Twins pick their poison: Yanks or Red Sox?

[WiffleWOOD]

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/ar...g-your-poison/

[Soriambi]

I'd say I'd rather face the Red Sox if I were them. Three games at the Metrodome vs. three at Yankee Stadium is huge.

[BombersBlvd]

That's assuming the Yanks clinch the East.

[bnorris85]

did u see the stats for redsox playing 500 or lower teams, thats where they have had the most problems, and the reason why the yankees are ahead, the yankees can beat teams liek the o's.

[parkerstrong]

It also showed a stat that says alot. Boston is 38-36 on the road. If they are the wildcard team they will play more games on the road. The division means alot. The Red Sox will have problems on the road.

[Circle Change]

I just want homefield advantage in the ALDS.

That doesn't mean they'd be facing the Red Sox necessarily, because the AL East hasn't been decided yet. However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the way Boston has struggled away from Fenway this season.

Either way, I'm confident in the Twins with the rotation they'll have set.

GM1 - Santana
GM2 - Radke
GM3 - Silva
GM4 - Santana
GM5 - Radke

[JeffWeaverFan]

I'm hopeful the Twins face the Sox in the ALDS. I don't want to face Santana twice in a 5 game series.

[RhodeyYankee2638]

Originally posted by JeffWeaverFan
I'm hopeful the Twins face the Sox in the ALDS. I don't want to face Santana twice in a 5 game series.

I think the Twins will advance to the ALCS no matter who they face, which really makes me not want to face them for obvious reasons named Johan Santana

[Mr. Mxylsplk]

Originally posted by Circle Change
Either way, I'm confident in the Twins with the rotation they'll have set.

GM1 - Santana
GM2 - Radke
GM3 - Silva
GM4 - Santana
GM5 - Radke

That is one nasty rotation. (Quietly Silva has had not only a pretty good year, but a very strong last few starts). Between the A's recent collapse, Anaheim's recent collapse, and the injury problems Texas has, winning the AL East has really become huge. No one wants any part of Minnesota right now, especially in a 5 game series.

[yanksphan]

one thing - the Post Season is an animal that Santana has never tackled before. I'm sure he'll do well, but I'd have to believe that 50K Yankee fans at the Stadium (or even a packed Fenway for that matter) ready to pounce on any mistake he makes will be a little unsettling for him.

EDIT: I decided to check after making that statement, and Mr.Santana HAS pitched in the postseason (2003) although not well:

(0-1) 2GS 7.2IP 3BB 6K 7.04ERA 1.57WHIP

he is a different pitcher than last year though, so who knows...

[Circle Change]

One thing - the Post Season is an animal that Santana has never tackled before. I'm sure he'll do well, but I'd have to believe that 50K Yankee fans at the Stadium (or even a packed Fenway for that matter) ready to pounce on any mistake he makes will be a little unsettling for him.

EDIT: I decided to check after making that statement, and Mr.Santana HAS pitched in the postseason (2003) although not well:

(0-1) 2GS 7.2IP 3BB 6K 7.04ERA 1.57WHIP

he is a different pitcher than last year though, so who knows...

I don't know, Santana had a shutout going through five last year at Yankee Stadium in the ALDS and the only thing that had him taken out of the game was a forearm cramp. He also just happened to be pitching with bone spurs in his elbow as well.

Naturally, it was the forearm cramp's fault for him leaving a shutout in the 5th, and it was the bone spurs that made him implode during Game 4 although they just didn't seem to be a factor in Game 1.

His previous failures are only motivating him to succeed this season, and he obviously has the weaponry to do it.

[YanksFan24]

I'd face Santana, Radke, and Silva over Mulder, Hudson, and Zito any day, i dont care what kind of years those guys had in Oakland. They're still a better combination than the Twins three.

[DiMaggio5CF]

I think I agree with that from the Twins' perspective, but that relies very, very heavily on which Pedro Martinez is going to show up in the playoffs.

If it's the Pedro that's one of the best pitchers in baseball, I'd rather face the Yankees, hoping that Santana can shut that offense down twice with another starter picking up a win and that the Yankee starting pitching implodes ala the 2002 ALDS.

On the other hand, if Boston is bringing the Pedro who got smacked around by the Devil Rays, leaving Curt Schilling as their only ace, I'd much rather face the Sox. Boston has a lot of gamers and clutch ballplayers -- Mueller, Millar, Nixon -- but the heart of their Nomar-less batting order can be pitched around.

In short, if I were the Twins, I'd rather have to deal with the Red Sox offense, and I'd rather hit against the Yankee pitching staff. But the latter of that is entirely due to Schilling and Martinez at the top of that rotation; Lowe and Wakefield don't scare me at all if I'm the Twins. If Martinez comes into the ALDS as the guy who's just lost four straight decisions, I'd love to see a Santana-Schilling matchup, and I'd feel confident matching up against the rest of the Red Sox.