Column: 1 round down, 2 more to go

1. A.J. Burnett: New York Yankees fans have to be afraid of seeing him on the mound after his horrific second half of the season (his ERA rose to 5.26, from 3.72, since the beginning of June), but it looks like he will have to make at least one start. His batting average on balls in play, or BABIP, which is often used to check if pitchers have been unlucky, is a bit high at .323 (the average is usually around .300). But that cannot account for all of his season. When the good A.J. shows up, he can be lights-out, but the bad A.J. is brutal to watch. The Yankees need to hope for good outings from Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes and need to pray that the good A.J. shows up in Game 4.

2. Philadelphia Phillies Bullpen: Hidden in the Phillies’ dominating series victory over the Cincinnati Reds was the fact that the Phillies bullpen struggled at times this year. Like A.J. Burnett, Brad Lidge is either really good or atrocious. He’s had a great second half, and Phillies fans (like me) hope that it will translate to the postseason. If 2009 Lidge shows up, the Phils might be in trouble. J.C. Romero, one of those relievers derisively referred to as a LOOGY (lefty one-out guy) has often failed at his job (i.e., getting one left-handed batter out) this year. Similarly, Jose Contreras has been shaky at times.

Then again, if your pitchers throw complete-game shutouts two out of every three games, you might not need to use your bullpen much.

3. Pablo Sandoval: The loveable Kung Fu Panda has been hard to love this year if you’re a San Francisco Giants fan. After posting a .932 on-base plus slugging last year in his breakout season, it fell to a woeful .732 this year. That is not acceptable for a team’s No. 1 power hitter, especially on a team that doesn’t have much offense to begin with; he also grounded into a league-leading 26 double plays. In fact, the Giants even benched Sandoval in Game 3 of the NLDS, instead starting the immortal Mike Fontenot, because Sandoval was striking out too much. Many speculate that Sandoval’s weight — he is listed at a generous 5 feet 11 inches and 245 pounds — is contributing to his sudden decline.He needs to remember John Kruk’s famous words about being fat and playing baseball.

When prompted by a woman about smoking and overeating, Kruk said, “I ain’t an athlete, Lady. I’m a baseball player.”

4. Texas Rangers Pitchers Not Named Cliff Lee: Unfortunately for the Rangers, because they went the distance with the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Division Series, Lee will probably not be able to start until Game 3. He could start on short rest, but he has never done that in his career. The other likely starters, C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis, both had good years but have not pitched in playoff situations before, except for last week.They are being assigned the task of pitching in hostile territory against the most storied franchise of all — pretty much the ultimate pressure situation.

Tommy Hunter, who started Game 4, is only 24 years old, but he will have a little less pressure throwing after Lee, who pretty much must get a win in Game 3 if the Rangers hope to advance. Nevertheless, Hunter is only a third-year player and will have to bounce back from his disappointing start in ALDS Game 4.

AL Championship Series Prediction: This young Rangers team is very talented, in both hitting and pitching, but it is a tough task to turn around a franchise that has been defined by losing for its 49 years of existence. The Yankees are the complete opposite. It may be the last chance for the so-called “Core Four” (is it me, or did that name only become popular this year?) of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera to win another World Series. The Yankees’ guile will get them by the Rangers in an epic series featuring two more gems from Cliff Lee. Yankees in seven.

NL Championship Series Prediction: It’s tough to see the Giants scoring many runs off the Phillies trio of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, especially since they are already the lowest-scoring team in the playoffs.

Nevertheless, the pitching matchups in this series should keep things interesting — Halladay versus Tim Lincecum in Game 1 should be a joy to watch. The Phillies offense will break out of its mini-slump in the NLDS and score enough runs for them to advance, setting up a rematch of last year’s World Series, which will determine who will start a new dynasty. Yeah, I know I’m a homer. Phillies in six.