If the Yankees are to do anything against the baseball odds at the bookmaker they will have to do it without first baseman Mark Teixeira. The Yankees were routed in Game 4 on Tuesday night by the Texas Rangers and in the process they lost Teixeira to a hamstring injury that will end his season. It seems unlikely the Yankees will be able to win the ALCS against the Internet bookmaker odds without their star first baseman.
Yankees Look Old – The Yankees were in serious trouble before Teixeira got hurt. They have a leaky pitching staff, an old lineup and a poor bullpen other than Mariano Rivera. Now the Yankees will have to find a way to score runs without one of their best players. Teixeira was a major force in the middle of the lineup for the Yankees. It should be noted though that he was 0 for 14 in the ALCS but his presence at the plate and on the field will still be missed. He is considered the best fielding first baseman in the league and he has showed off his skills in this series in the field. Even though he is in a slump, most people believed that he would break out of it before this series was over. Teixeira hit 33 home runs this season and drove in 108 RBIs.
Replacing Teixeira – The Yankees moved Nick Swisher to first base in Game 4 but they may decide to use Lance Berkman there in future games. Swisher is really not a first baseman. New York will have to give Marcus Thames more work as the DH if Berkman goes to first.
A-Rod Also to Blame – Another reason the Yankees are losing the series against the Rangers versus the baseball bookmaker line is Alex Rodriguez. He has done nothing in the series heading into Game 5. He was hitting .133 in the series. He continually comes up in big situations and has done nothing. The Yankees are also not getting much out of Swisher or Berkman. In fact, they are not getting much from anyone and that is why they will not be playing in the World Series unless someone steps up. We know now that it won’t be Mark Teixeira as he is out for the season.