The American League Championship Series will have two teams that not only owned the two best records in baseball, but both clubs will be well-rested. The Yankees and Angels each are fresh off sweeps in the ALDS, as both rallied for road wins in the series clinchers.

The Bombers have cruised along since June 4, compiling a 75-37 record over the last four months. In that same span, the Halos have gone 74-40, which is the second-best mark in baseball. The Yankees came back in each of the three victories over the Twins in the ALDS, as former postseason dud Alex Rodriguez hit two game-tying homers to help lead New York to victories in the final two games.

The Angels exorcised their postseason demons by slaying the Red Sox in three games, avenging losses to Boston in each of the last two postseasons. What made it a sweeter victory was the ninth-inning rally on Sunday against Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, as the Halos eliminated Boston, 7-6.

The Yankees and Angels didn't settle much in the regular season, splitting ten meetings. In early May, the Bombers took two of three from the Halos in the Bronx, but consider this for a second. With all the injuries to their rotation to start the season, the Angels sent out Matt Palmer and Anthony Ortega to the mound, and ended up beating the Yanks with Palmer against CC Sabathia.

The Halos closed out the first half of the season with a three-game sweep of the Yankees in Anaheim, as each of the first six games finished 'over' the total. The opening two games of the series in Anaheim saw the Angels tally 24 runs, as the Halos pulled off the sweep without Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero, who were both nursing injuries at the time.

The Yankees rallied to beat the Angels in a make-up game in the Bronx in mid-September, 5-3, despite Joba Chamberlain lasting four innings. That game was a tough scheduling spot for Mike Scioscia's team, travelling from the West Coast the day before, with the Red Sox on deck at Fenway.

New York wrapped up the AL East division title by beating the Angels two of three in late September to even up the season series at five apiece.

For all the problems the Angels had with the Red Sox in the postseason prior to knocking out Boston in the ALDS, Los Angeles has eliminated New York twice in the last eight years. The Angels took three of four from the Yanks in the 2002 ALDS en route to their lone World Series title. In 2005, the Halos won the ALDS series in five games, as A-Rod picked up only two hits in 15 at-bats.

VI capper Bruce Marshall says all the money the Yankees have spent in the offseason is finally paying off, "This looks to be a different bunch of Yankees (at least from the past few years), and perhaps it's time to credit those offseason additions of Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. Although neither had established themselves in past postseasons, they fared good enough in the first round to suggest they can certainly handle the big stage. The Yankees are attacking this postseason with their best frontline pitching in recent years."

New York did receive balanced pitching against Minnesota, as Sabathia, Burnett, and Andy Pettitte each went six innings, while the bullpen allowed two earned runs in ten innings of work.

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The Angels gave up just one run the first two games against the Red Sox, thanks to outstanding pitching performances by John Lackey and Jered Weaver. Scott Kazmir was knocked around in Game 3, but was saved by the late rally against Papelbon and the Sox bullpen.

Weaver was the only Angels pitcher to make three starts against the Yankees this season, as L.A. went 1-2 in those games. Weaver will start Game 3, as the 27-year old suffered a loss in the mid-September make-up game in the Bronx, despite scattering seven hits and three runs in 7.1 innings.

Marshall says L.A. may have to play more conservative, "The Angels believe their staff can keep the Yanks in check, but I'm not so sure. And if they can't, the Halos are probably not going to win high-scoring affairs in this series. Although they finally advanced past Boston, the Halos still tend to be a bit impatient at the plate; Bobby Abreu's addition has alleviated that somewhat, but there are still too many free-swingers in this lineup."

Can the Halos keep up the momentum after jumping the Boston hump? Marshall isn't buying into it, "The Angels may also have a false sense of security after beating the BoSox, whose offense was prone to going into the sort of funks that cost it the first two games in Anaheim. The Yankees will offer a stiffer challenge."

The Yankees opened up as -210 favorites to win the series (Bet $2.10 to win $1.00), but that number has dipped to -185 with money coming in on the Angels. Los Angeles was +175 to claim the series (Bet $1.00 to win $1.75), but it's now down to +165.

You can reach Kevin Rogers via e-mail at rogers@vegasinsider.com