Angels vs. Yankees: Live Stream, Injuries, Pitching Matchups and Fantasy Preview
July 12, 2012 · Tim Daniels · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
The Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees will begin the second half with a marquee series at Yankee Stadium. Both teams were among the American League favorites heading into the season and that’s still the case.
Los Angeles got off to a slow start, mostly due to a slumping Albert Pujols, but the team’s star acquisition has started hitting like everybody expected, allowing the Angels to get back in the race for the AL West crown.
Things have been going better for the Yankees. They were basically on cruise control throughout the first half, overcoming key injuries to Mariano Rivera and Brett Gardner to take control of the AL East. New York currently holds a seven-game lead in the division.
Let’s take a look at all the key information for Game 1 of the series, preview what else to look out for throughout the weekend and make a prediction for Friday’s clash.
When: Friday, July 13 at 7:05 p.m. ET
Where: Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.
Watch: Fox Sports West (Los Angeles) and YES Network (New York)
Live Stream: MLB.tv
Injury Report (via CBS Sports)
Angels: Dan Haren (out, back), Chris Iannetta (out, wrist/forearm), Vernon Wells (out, thumb) and Jerome Williams (rehab, illness/forearm)
Yankees: Andy Pettitte (out, shin), Mariano Rivera (out, knee), Brett Gardner (out, elbow) and CC Sabathia (out, groin)
Starting for Los Angeles: TBA
Angels manager Mike Scioscia still hasn’t announced his rotation for the series. It’s a group that’s been hit hard by the injury bug recently, even seeing Dan Haren go on the disabled list for the first time in his career due to a back issue.
The two stalwarts will continue to be Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson. While their fellow rotation mates have battled ailments and ineffectiveness, the dynamic duo has kept the rotation, and more importantly the Angels, afloat in the first half.
Weaver has established himself as a strong Cy Young Award candidate by going 10-1 with a microscopic 1.96 ERA. Wilson stands at 9-5 with a 2.43. Due to a lack of options for Scioscia, the Yankees have a good chance to see one or both of them over the weekend.
Starting for New York: Hiroki Kuroda
Kuroda will be looking to rebound from one of his worst starts of the season. He gave up 10 hits and six earned runs against the Boston Red Sox in his last outing before the break, but the Yankees still managed to win the game anyway.
Otherwise, it was a pretty successful start to Kuroda’s career in New York. He posted a 3.50 ERA in 17 first-half starts, showcasing the same consistency that allowed him to have so much success with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He’s had success against the Angels in the past. In four starts, he’s only 2-2 but has a 1.71 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. That includes a start back in April when Kuroda pitched eight shutout innings with six strikeouts in a 5-0 Yankees win.
Freddy Garcia and Ivan Nova are scheduled to start Games 2 and 3 of the series.
Angels Fantasy Studs
Mike Trout
Trout was amazing in the first half, plain and simple. The 20-year-old rising star illustrated tremendous all-round ability en route to a .341 average, 12 home runs and 26 stolen bases. And that’s after spending the first few weeks in the minor leagues.
Since there was no timetable for his call-up, many fantasy owners were able to swipe him off the waiver wire and he’s turned into a major asset. It will be interesting to see how he responds when pitchers start adjusting to him, but his upside is incredible.
Albert Pujols
After an April he would rather forget, Pujols has been steadily improving over the past few months and is once again a valuable fantasy commodity. He’s hitting .268 with 14 home runs and 15 runs batted in as the second half gets set to begin.
Those aren’t elite numbers by any means, but when you consider what they looked like at the start of May (.214 with no homers), they are trending in the right direction. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Pujols tear the cover off the ball for the rest of the season.
Yankees Fantasy Studs
Robinson Cano
Cano was booed relentlessly by fans in Kansas City throughout the All-Star festivities because he didn’t pick Royals star Billy Butler for the Home Run Derby. Cano’s play in the first half was deserving of a round of applause, however, at least from Yankees fans.
The second baseman hit .313 and crushed 20 homers, putting him on pace for 38, which would be nine more than his career high. At a weak fantasy position, Cano has developed into one of the most valuable players in the game.
Derek Jeter
He’s 38 and has probably lost a step or two over the years, but Jeter can still hit. He proved that once again in the season’s first three months, posting a .308 average with seven homers and 47 runs scored to jump-start the New York offense.
It seems like every time people expect Jeter to start slowing down it gives him the motivation to work even harder to live up to his high standards. He’s still a worthy fantasy starter that will give owners the reliability they covet at shortstop.
Game 1 Prediction
Yankees 4, Angels 3
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