CC vs. Brian Duensing…I like it

Alright so I'm not gonna be one of these Yankees' fans who are sky high confident that this is the year that the curse of Mattingly (think about it) ends, but I sure do like our chances against the Twins in Game 1 of the ALDS tomorrow.

Yeah, I know the Twins won 17 of their last 21 games to finish the season, and that's remarkable, but let's look at the numbers that matter. They're 0-7 against the Yankees in 2009! Sure, all of their meetings came before the All-Star break, so maybe this is a new Twins team. The Yankees were 51-34 (.600) after their final 3-game sweep of the Twinkies in early July, they went on to win 52 of their final 77 games, that’s a .675 winning percentage since the last time these two teams met! The Twins absolutely got hot at the right time, but the Yankees have pretty much been on fire since the end of June. And I'm not even convinced how great these twins really are.

First off, they're missing 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau, easily the teams best power bat. Second, they did win their division with only 87 wins, which leaves one to question just how good the AL Central really is. Let me answer that question for you, the Tigers had a 10.5-game lead over the Twins on September 7th, they went on to lose 17 of their final 28. Let's take a look at the other teams in the division: the Indians and Royals both finished with 97 losses, and the White Sox were 3 games over .500 on August 23rd and very much in playoff contention, they lost 23 of their final 39 games, as their manager repeatedly threw the team under the bus. The Twins have played all but 4 games since August 31st within their division, so before you go calling them the hottest team since the 2007 Rockies, look at who they've beaten.

Not to say that the Yankees have the best starting pitching in baseball, but let's take a look at the Twins rotation. Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Carl Pavano, and Brian Duensing. The Yankees get Duensing in game 1, against Cy Young candidate CC Sabathia. CC probably shouldn't win the CY this year, but let's be real, he came to New York for this, he's been money in big games, and in his one start against the Twins this year he went 7 innings and only gave up 3 hits. His opponent in Game 1, Duensing, appeared in the game that CC started, walked 4 and gave up 4 earned runs in just two and two-thirds innings…but to be fair it was only his third major league appearance.

So if Duensing didn't fare off too well against the Yankees the first time he faced them in Minnesota back in July, what reason is there to believe he'll do better in Game 1 of the ALDS, at Yankee Stadium? This is a Yankees team that missed the playoffs in 2008 and actually understands the meaning of Yankee Pride. This is a team with 7 players who hit 20+ homers, with the 8th having 18. This isn't about the Yankees having aura anymore, it's about a team that played together, at a very high level pretty much all season, towards one goal, and the time is here to accomplish that goal.

Do I think they Yankees are the best team in baseball? Yes, it's a fact. Do I think they're going to win the World Series? I'm not sure yet, but my answer depends on what they can do in the ALDS against the Twins. Do I think the Yankees will beat the Twins? Yes absolutely, they shouldn't have a problem with the Twins, if they do, the season will without a doubt be considered a huge failure. They should beat the Twins, and in relation to what we've seen in 2009, they should beat everybody, but that's why they play the games.

But this is a team with character. Between AJ and CC, Swisher and Melky, and Posada and Jeter, this is a team that has focus, fun, and fundamentals. The bats are there, they have three good starting pitchers, and this is the most impressive Yankees bullpen since the early 2000's. If this isn't the year they do it, when is?