Rainout Could be Blessing For Angels
Rain in the forecasrt for New York could mean the Angels and Yankees won't start playing until next week. Which is good for the Angels.
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NEW YORK - JUNE 18: Two fans sit during a rain delay before the game between the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals on June 18, 2009 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx Borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
If Crash Davis taught us one thing in Bull Durham, it’s that sometimes teams could use a rainout.
The Angels may be that team. Weather reports for New York have an 80% chance of rain on Friday night with temperatures in the low 40s around the time of the expected first pitch (5 p.m. Pacific). Saturday doesn’t look a lot better — again about an 80% chance of rain and temperatures in the low 40s, but it is possible that this storm cell will move through faster than predicted and a game could be played.
Otherwise the series will start Sunday. Or Monday. That, folks, is why we choose to live here in sunny Southern California.
As for the Angels, a team that has not played a game since closing out the Red Sox last Sunday, that may seem like too long a time off. The Angels players really are eager to get on the field.
But the delay is far worse for the Yankees and their pitching plans. New York has one dominant pitcher they want to use as much as possible — CC Sabathia. The Yankees planned to go with a three-man starting pitching rotation so that, if the series went seven games, they could start Sabathia three times (games one, four and seven). They could do that because of things like the day off scheduled between games four and five.
But with rainouts, the playoff schedule will be condensed and days off will be largely eliminated. Especially with the National League Championship series getting started in Los Angeles — where we don’t believe in raining out baseball games — on Thursday. MLB does not want the National League champ sitting around forever waiting for the American League to finish.
Fewer days off will force the Yankees to use a fourth starting pitcher —Chad Gaudi — and Sabathia less. Gaudi who? Exactly. The Angels, on the other hand, already have their four-man rotation set.
Of course, the delay may not be as good for the Angels as everyone thinks — Sabathia was 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA against that relentless Angels attack this year. Maybe Los Angeles would like to see more of him.
Besides, we’re all tired of waiting. We want some baseball. Soon.
