Jeff Mattingly previews Game 6 of the American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

New York avoided an early elimination in the American League Championship Series with a wire-to-wire 7-2 home victory in Game 5 over the Rangers. “You try to win one game, that’s all you can do,” said Yankees captain Derek Jeter. “We have a lot of confidence in ourselves.” The Yankees won the series opener at Rangers, rallying from a 5-0 deficit for a 6-5 victory last Friday. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez will need to get going offensively for the team to pull off a weekend sweep, as he enters tonight batting .176 in the series. “We all know how explosive Alex can be,” said manager Joe Girardi. “Friday would be a great day to have four or five hits.” The team is 66-42 versus right-handed starters this season.

Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes is coming off a disappointing effort in Game 2 of this series, giving up seven runs and 10 hits over just four innings of work in a 7-2 loss. He tallied a 6-1 home victory in his first postseason start against the Twins in the ALDS, tossing seven shutout innings and scattering four hits. The right-hander posted a 7-4 record and 3.47 ERA in 13 road outings during the regular season, giving up just five home runs in 70 frames. Hughes was also a perfect 2-0 with an unblemished ERA in three regular season appearances (two starts) versus the Rangers in his career before his previous outing in this series.

Texas will be playing the first Game 6 in team history tonight in Arlington and the home team has won four of the last seven times there has been such a game in the ALCS. The Rangers are 1-3 all-time in games with a chance to close out a postseason series, with all three taking place this year. “Obviously, we wanted to finish what we started in Game 5. If there’s a plus, we get a chance to finish the series in front of our fans. They deserve it,” said outfielder David Murphy. With the 7-2 loss to the Yankees in Game 5 in New York, there has now been four consecutive games in this year’s ALCS decided by five-or-more runs, which is the longest such streak in a postseason series in major league history. The club is 42-33 after a loss this year.

Rangers starting pitcher Colby Lewis posted a 7-2 home win over the Yankees over Hughes in Game 2 and looks to close out the series. The right-hander gave up two runs and six hits over 5.2 frames in that contest, while issuing three walks and collecting six strikeouts. He tallied a solid 6-4 record and 3.41 ERA in 14 home starts during the regular season, allowing opponents to hit for just a .240 average. Lewis recorded a career-high 196 strikeouts this season, ranking seventh-best in the AL and the seventh-highest mark in franchise history.

Bettors may back the Yankees strictly on the basis of wanting to see a Game 7 matchup between Andy Pettitte and Cliff Lee. The Bronx Bombers are 5-1 in their last six games following an off day. Texas must be respected with a 6-1 record in Lewis’ last seven starts as a home underdog.
 

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