No Cliff Lee in Game 1. Whew!

CJ Wilson? Can we breathe a sigh of relief as well now that we're facing the Rangers' #2 starter and 15-game winner? It will depend on which part of the Yankee lineup comes up in crucial situations.

When it comes to the matchup of Yankee offense versus CJ Wilson, the Bombers have more than a handful of guys, six to be exact, that have hit him well...from .286 (Robinson Cano 4 for 14 with one double and two walks) to .455 (Marcus Thames 5 for 11). The top of the order guys, Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher, are tough hitters for Wilson. The Captain is 5 for 14 with 1 homer, 2 RBIs, and three walks while Swish has collected 6 hard hits out of 20 at-bats with 3 doubles, 1 homer, and 6 RBIs. Francisco Cervelli and Austin Kearns both are 3 for 7 versus the Texas lefty.

Unfortunately for Yankee fans who like watching their Yanks hit the longball, Derek Jeter's and Nick Swisher's homers are the only ones Wilson has given up against the Yankees. That's a grand total of two.

Neither of the four players projected to bat 3, 4, 5, and 6 for the Yankees have a dinger off Wilson. With the exception of Cano, the other three guys (Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, and Jorge Posada) have atrocious numbers against him. He has held Teixera hitless in 5 at-bats, striking him out twice. He's also blanked Posada in three faceoffs. A-Rod has has fared slightly better than Tex and Jorge, getting one hit...a double...in 13 at-bats for a .077 average against. He has, however, drawn 4 walks and driven in 2 runs versus CJ. 

So Yankee fans, we've got our ALCS opponent and again, the Game 1 opposing starter is not Cliff Lee. Whether that's a good thing Friday night truly depends on the big bats of Tex, A-Rod, Cano, and Posada. In other words, hitters 3 through 6 will need to show some really big heart.