:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/3044154/GYI0065167624.jpg)
New York Yankees (43-30, 2nd in the AL East)
Last Series vs. Rockies: June 19-21, 2007 (L 0-3 at Coors Field)
Rockies fans will likely have the memories of this series etched in their minds for years to come, as many considered it as the team's coming out party (ensuing road trip from hell excluded) as they swept the big, bad Yankees and, though ultimately unrelated, eventually wound up in the World Series. Fittingly, it also arguably marked the point when Troy Tulowitzki began to find his groove as a big leaguer.
The Yanks came in to Coors Field a confident bunch, sporting a 13-3 record during the month of June. However, the Rox knocked them down a notch by taking game one of the series 3-1, as Josh Fogg and a cast of relievers held the Yankees to just seven hits. Yorvit Torrealba led the Rockies offense with a couple of hits, including a solo home run.
In the second game, Jeff Francis dominated the New York offense, holding them to a run on five hits while striking out nine. Meanwhile, Tulowitzki, Todd Helton, and Matt Holliday had two hits apiece. Holliday's two-run homer off of Andy Pettite broke the game open in the sixth inning, and Colorado wound up cruising to a 6-1 victory, and clinching a series victory in the process.
The third game is the one that stands out the most to me to this day, as the Yankees jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on a Jorge Posada home run and the Rockies bounced back and tied the game in the next inning on solo homers by Tulowitzki and Garrett Atkins - both coming off of Roger Clemens. Colorado would tack on two more in the fifth, and Brian Fuentes nailed down the save as Rodrigo Lopez and the Rockies won 4-3 and completed a sweep of the Evil Empire.
Perhaps motivated by playing against his idol Derek Jeter, Tulo finished the series 5-for-9 with a homer, a double, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. On the aforementioned ensuing road trip, he posted a 1.057 OPS and hit four home runs. Too bad Jeter is on the DL for this series.
Latest Series Results: W 2-1 at Chicago (NL), W 2-1 at Cincinnati
The Yankees seem to be an unbelievable offensive ballclub. Led by Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson (who have 21 apiece), the Bronx Bombers lead MLB - by a wide margin - with 107 home runs. They're also rank third, behind Boston and St. Louis, with a 113 OPS+.
Curtis Granderson has been the best of a terrific bunch of Yankee hitters so far in 2011. He has shown the ability to hit for power in the past, but nothing like he is doing this year. In fact, he's on pace to set career highs in homers, RBIs, slugging percentage, OPS, wRC+...the list goes on and on. On top of that, FanGraphs suggests he's playing above-average defense in centerfield.
Not to be too outdone, the usual cast of characters - Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, and Robinson Cano - are all enjoying a fantastic 2011 in their own right. Heck, even Brett Gardner, Russell Martin, and Nick Swisher are above-average in terms of wRC+. The ridiculously strong lineup, combined with the fact that Yankee Stadium is an excellent hitter's park, could make life for Ubaldo Jimenez, Aaron Cook, and Juan Nicasio really, really difficult.
If that's not enough, the Yankees also boast three well-above-average starters, and two who are right at average (according to ERA+). CC Sabathia is, speaking in general terms, the staff's unquestionable leader. He comes into the series carrying nine wins, an ERA+ of 120, and a very good K/BB ratio of just under three. However, arguably the item of most importance in terms of pitching for the 2011 Yankees is the success of reclamation projects Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon - neither of whom the Rockies will see in the upcoming series. Garcia has been very good, with a 124 ERA+ and a 2.04 K/BB ratio. Colon, meanwhile, has been otherworldly (and their best pitcher to date), with an ERA+ of 132, and 72 strikeouts compared to just 18 walks in 78.1 innings. AJ Burnett and Ivan Nova boast ERA+ of 101 and 99, respectively.
Friday through Sunday: 3-game series at Yankee Stadium
Expected Pitching Matchups
Friday, June 24, 2011 @ 5:05 PM MT (Root Sports/MLB Network)
Saturday, June 25, 2011 @ 11:05 AM MT (Root Sports)
Sunday, June 26, 2011 @ 12:05 PM MT (Root Sports/TBS)
Expected Lineup
| Name | Position | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | HR | RBI |
| Brett Gardner | LF | .286 | .363 | .432 | .347 | 117 | 4 | 18 |
| Curtis Granderson | CF | .278 | .356 | .584 | .401 | 154 | 21 | 54 |
| Mark Teixeira | 1B | .246 | .357 | .522 | .382 | 141 | 21 | 55 |
| Alex Rodriguez | 3B | .296 | .375 | .510 | .389 | 146 | 13 | 45 |
| Robinson Cano | 2B | .299 | .344 | .520 | .377 | 138 | 14 | 48 |
| Jorge Posada | DH | .225 | .321 | .390 | .313 | 94 | 7 | 23 |
| Russell Martin | C | .233 | .342 | .407 | .344 | 115 | 9 | 30 |
| Nick Swisher |
RF |
.235 | .364 | .393 | .338 | 111 | 8 | 35 |
| Eduardo Nunez | SS | .241 | .290 | .379 | .299 | 84 | 2 | 11 |
Bench
| Name | Position | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | HR | RBI |
| Francisco Cervelli | C | .175 | .238 | .263 | .241 | 44 | 1 | 11 |
| Ramiro Pena | Util | .143 | .200 | .357 | .249 | 50 | 1 | 1 |
| Chris Dickerson | OF | .294 | .368 | .412 | .351 | 120 | 0 | 3 |
| Andruw Jones | OF | .213 | .289 | .400 | .308 | 90 | 4 | 12 |
Closer
Injuries