The Yankees could not have asked for much more in their 4-2 win over the Angels in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. They got a solid pitching performance from Mike Mussina, enough runs in the first two innings off Bartolo Colon, and a competetent bullpen performance to close it out. With the win, the Yankees have taken the first of two games played in Anaheim, and they hold the hammer since two of the next three, if necessary, will be at home.
The Angels, for all their pitching talent, do not have that deep a lineup. For them to win, they'll have to exploit the Yankees' middle relief more than they did in Game 1. The Yankees can mash with the best of them, but the leads provided by their bats might not hold up in the middle innings. Besides Vladimir Guerrero, the Angels don't have a fearsome bat (Garrett Anderson and Darin Erstad are just two of the overrated Angels). Rookie Chien-Ming Wang faces John Lackey today as the Yanks try to head home up 2-0.
