2006 AL Playoff Rotations

May 22, 2008

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We know what the 2006 AL playoff rotations are because the teams could set them up after locking their berths up early. While the race for postseason berths in the National League is going down to the final weekend, the four American League playoff teams have been decided. That means the AL teams can shift their focus to resting starting pitchers and setting up their respective postseason rotations. Here’s a look at the expected starters for each of the four squads.

New York Yankees

Chien-Ming Wang - Has arguably emerged as the team’s ace this season, with several more wins than Mussina and a much better ERA than Johnson (despite the lack of strikeouts). He’ll take to the mound for the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS next week.

Mike Mussina - Mussina looked like he’d get to the 20-win mark two months ago, but a string of hard-luck losses and no-decisions killed his chances. However, his ERA and strikeout/walk ratio are still solid. He’ll get the ball for New York in Game 2 of the ALDS.

Randy Johnson - The Big Unit will pitch for Joe Torre’s squad in Game 3 of the ALDS, and the team is hoping that his bad back can hold up in the month of October. Has seen his ERA rise up to the 5.00 level over the past month, but he can still strike out batters.

Jaret Wright/Cory Lidle - Either Wright or Lidle will go for the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALDS, with neither yet announced as the starter. Both have similarly underwhelming records and ERAs this season, although Wright does have an edge in both categories.

Oakland Athletics

Barry Zito - The A’s are expected to send their ace to the mound in Game 1 of the ALDS next week, although they’re hoping that his sub-par month of September doesn’t carry over into October. Zito has an ERA under 4.00 this season, but his walks are up.

Esteban Loaiza - Loaiza’s ERA is close to 5.00 this season, but nevertheless the veteran starter is likely going to pitch in Game 2 of the ALDS. The righthander has had a couple of rough outings lately, but has been pretty solid since the beginning of August.

Rich Harden - Harden has had limited work since returning from the disabled list last week, but the A’s have liked what they’ve seen. Harden should get the ball for Game 3.

Dan Haren - Haren seems to have beaten fellow starter Joe Blanton for the fourth spot in Oakland’s postseason rotation, despite a couple of poor performances last week. Haren leads the Athletics’ staff in strikeouts this year, and has an ERA of just over 4.00.

Detroit Tigers

Kenny Rogers - The veteran Rogers doesn’t strike out as many batters as his fellow Tigers starters, but he’s been as effective as any of them this season. While no announcement has been made by the team, expect him to start in Game 1 of the ALDS.

Jeremy Bonderman - Having reached the 200-strikeout mark this season Bonderman has emerged as a dominant pitcher. Was knocked around by Minnesota a couple of weeks ago (six runs, 5 2-3 innings), but otherwise has been solid over the past month.

Justin Verlander - The rookie righthander has been inconsistent over the past month, with three good outings and three bad ones in his past six starts. Manager Jim Leyland has even admitted that Verlander is tired, and is giving him some rest this weekend.

Nate Robertson - Robertson has been one of the league’s best pitchers over the past month (minus a poor outing against Toronto last week), which is good news for Detroit.

Minnesota Twins

Johan Santana - The Twins would start Santana every game in the playoffs if they could - especially with Francisco Liriano lost for the season. The lefthander is the most dominant starting pitcher in all of baseball, and he’s on his way to another Cy Young.

Boof Bonser - Bonser is expected to get the job of following up Santana in the rotation in Game 2 of the ALDS. The young righthander earned the spot with a good September.

Brad Radke/Matt Garza - Minnesota would prefer to have Radke start in Game 3 of the ALDS, but Garza could get the call if the veteran’s shoulder isn’t up to the playoff task.

Carlos Silva - Radke’s health could determine whether Silva gets a start as well. The righthander has been up-and-down all season, and the Twins can’t have much confidence in him right now (he was knocked around by the O’s and Royals last week).

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