I had trouble sleeping last night, then woke up hoping Game One was just a bad dream. Then reality set in. I was sluggish all day and in a bad mood. I was late to work. My legs were weak, and I was upset that I'd have to miss the first part of Game Two. But then again, I thought, if things don't start off well in Game Two, maybe it's a good thing I'm not able to watch.
Thankfully, the Rangers know how to rebound from a tough loss better than I do. I wasn't shocked that the Yankees came back to win the opener, but I was amazed how they did it, and disappointed because I know we can play better than that. I shaved off my playoff beard before bed, hoping to change things up a bit. (Yes, I know my facial hair has no bearing on how a game will play out, but it was more of an outward statement than superstition.)
I got off work and in the car just before Michael Young drove in the third run, in the bottom of the second. Not long after I got home and showered, the Rangers extended their lead to 5-0, then 7-2, which would be the final.
Colby Lewis pitched well, but I'd love to see him go a little deeper in the game, especially with the trouble our bullpen has had in getting outs. Lewis retired 17 Yankees, leaving 10 outs for the bullpen to knock down.
The pen didn't lock it down by any means, but they did not allow a run. Rapada, Ogando, Oliver, O'Day and Feliz all pitched with men on base, but the five run lead held up today.
It's easy to criticize Feliz for being shaky in all of his outings, but as I'm writing this, I'm watching Brad Lidge load the bases for the Giants, then wriggle out of it. Brian Wilson of the Giants isn't exactly slamming the door, either. Heck, we even got the lead off man on against Rivera in Game One. Even playoff tested veterans can have some trouble in the spotlight. That being said, I'm not looking forward to a situation where Feliz is in to hold a one-run lead in the late innings in New York. I still miss Frankie Frank.
So here we stand, tied at one, and we finally have a playoff win on our home turf. Basically, it's now a five game series with our opponent holding home field advantage, and we've got Cliff Lee starting our first game, and available for the last one, should it get that far. Sound familiar?
Last night I felt the series was all but over, partly because I had already conceded that the Yankees would probably win the Lewis/Hughes matchup. Colby proved me wrong, as did Hughes, and even though it'd be awesome to go to New York up 2-0, getting a split isn't the worst thing possible.
Cliff Lee vs. Andy Pettitte on Monday at 7 PM at the house that Steinbrenner built. A win for Lee is not a lock, as we might assume because of the way he pitched in his two starts in Tampa. Pettitte has the most postseason wins of any pitcher in the history of the game, so he knows a thing or two about pitching in October.
Be sure and relax a bit on Sunday. You'll be happy you did when you start tensing up again Monday night.
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