By Eric Gold, MLB Editor

2005 SEASON SERIES: Angels won, 6-4.
Three years ago the Angels took out the Yankees in four games in the Division Series. The two teams meet again in the first round of the playoffs with Los Angeles gaining home field advantage by virtue of a better head-to-head record against the Yankees.

The Angels captured the AL West title this year with strong pitching from Bartolo Colon and closer Francisco Rodriguez, and with another MVP-caliber season from Vladimir Guerrero.

The Yankees were eight games below .500 (11-19) earlier this season. However, with the help of journeyman pitcher Aaron Small, Randy Johnson and mid season acquisition Shawn Chacon, not to mention one of the most powerful lineups in baseball, Joe Torre's team rallied to overtake the Red Sox atop the AL East, clinching the division title on the final Saturday of the regular season.

Here are three big questions entering the series.

1. Will Colon continue his impressive run from the regular season, or falter like he's done in the past against the Yankees?
It's imperative the Angels win the opener, not just for the sake of Colon, who struggled to an 8.44 ERA in two starts this year versus the Yankees. The powerful righty became the sixth Angels pitcher to win 20-or-more games in a season and the first since Nolan Ryan in 1974. Colon won a career-best eight straight decisions from July 21 - September 10. He finished the season in shaky form, allowing six runs in one contest and seven earned runs in another over his final four outings.

The one advantage the Yankees have is several of their players know Colon's routine and have locked in on the veteran. Alex Rodriguez is a career .442 hitter with seven homers and 16 RBI in just 43 at-bats against Colon. Derek Jeter has a .344 average against Colon, and Gary Sheffield is 6-for-17 (.353) lifetime against the game one starter.

In fact, A-Rod homered three times against Colon on April 26 this year, a night in which he had 10 RBI.

Getting behind in the count to these three could prove costly, as the Angels can't match the offensive firepower.

2. Will Vladdy crumble under the playoff pressure again?
Last year, Guerrero won the AL MVP, but before he could take home the hardware, he struggled immensely against the Red Sox in the Division Series, as Boston swept the set. Vlad hit .167 with just two hits (1 HR) in 12 at- bats.

It seemed as if he was pressing, but with one year of postseason experience under his belt, he's hopeful to put 2004 behind him. Vlad is just a career .158 hitter against Mike Mussina and a .200 hitter with 10 strikeouts versus Johnson.

3. Which brand of offense wins out: Yankee power or Angel small ball?
The Angels topped the AL in stolen bases this year with Chone Figgins leading the majors with 62 thefts. The Angels were 21-for-27 stealing bases against the Yankees this season.

However, LA ranked in the bottom third in the majors in homers, and no other player besides Guerrero hit at least 20 home runs. The Angels must get to the middle of New York's bullpen, a known weak spot aside from closer Mariano Rivera. In order to do this, the Angels need to cause havoc on the bases and get timely hitting.

The bottom line is, while the Angels will need to manufacture runs with their speed and ability to bunt, the Yankees can strike quickly at any time with their four big power-hitters in A-Rod, Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi. It's a luxury that many teams envy.

Sheffield and Matsui are in that mix in the middle of the lineup, as the two combined for 57 homers and 239 RBI this year. In fact, with A-Rod (130), Sheffield (123) and Matsui (116), the Yankees had three players with at least 110 RBI for the first time since 1938.

Not to mention, manager Joe Torre has the benefit of having one of the best hitters in postseason history in Bernie Williams, the Yankee bats could be tough to overcome.