-pee. Game remains tied at three.

Top of the 11th inning: Joe Mauer, leading off, gets robbed of a double by a terribly blown call by the left field line umpire. But, the Twins manage to load the bases with no outs – and they don’t score! Yanks get lucky here when Delmon Young launches a liner right at Teixeira for the first out of the inning and then Carlos Gomez takes a weak swing at the first pitch for a force-out at the plate.

Bottom of the 11th inning: Teixeira gets his first walk-off pie of the season after he hits a laser for a 319 foot homer to win the game.

Now, the Twins season sits, somewhat, in the hands of Carl Pavano. Boy, I wish they were playing tomorrow – instead of having to wait until Sunday for that one.

Even if Minnesota manages to beat the Yankees and Andy Pettitte on Sunday, the Yankees will have CC Sabathia on the hill next Monday. And, you really have to like the Yankees chance to win that game – even if the Twins are throwing Scott Baker.

I have tickets for Game 5 of this ALDS. At this point, they’re going to make some fancy book marks – because this ALDS is going to be over before that game. Give the Twins credit…they kept taking punches in this one and hanging in – but, they did not get the job done with runners on base. This was only the third time in big league history that a team had 21+ runners reach base in a game and they scored 3 runs or less. Ouch.

The odds are really against it happening.

Granted, it’s not impossible. Of course, nothing in baseball happens on average. But, when you look at the stats, you see it’s very rare for a starting pitcher to star in his post-season debut…at least since 1995.

Is one of my fears coming true tomorrow? Via AccuWeather.com, the forecast for the Bronx on the night of Game 2 of the 2009 ALDS:

Sam Borden paints the grim picture of what may result from this forecast.

My bet? Expect, at the worst, a rain-delay to start the game on Friday. It will be somewhere between one and three hours. That will really mess with TBS. They have the Bosox-Angels at 9:30 pm ET. And, over on TNT, they have a limited commercial showing of the movie Hitch at 9 pm (ET). Looks like Hitch will get bumped…

But, the bigger question is: If there’s a delay to the game, will A.J. Burnett be adversely impacted? Probably not…he doesn’t seem Mussina-ish. But, then again, it will be the first career post-season start for A.J. And, maybe, sitting around, waiting to pitch, will mess with his head?

I know a timeout can ice a kicker, but, can a rain-delay ice a pitcher? Maybe…you never know…or, as Robert Van Winkle would say…Word to your mother.

Via La Velle E. Neal:

Thanks to Mike Herman of the Twins baseball communications department, we were able to grab Twins manager Ron Gardenhire following his main press conference to get more details on Jesse Crain’s sore groin muscle.

But it led to some interesting stuff from the Twins manager about Game 1 and the state of his team.

Brian Duensing’s pitch to Alex Rodriguez was the moment that jumped out at him the most. He said pitching coach Rick Anderson told Duensing to be careful with the All-Star because the chances were good that he would chase something off the plate. But Duensing grooved a pitch.

“We gave up A-Rod’s first (postseason) RBI in five years,” he said. “Chrysler.”

Classic.

Maybe we can get Jerry Van Dyke to now star in a sitcom called “My A-Rod The K-Car”?

I’m not sure why I feel this way…but…I think Kate Hudson was at this game.

Really, TBS, did you have to show her that many times? The George “Big Head” Lopez promos…sure…that…I understand. But, unless Kate Hudson has a new show coming up on their network, there was really no need to show her that many times, was there? (She’s still “Kate Hudson,” right? Or, do we have to start calling her “Aaaa…Bee-Star…for Aaaa-Rod!” yet?)

Moving on to the game…hey…it all went according to script, huh? The Yankees best starting pitcher faced the Twins most inexperienced starting pitcher and New York beat Minny, 7-2.

Sure, you may want to say that the Twins were exhausted, playing that crazy game on Tuesday, and getting into New York after 3 AM on game day. And, sure, you may want to say that, in reality, with just a couple of key hits here and there – not many, just a couple – and a few less at’em liners by Twins batters, then this contest is a lot closer than the five-run win for the Yanks.

But, the heck with that, right? CC Sabathia, despite throwing what seemed like too many pitches, got the job done – and his numbers would have looked even better if Jorge Posada didn’t have a nightmare evening behind the plate. Phil Hughes got a big out in the seventh. Everybody drafted by the Yankees since 2002 except for Ian Kennedy got to pitch in the eighth inning. And, even Alex Rodriguez had a couple of RBI singles! How ’bout that! And, of course, there was the Godzilla homer. Hideki Matsui is truly beloved by his teammates. Man, is he going to be missed. (Speaking of missed, between Sabathia in this game and Cliff Lee in the Phillies game…yikes…it must hurt to be a Tribe fan today.) Outside of the aforementioned Posada and Mo Rivera throwing too many pitches in a non-save situation, all was great in Yankeeland today.

Oh, that’s right, Derek Jeter had a big game today too. How silly of me to forget…for a moment.

O.K., now, here’s the deal. The Yankees win this one, Game One, by a score of seven to two. And, that’s enough to make the rest of your Wednesday a happy time – and carry over some into Thursday as well. But, let us not forget…

In 2005, the Yankees won Game One of the ALDS by a score of four to two. And, in 2006, the Yankees won Game One of the ALDS by a score of of eight to four. And, we know how those two ALDS ended, don’t we?

So, here’s what the Yankees now need to do: DO NOT ALLOW THE TWINS TO WIN A GAME IN THIS ALDS – NOT ONE.

Remember Game Two of the 2005 ALDS? How about Game Two of the 2006 ALDS? Shoot, what about Game Two of the 2002 ALDS? Or, Game Four of the 2003 World Series? Heck, while we’re at it, what about Game Six of the 2001 World Series and Game Four of the 2004 ALCS?

When you have a team down on the ground and your foot is clamped down on their throat, you better finish them off…because, sometimes, if you let them win one game…just one win…that little bit of daylight becomes just what they need to recharge and spring back at you.

No pressure, A.J., really, no pressure…but, whatever you do, don’t allow the Twins to get back off the mat in Game Two, please…pretty, pretty, please. O.K.?

The Bronx weather forecast for this evening calls for 24 MPH winds, gusting to 42 MPH, blowing out of the ballpark.

Will this help the Yankees, or, will it hurt? Probably depends on which team’s pitchers keep the ball out of the air…

The Yankees played the Twins seven times this season – and won all seven games. But, let’s look at those games:

  Cnt    Date     Tm   Opp Reslt INN
+----+-------------+---+----+-------+----+
    1 2009-07-09 NYY  MIN W  6-4   9
    2 2009-07-08 NYY  MIN W  4-3   9
    3 2009-07-07 NYY  MIN W 10-2   9
    4 2009-05-18 NYY  MIN W  7-6   9
    5 2009-05-17 NYY  MIN W  3-2  10
    6 2009-05-16 NYY  MIN W  6-4  11
    7 2009-05-15 NYY  MIN W  5-4   9
   

 
What do you see here? Four of these seven games were very close – being one-run wins. Six of these seven games were decided by two runs or less. And, two of those six games went into extra innings.

So, while the Yankees took all seven games from the Twins this season, these were very close contests.

Next, how did these two teams trend out to end the season?

In their last 21 games of the 2009 season, the Yankees went 12-9.
In their last 21 games of the 2009 season, the Twins went 17-4.

Therefore, the Twins were the “hotter” team towards the end of the season this year.

Of course, the Twins are heading into this ALDS tired and spent whereas the Yankees are rested and have been prepping for this series for the last three weeks (or longer). That said, the Twins are probably very happy that they will have off-days on Thursday and Saturday this week.

And, I don’t think the Twins are sweating the Yankees as much as some people think they should be…and I hope the Yankees don’t think they’re going to “steamroll” their way past the Twins in this ALDS – because, this season, these teams kept their games close; and, the Twins have been playing outstanding baseball lately (when the Yankees were not playing at that same level).

Brian Duensing is the little lefty rookie pitcher who will face the Yankees in Game One of the 2009 ALDS.

He was taken in the 3rd round of the 2005 draft by the Twins – out of the University of Nebraska. Duensing was a college teammate of Zach Kroenke that season – who was taken by the Yankees later in that same draft. Joba Chamberlain and Alex Gordon also played on that 2005 University of Nebraska team.

Here are his Triple-A stats from the last two seasons:

While that doesn’t appear impressive, in his last 7 big leauge starts this season, from August 22nd through September 29th, Duensing had an ERA of 2.64 in 47.6 IP while allowing a BA/OBA/SLG line of .268/.328/.352 (facing 197 batters in the process).

It will be interesting to see how the 26-year old does under the pressure of facing the Yankees, in the Bronx, during the post-season.

They’re saying the Yankees have a Win Probability of 59.8% – at this moment – for the ALDS.

And, here’s what they say about the other LDS:

Angels – Win Probability 51.3%
Dodgers – Win Probability 56.6%
Phillies – Win Probability 53.9%

So, the Yankees have the highest Win Probability going into the LDS this year…for what it’s worth…according to CoolStandings.com.

Since 2007, CC Sabathia has started against the Minnesota Twins seven times and has never had a game against them where he’s faced less than 25 batters in the process. Further, in these seven games, Sabathia has never allowed more than two earned runs in any of these contests.

In the last seven times Sabathia has faced the Twins, he’s thrown at least seven innings in the game while allowing one earned run or less in the game five times.

There is no debate. Since 2007, CC Sabathia has dominated the Minnesota Twins during the regular season. He will face them in the post-season for the first time, ever, in Game One of the 2009 ALDS.

Well, that has to be one of the greatest one-game tie-breaker play-ins ever…right? And, as a Yankees fan, can you ask for for anything more…all those nail-biting innings…and extra frames…etc. The Twinkies will be coming into New York on fumes.

Actually, I’m happy for the Twins. I have no beef with the Tigers. But, I’m a fan of Minnesota’s front office (outside of their ownership). I think Ron Gardenhire is a great old-school manager. The team plays sound and fundamental baseball. There are some really good guys on the team like Michael Cuddyer and Joe Nathan – just to name two. Also, my friend Rob – who is as great a baseball fan as anyone can be – is originally from Minnesota and is a Twins fan…so, I’m happy for him.

Do I want the Twins to beat the Yankees now in the ALDS? No, of course not. But, I can be happy for them making this great comeback – and forcing this game…and then winning it.

Now, it gets interesting. The Twins are white-hot, winning 17 of their last 21 games (including this one). But, historically, the Yankees own them. So, which trend will “win” out now – history or the hot-streak?

While I still feel that there’s no excuse for the Yankees to not beat the Twins in the ALDS, if Minnesota can manage to win just one of the first two games of this series, it could be interesting. Taking one in New York this week makes the series then “best two of three” with the Twins then having the homefield advantage. And, as you saw today, the Metrodome can get loud…plus, there’s that roof and turf. The playing field is not as “marbles in a bathtub” bad as it used to be…but, it’s not going to help the Yankees defense at short and in the outfield corners…for sure.

This ALDS could be interesting, indeed.

I called this one a week ago.

And, Jorge Posada is not happy about it:

“I just hope we win that game,” Posada said. “That’s all I’ve got to say.” He added, “It’s not like I didn’t see it coming.”

Ouch.

While you can expect to hear these statistics a million times between now and Wednesday, everywhere, let me share them here anyway…

Below is Alex Rodriguez’ post-season cumulative “offensive” contribution to the Yankees since Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS:

PA  R	H  2B  3B  HR	RBI  BB	 SO  BA	   OBP	 SLG
76  5	9   1	0   2	 3   11	 19 .148  .316	.262

Yeah, yeah, I know…this is a new and different A-Rod this season, right?

But…wait…isn’t that what many said after the 2005 and 2007 seasons too? You know, when Alex was the league MVP and played like he was from another planet…during the regular season?

And, what happened in the 2005 and 2007 ALDS those years?

Oh…that’s right…Rodriguez played like he had an over-sized corn dog lodged in his throat…the whole time. So, should we expect any different performance from A-Rod in this ALDS?

Personally, it would not shock me to see him again allow the pressure of the post-season to get to him and then squeeze his bat handle so tight that it turns to sawdust…because that’s what we’ve seen in his last 76 post-season plate appearances…

But, that’s me. How do you think A-Rod will perform in this ALDS for the Yankees?

How do the Twins and Tigers compare against the Yankees this season – in terms of personnel and performance? Well, here’s my opinion…providing grades on a scale of one to ten…with ten being the highest grade possible…

(more…)

Can it get any better than this?

The Twins are starting to look like the 1988 Dodgers…and that scares me…does it make the 2009 Yankees to be the 1988 Mets?

No matter which ALDS “option” the Yankees choose this October, Game 5 of the 2009 ALDS is scheduled to be played on October 14th – which is also Joe Girardi’s 45th birthday.

I wonder what kind of birthday it will be for Joe this year?

Here’s how the Yankees pitchers have done in their last three ALDS efforts:

  Cnt Date      Series G Tm   Opp GmReslt  IP    H  R ER BB SO HR Pit   ERA
+----+-------------+------+-+---+----+-------+----+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+
    1 2007-10-08 ALDS   4 NYY  CLE L  4-6   9   13  6  6  5  7  1 168  6.00
    2 2007-10-07 ALDS   3 NYY  CLE W  8-4   9    9  4  4  3  9  1 170  4.00
    3 2007-10-05 ALDS   2 NYY  CLE L  1-2  10.2  9  2  2  7 10  0 177  1.69
    4 2007-10-04 ALDS   1 NYY  CLE L  3-12  8   14 12 12  5  4  4 156 13.50
    5 2006-10-07 ALDS   4 NYY  DET L  3-8   8   13  8  7  1  3  2 132  7.88
    6 2006-10-06 ALDS   3 NYY  DET L  0-6   8   10  6  6  3  7  1 132  6.75
    7 2006-10-05 ALDS   2 NYY  DET L  3-4   9    8  4  4  1  7  1 129  4.00
    8 2006-10-03 ALDS   1 NYY  DET W  8-4   9   12  4  4  2  5  2 141  4.00
    9 2005-10-10 ALDS   5 NYY  LAA L  3-5   8    9  5  5  2  6  1 127  5.62
   10 2005-10-09 ALDS   4 NYY  LAA W  3-2   9    4  2  2  1  7  0 126  2.00
   11 2005-10-07 ALDS   3 NYY  LAA L  7-11  9   19 11 10  1  6  2 151 10.00
   12 2005-10-05 ALDS   2 NYY  LAA L  3-5   8    7  5  2  0  1  2 105  2.25
   13 2005-10-04 ALDS   1 NYY  LAA W  4-2   9    7  2  2  1  6  1 141  2.00
   

Is it any wonder why the Yankees have lost 9 of their last 12 post-season games played (all of which were in the ALDS)?

Let’s hope that Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte have a little better showing than guys like Chien-Ming Wang, Roger Clemens, Jaret Wright, Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina did in the recent ALDS past. Then again, Wanger, Rocket, Unit and Moose were supposed to do well in those games…right? At the least, that’s what we thought going in…back in the day.

The Yankees, this season, went 7-0 against the Twins and 5-1 against the Tigers.

(more…)

Back in 2006, the Minnesota Twins were 10 games back of first place on July 2nd and they made it to first on September 28th. And, it looks like they may be pulling a repeat of 2006 in 2009…

On September 7th of this season, the Twins were 7 games back of first place – and, now, they’re just two games back of the Tigers. And, Detroit has lost 9 of their last 12 games…

If the Yankees win the A.L. East and the Twins win the A.L. Central, more than likely, these two teams will then meet in the ALDS.

As we know, this season, the Yankees played the Twins seven times and beat them in every contest. And, since 2002, the Twins are 3-23 when playing at Yankee Stadium.

Can you imagine what would happen if the Yankees faced the Twins in the 2009 ALDS and then lost?

According to mlb.com – The Club with the best record in the American League will have the right to decide whether it will play in the seven-day or eight-day Division Series (i.e., whether it will start its Division Series on Wednesday, Oct. 7 or Thursday, Oct. 8). The A.L. Club with the best record will make its selection no later than one hour following the completion of any game that finalizes which club will have the best record in the Championship Season or finalizes the matchups in the Division Series, whichever is later.

So, for the Yankees, this is a choice of “Do I want Joba Chamberlain to start in the ALDS, or, don’t I?” See how each schedule would break down in terms of starters for the Yankees…with SP options for each game…

Seven Day ALDS Option
10/8/09 Yankee Stadium Home Game 1 Sabathia
10/9/09 Yankee Stadium Home Game 2 Burnett
10/10/09 NO GAME SCHEDULED OFF
10/11/09 Away Game 1 Pettitte
10/12/09 Away Game 2 Chamberlain
10/13/09 NO GAME SCHEDULED OFF
10/14/09 Yankee Stadium Home Game 3 Sabathia

Eight Day ALDS Option
10/7/09 Yankee Stadium Home Game 1 Sabathia
10/8/09 NO GAME SCHEDULED OFF
10/9/09 Yankee Stadium Home Game 2 Burnett
10/10/09 NO GAME SCHEDULED OFF
10/11/09 Away Game 1 Pettitte
10/12/09 Away Game 2 Sabathia
10/13/09 NO GAME SCHEDULED OFF
10/14/09 Yankee Stadium Home Game 3 Burnett

If you were the Yankees, which option would you choose, and why? Me? I think you have to go with the 8-day plan…the way Joba’s been pitching lately…