Yanks' starting pitching key to success

It has almost gotten to the point that the New York Yankees should not even bother with the regular season and just start playing in the playoffs. They should automatically be crowned American League East Champions and be given an easy path to the World Series.

This year, it looked like that easy road might be a little bumpy. The Boston Red Sox seemed like they were going to make a run; heck, even Boston's bullpen was dominant in the playoffs (when manager Grady Little used it).

The Sox had game seven of the ALCS in hand, but someone forgot to wake up Little when it came time to pull Pedro Martinez. Little's name will be etched in eternity along with the likes of Buckner, Dent, McNamara, and the many others who have caused New Englanders so much pain.

Meanwhile, the Yankees play on, taking on the Florida Marlins in this year's World Series. It isn't a fair matchup, really. It's a team of giants with a $160 million dollar payroll, against a team of little guys who run fast with a payroll of $50 million. The Yankees play in the glorious "House that Ruth Built". The Marlins are forced to play in a converted football stadium because no one will pay for anything better.

However, the Marlins did manage to pull off a split in the first two games of the Series at Yankee Stadium. The speedy Juan Pierre wreaked havoc on the basepaths and also drove in two to lead the Marlins to a 3-2 victory in game one. Marlins reliever Ugueth Urbina played a Mariano Rivera-like role as he came in and got the Marlins out of a jam in the eighth and then closed it out in the ninth.

In game two, Yankee starter Andy Pettite dominated in a one-sided 6-1 Yankee victory.

If the Yankees are going to win their 27th World Series, their starting pitching must lead them to it. With a rotation consisting of David Wells, Andy Pettite, Mike Mussina, and Roger Clemens, they certainly have the talent to win. But the Marlins hitters can be pesky. The team is capable of exploding, as they illustrated in beating Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in the NLCS.

The Yankees need good performances from the starters because their middle relief is their Achilles heel. Jose Contreras can be dominant, but he is erratic. Other than Contreras, New York has almost no one else who is capable of shutting the door on a rally. If they cannot find someone to effectively bridge the gap between the starters and Mariano Rivera, they will be in trouble.

The starters for New York are also important because Florida's pitching is mediocre. The Yankees will have a tough time putting runs on the board when Josh Beckett is pitching; but it's just a matter of getting enough hits in those other games to take the series.

While Beckett can dominate and Brad Penny is decent, Mark Redman and Carl Pavano are second-rate. Dontrelle Willis had a great regular season, but teams seem to be figuring out his leg kick, and he is getting hit hard (7.94 ERA in NLDS and 18.90 ERA in NLCS).

If Alfonso Soriano can emerge from his coma, then the Yankees have a great shot at winning. The Bombers have the talent at the plate; it's just a matter of getting the sluggers to produce. Giambi, Williams, and Soriano -- all potential Hall of Famers -- had below average seasons by their standards. Jorge Posada was the only Yankee who really exceeded expectations at the plate in 2003. But if the Yankees find their swings early on; this could be a quick series.

Aside from their middle relief, the only other real weakness for New York is its defense. Derek Jeter is one of the most overrated defensive players in baseball. He looks better than he is because of his diving attempts on balls that would be easily fielded by other shortstops.

Alfonso Soriano is awful playing second base (he and Todd Walker had an "anything you can do badly, I can do worse" contest in the ALCS). New York's outfield has decent range, but their arms are so bad they might be better off running the ball back to the infield. If the Series stays close, the Yankees' defense could be a deciding factor.

It's hard to see how the Yankees could lose this series. New York should be favored in any game that Beckett does not pitch. However, the Marlins just have that air of destiny about them that the Angels did last year. It's the team of destiny versus the team of the century, and although money can't buy love, it can buy the Series. Yankees in Six.