Andy Pettitte vs. the Angels

Here’s a graphic showing Andy Pettitte’s track record against tonight’s expected Angels batting order.  As evidenced by the predominance of blue, Pettitte has had his way with this lineup for the most part.

Then again, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching baseball over the last 3o years, it’s “expect the unexpected.”

Scott Kazmir Owns the Yankees

Check out the Yankees’ lineup against Scott Kazmir lifetime.  Yanks may have their hands full tonight.

Who is Scott Kazmir?

Tonight’s Angels starter Scott Kazmir is an enigma.  A young talented lefthander traded inexplicably from the Rays to the Angels has been a Godsend for Mike Scioscia.  Here’s a visual of Kazmir’s rollercoaster season, ending in a very strong September and October.

How Good Are the Angels?

Here’s a graphic showing how the Angels rate as a team relative to the rest of the American League.  I used 5 measures – Batting Average, Home Runs, Stolen Bases, Earned Run Average, and Errors Allowed.  At a quick glance you can get a sense of where the Angels’ strengths and weaknesses are.

Yankees vs. Angels: Who swings the lumber?

Here’s a visual comparison of tonight’s Game 1 batting orders for the Yanks and Halos.  The Yankee lineup is filled with big numbers and big names, but the lesser-known Kendry Morales stands tall with the Yankees’ top sluggers.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of power elsewhere in the lineup, especially with Mike Scioscia’s choice of Jeff Mathis over Mike Napoli.

So much for Diversity

Well, we’re down to four teams in this year’s playoffs and judging from this map, we’re not looking at a ton of geographic diversity.  Out of ALL the teams in major league baseball (indicated by gray dots), somehow we ended up with 2 Southern California teams and two North East Corridor teams.  It’s basically a battle of two coasts now, with lots of frequent flier miles logged for both teams, media, and fans.

Angels who are divine in the Postseason

Here’s the Angels offense that overpowered Boston’s pitching in the ALDS.   The usual suspects are there, but Erick Aybar might have been the X-factor.  To see ongoing updates of the Angels in the postseason, check out the MLB Team Dashboards on the right side of my blog.

Yankees Angels Preview

Here’s a visual comparison of payroll and who earns what.  The angels have a very healthy payroll ($114 million) yet they’re still blown away by Yankee spending.

Red Sox vs. Angles – speed on the base paths

Much has been made of the Angels’ running game and the Sox’ inability to throw out runners.  Here’s a graphic comparing the base stealers on both teams.  While these two teams have similar stolen base totals, the Red Sox are much more dependent on one player – Jacoby Ellsbury – while the Angles have a number of players who can wreak havoc on the base paths.

Game 2: Beckett vs. Weaver

Here’s the 2009 season at a glance for both Josh Beckett and Jered Weaver.  Both pitchers had their ups and downs during the season, but what’s most telling is that in the 2 months leading up to Game 2, they were essentially the same caliber of pitcher.

Red Sox vs. Angels – How they spend their money

This visual shows the combined rosters of the Red Sox and Angels, with the size of the player representing their salary.  Both teams have similar payrolls, and its interesting to see how that money is spent.