Angels in 7. Seriously.

When C.C. Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez, the apparent new Mr. October, imposed their will on the Angels in a 10-1 game 4 drubbing, the series appeared to be over. The only problem is nobody told the Angels. With their proverbial "backs against the wall," the Angels came out swinging. The first five hitters reached base, four of them scoring before any outs were recorded. The Angels, however, would find themselves again staring at elimination when the Yankees scored six runs in the top of the 7th to take a two run lead. Apparently, the Angels still were not ready to go home. The offense answered right back with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good and send the series back to the Bronx for game six on Saturday night.

The question now. Who has the pressure shifted to for game six? The answer. It's all on the Yankees. With high priced, free agent acquisitions Sabathia, Teixeira, and Burnett and the league's highest payroll, it is championship or bust for the Yanks. They will turn to an aging Andy Pettite to end the series and send them to a World Series home run derby with the Philadelphia Phillies. This used to be a spot where Yankee fans could feel certain of a victory. The problem is this is not the Andy Pettite of old and everybody knows it, including the Angels. The stadium will be full of fans with memories of the 2004 collapse against the Red Sox running through their heads. When Chone Figgins steals second base, everyone will see Dave Roberts sliding in safely and the roof starting to cave. The fans will be on edge with every pitch, looking to avoid a game seven with a team that has already shown they will not go quietly. The Angels, on the other hand, have already been told the series is over. Every media outlet has been talking up the impending slug fest that would be Phillies/Yankees. The Angles can take the field, in the words of Alex Rodriguez, with a "loosey goosey" attitude. After all, they were not even supposed to be back in New York.

My guess is the Angels get plenty of runners on base against Andy Pettite and show everybody what "Angel Baseball" is. Can they follow it up with a victory against C.C. Sabathia in game 7? That is a tough task, but I would say yes. It is hard to imagine the top hitting lineup in baseball not figuring any pitcher out when they get a chance to face him for the third time in ten days.