The Bronx View

Random thoughts while watching a game that feels very long…

◊  I really wonder about Girardi’s ability to adapt on the fly. Sabathia was decent in game four but certainly not great.  Girardi stated that CC could go 110 or 120 pitches on three days rest.  The plan is to have CC pitch game seven if it’s needed.  CC has struggled with control problems his two starts and would be pitching his second start in a row on three days rest.

If you’re going to use CC on short rest so much and he’s showing control issues, should he really be throwing possibly 110 to 120 pitches?  Maybe a little restraint is in order.

◊  Jerry Hairston, Jr. was the replacement outfielder when Nick Swisher was given a day off.  He is also the backup infielder.

Robinson Cano has been terrible in the World Series.  Have you heard any calls for his day off?

◊  Speaking of second basemen, I am scared of Chase Utley right now. I know Red Sox fans are in love with Pedroia and Yankees fans like to think Cano is great, but Utley is light years beyond either of them.  And not just in the postseason, either.  Utley has put up consistently great numbers at second base that make Cano and Pedroia look average.

Watching him take CC deep three times this series has been humbling, to say the least.

◊  The warning issued to both teams after ARod was hit for the third tme in two games was ridiculous.  Baseball has created all of these inane rules to try and combat the unwritten rules about hitting batters, retribution, etc.

The problem is, when an umpire issues a warning, the implication is that there was some form of intent when the batter was hit.  By the rules, if an umpire feels there is intent, he is allowed to kick that pitcher out of the game.

ARod has been hit three times.  THREE. There must be some intent because that is a heck of a coincidence.  Does the ump kick Blanton out for intent?  No.  Instead, he gives a worthless warning that not only prevents the Yankees from retaliating but also makes the inside part of the plate a dangerous place to tread.

These rules are silly and accomplish absolutely nothing.  Let the players solve it on the field and spend the time trying to keep the headhunting to a minimum.

◊  It appeared to Buck, McCarver, and everyone else that Ryan Howard didn’t touch the plate when he scored in the fourth inning.  It was only obvious after watching it in high def slow motion but could have been noticeable to an umpire five feet away.

This led to a discussion in the chat with an umpire with AA credentials.  His contention was that, even if Howard had not touched the plate, the umpire was supposed to call him safe if the tag was not made.  It is then up to the defense to appeal the play.

This doesn’t make any sense to me.  If the play isn’t completed, I see no reason why the umpire should signal safe or out.  Technically, the play should still be alive.

Sure enough, half an inning later, Melky Cabrera blows a stop sign and scores on Johnny Damon’s single  The throw is wide and Melky misses the plate.  The ump doesn’t call safe until Melky gets up and touches the plate with his foot.

Well, which is it?  What’s the rule?  I don’t think the umpire knew that Howard missed the plate in the fourth, but how can there be such conflicting opinions about how that play is handled?

For a game as old as baseball, there sure seems to be a lot of kinks to work out.

◊  ARod’s hit drove in the run, but Damon’s at-bat and subsequent baserunning changed the whole focus of the inning.  Damon got a tremendous jump off of Lidge to steal second, then stood up and almost immediately took advantage of the over-shift in place for Teixeira and stole third.  It was an incredibly smart and bold play on Damon’s part that changed the tenor of the inning.  Instead of two outs a runner at first, Lidge was a bounced ball away from giving the Yankees a lead.

Instead, he plunks to Teixeira and gives up a hard hit double to ARod into left field to score Damon.  Posada follows with a two run single.

The Yankee late inning magic continues.

◊  So the Yanks are up 3-1. There is an interesting question to be asked:

With “Lights Out” Cliff Lee pitching Monday, should AJ Burnett pitch on three days rest or should Girardi throw Chad Gaudin?

The reasoning is simple.  Lee has been almost unhittable this postseason and likely will win game five.  Is it worth wasting Burnett on basically a lost game when you can hold him back for game six?

Two schools of thought: you can’t assume Lee will be lights out again.  It’s a short series and you can’t afford to give up games.

Or: pitching all of your pitchers on three days rest is too risky.  Let Gaudin pitch and let AJ go on full rest for game six.  Then, if needed, pick between CC on short rest or Andy Pettitte on full rest for game seven.

I’m leaning towards starting Burnett.  I don’t think you can take much for granted in a short series.  At the same time, I am a bit concerned about all the short rest.  Burnett has dne okay with it in the past but it’s only three starts and really doesn’t mean much.

I’m interested to see what Girardi comes up with.

◊  Finally, Alex Rodriguez played the hero again in game four. Critics, you have been silenced.

◊  We play today, we chat today. Dat’s it.  Join us at game time right here.

Some thoughts on Game 3, compiled while watching the Giants clash with the Eagles in the first half of an epic Philadelphia/New York Sunday doubleheader:

- I’m thrilled for Nick Swisher, who, despite struggling horrendously throughout this postseason and taking some abuse in the media, continued to say all the right things and was finally able to contribute in Game 3.  On the face of it, his benching in Game 2 seemed bizarre and maybe even a little panicky.  Sure, Swish had looked awful for some time, but Jerry Hairston should never be mistaken for a corner outfielder, and Girardi was sacrificing not only offense but defense as well in making that switch.  Swisher was back in the lineup last night, and his leadoff double in the 5th inning sparked a 3-run rally that gave the Yankees their first lead of the evening.  Then, his long homer off J.A. Happ the following inning padded the lead even further to 6-3 and was ultimately the game-winning RBI.  After the game, Swish filmed his own postgame press conference and seemed genuinely overjoyed.  Hopefully this game is the start of something for Swish, as the Yankees look to lengthen their lineup without a DH in a National League park.

- The key hit of the game – was it Swisher’s double?  Alex Rodriguez’s camera-smashing 2-run homer in the 4th?  Damon’s 2-run double in the 5th?  In my mind, it’s Andy Pettitte’s bloop single in that same inning that scored Swisher from 2nd base and tied the game.  The situation: the Yankees trailed 3-2 heading to the 5th.  Swisher doubled to lead things off, bringing Melky Cabrera to the plate.  In the right situation in an NL park, a leadoff double is fairly easy to work around, and this was one of those situations, especially after Cabrera struck out.  Up came Pettitte, and it appeared nothing short of a 2-out hit from Jeter would score the tying run.  Instead, Pettitte looped a Hamels curveball into center field, chasing Swisher home and making the possibility of a multi-run inning very real.  Jeter would single, Damon would double home 2 runs, and the Yankees never really looked back.  Who can say how the inning would have shaken out had Pettitte not come through in the most unlikely of ways?

- Speaking of Pettitte, he was far from great, but he was good enough – 6IP, 4ER, 7Ks, 104 pitches.  In a postgame interview, he blamed a good bit of his inconsistency on the 1hr 20min rain delay that preceded the first pitch, saying he was ready and feeling great before being shut down and never seemed to find it again.  Because of Girardi’s (understandable) reluctance to turn to Chad Gaudin to start a World Series game, it seems probable that Pettitte’s next start would be on 3 days rest at home in Game 6 – unless the Yankees run the table in Philly.  I thought before the Series started that the only way Gaudin got a start was if the Yankees won the first 3 games – well, Cliff Lee’s Game 1 masterpiece immediately scrapped that plan, and now we’re looking at every remaining Yankee start occurring on short rest.  If you’re one of those fans looking for something to worry about, well, there it is.

- Damaso Marte pitched a perfect 8th inning, throwing 13 of his 15 pitches for strikes and fanning Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth, who had already homered twice.  It was a really impressive performance from Marte, and it appears to me that he’s leapfrogged Phil Coke as Girardi’s left-handed specialist of choice.  MicroJoe was even wise enough to let Marte face Werth with a 4-run lead.  Based on this performance, I have to say that in a big spot with Utley and Howard due up, I’d rather see Marte than Coke.  He’s always had electric stuff and he has a ton more experience in games like these than the rookie Coke.

Meanwhile, Phil Hughes again struggled in the 9th, retiring Pedro Feliz before allowing the light-hitting Carlos Ruiz to homer, cutting the Yankee lead to 8-5.  This prompted Girardi to call for Mariano Rivera and the game was essentially over at this point.  Mo dispatched the next two hitters with just 5 pitches, ending the game.  There are a lot of people that will disagree with Girardi involving Rivera in a non-save situation in a game that seemed all but over.  I’m not one of those people.  Game 3 was absolutely pivotal – a victory ensured the Yanks the luxury of needing to win just 1 of these 2 remaining games in Philly in order to return to the Bronx with a 3-2 series lead.  Of course the Phillies are more than capable of winning 2 games at Yankee Stadium, but it certainly isn’t likely, particularly with Charlie Manuel’s reluctance to start Cliff Lee on short rest.  At this point, Cole Hamels is penciled in for a Game 7 start (or Blanton on short rest), and given the way he was beaten around last night, I don’t think that’s inspiring much confidence in the Phillies or their fans.  And given Hughes’ prolonged struggles, this move was necessary to put the foot on the collective throats of the NL champs.

- Finally, Hideki Matsui proved that he has very real value to the Yankees in these NL games, even if he isn’t starting.  Girardi was apparently kicking around the idea of starting Matsui in left field – it’s a good thing he didn’t.  Damon had a pivotal hit and Matsui came through with a pinch hit home run off Brett Myers that all but put the game away.  It’s not entirely clear how much worse Matsui could be in left field than Damon is, but what’s perfectly clear is that there’s no need to find that out in a World Series game.  In games Matsui did not start this season, he hit .381/.536/.619 with a home run.  There’s enormous value in having that kind of bat available to hit for a pitcher late in the game.