First Pitch: 7:10pm CDT
TV: FS-N
Radio: Twins Radio Network
Know Thine Enemy: Pinstripe Alley
Starting Pitchers
Swarzak's been bumped up a night due to Glen Perkins being out with a fever. This will be his first start with the big league club since his return from Rochester, so hopefully he's already scouted and prepared himself with a gameplan on approaching this dangerous Yankee lineup. Last night's fiasco was the result of bad stuff and bad location, so the best advice I can give for Swarzak tonight is this: try not to walk anybody, locate and change speeds, don't try to overpower anyone and, for the love of the baseball gods, keep the ball DOWN.
From the Series Preview yesterday morning:
The 32-year old right-hander is on a hot streak, having allowed just three earned runs over his last four starts. In that stretch he's struck out 34 men in 27.1 innings, allowing just 16 hits. This is the enigma of A.J. Burnett. Usually he's very serviceable, reliable when healthy to be a good #2 starter in any rotation. But then he goes on streaks like this, absolutely demolishing anyone who steps into the box, and you're suddenly reminded why teams like the Yankees are willing to shell out Ace-esque dough to get him in uniform. His FIP is 4.54, a bit higher than the standard ERA of 3.83. He throws strikes, and it's his curveball that's been his best pitch for a couple of years now. If he can get it to work against some of our free-swingers, it could be another day of strikeouts for Burnett.
Lineups
Yankees
Derek Jeter, SS
Johnny Damon, LF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Hideki Matsui, DH
Jorge Posada, C
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Brett Gardner, CF
Twins
Denard Span, LF
Brendan Harris, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1B
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Jason Kubel, DH
Joe Crede, 3B
Carlos Gomez, CF
Nick Punto, 2B