“Cutter John” Yandle is a part-time batting-practice pitcher for the Giants who throws left-handed. Asked how he will mimic Cliff Lee to get hitters ready for the Rangers’ starter, Yandle joked he would fire fastballs from 30 feet away.
“I’ve already got a cutter. That’s my nickname,” Yandle said. “I’ll be using gravity for the curveball.”
Lee has been a juggernaut this postseason with a 3-0 record, 0.75 ERA, one walk and 34 strikeouts. The prospect of Lee pitching twice or even three times for Texas surely was on the minds of the oddsmakers, who have installed the Rangers as slight favorites to win the franchise’s first World Series and extend the Giants’ drought to 56 years.
“We had the same situation against (Roy) Halladay,” said Cody Ross, who homered twice against the Phillies’ top starter in Game 1. “Nobody gave us a chance against him either. It boils down to who has more heart. I like our chances.”
It will take more than heart for the Giants to beat Texas, which has more speed and offense than the Braves or Phillies, some decent starters behind Lee and a good young closer in Neftali Feliz.
Full story: SF Giants sticking with the arms that got them here