The LoHud Yankees Blog

It is certainly easy enough to kill Joe Girardi for going with A.J. Burnett on short rest last night, and there are plenty of people already criticizing him for (likely) going to Andy Pettitte on short rest in Game 6. I just don’t happen to be one of them.

Truth is, Girardi had little choice. Could he have pitched Chad Gaudin in Game 5? He could have. As Chad and I talked about in the live chat last week, there was certainly the option to start Gaudin with the bullpen ready behind him since today is an off day and everyone would have rest. I think that option would have been a reasonable choice.

But I can’t go crazy on Girardi for going with Burnett (and Pettitte). Considering the quality of the Yankees bullpen, opting to use his best pitchers as much as he can in the games that matter most is more than defensible.

Does Burnett’s failure mean Pettitte will follow suit? Hardly. Pettitte is 3-1 with a 2.80 ERA in five career postseason starts on short rest. You know what game is included in that? The one everyone knows as the greatest of his career: Game 5 of the 1996 World Series (8 1/3 shutout innings against Atlanta). Game 2 of the ’03 World Series is in there, too (8 2/3, one unearned run vs. Florida).

If Chien-Ming Wang was healthy, Girardi probably wouldn’t be using three starters. If Joba Chamberlain had been lights out in that role all season, he might not either. But he is. And it is a reasonable a decision as any. Now he just needs the players to deliver.

When you spend a lot of time in a baseball clubhouse, you pick up on a lot of baseball phrases. Some I can print, some I can’t, but one I’ve always liked is, “Wear it.”

Best I can tell, it can be used in two ways. When a pitcher gets shelled but stays in the game to eat innings, he wears it. He takes it for the team, right there for everyone to see. And when a pitcher gets beat up and takes the blame afterward, he wears it. He owns up to his mistakes and lets the weight fall on his shoulders.

Baseball players struggle from time to time, but it’s easy to respect them when they wear it, and both A.J. Burnett and Phil Coke wore it last night. A lot was made of Burnett, and rightfully so. He wasn’t very good, and Sam was standing right next to him when Burnett said he let the city down. Coke wasn’t very good either. Sent in to face the Phillies lefties, he let two of them — Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez — hit solo home runs that became the difference in the game. 

“It was a disappointing way to lose the game,” Coke said. “Having had a hand in contributing to losing the game, I’m especially disappointed with what I did, and I’m embarrassed.”

Baseball players struggle from time to time, and they lose big games once in a while. Nothing to do but wear it and move on. Second chances are coming up tomorrow.

Given their first chance to clinch  No. 27, the Yankees lost to Chase Utley and the Phillies last night in Philadelphia. Pitching on three-days rest, A.J. Burnett couldn’t get out of the third inning and a ninth-inning Yankees rally fell short. I had that story in today’s newspaper.

Even with the loss, the Yankees are coming home in good shape, Sam writes. They lost last night, but managed to take two out of three at Citizens Bank Park and they’re coming back to Yankee Stadium with two chances to win the whole thing.

In Game 6, the Yankees will be once again facing Pedro Martinez. The Phillies announced their Game 6 starter while the Yankees are waiting to decide whether to start Andy Pettitte. The notebook also had news about the Yankees latest roster move, Jorge Posada coming off the bench, Nick Swisher moving up in the lineup and the one number Joe Girardi seems not to care about.

Finally, center field has come full circle with Brett Gardner taking over for Melky Cabrera, who’s out of action with a strained hamstring.

The Yankees had a lead in the first inning, and they brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth. In between, things went wrong.

In their first opportunity to clinch, the Yankees made things interesting but didn’t quite finish off the Phillies. A.J. Burnett and Phil Coke each took responsibility for the loss, and in the moment, it’s hard to see this as anything but a letdown. But taking two out of three in Philadelphia has put the Yankees in a good position as they head back to Yankee Stadium.

“We’re going home,” Derek Jeter said. “We came here and played well. We won two out of three here and now we’ve got to come back and, I don’t know what today is but two days from now — Wednesday? — come out and hope we play a good game.”

It’s funny how many guys said they weren’t sure what day this was or what day Game 6 would be. They knew the next game would be two days from now, but the days have officially blurred together, and that’s what happens in the playoffs. There are little moments that stick with you, but the games and the days ultimately blur, and in that blur, the Yankees are still in a good spot. There is reason to be disappointed right now, but on the whole, being ahead 3-2 with Yankee Stadium 48 hours away isn’t a bad spot.

“We got down early so it was a battle for us to come back,” Nick Swisher said. “You have to give them credit. They swung the bats extremely well against a guy who pitched extremely well against them last time. You have to tip your hat. You can’t win them all. We’re going back to New York, and that brings a smile to everybody’s face.”

A.J. Burnett couldn’t get out of the second inning and the Yankees – despite a valiant attempt – couldn’t come all the way back, losing to the Phillies, 8-6, in Game 5. Back with more from the clubhouse later.

UPDATE, 12:08 a.m.: We’re on a real tight deadline but I wanted to give you a taste of how A.J. Burnett was in the clubhouse. In short: He was crushed. “I feel like I let 25 guys down,” he said. “I just couldn’t get it to go where I wanted it to go. … I had a chance to do something special in here tonight and I let all the guys down. I let the city down.”

Burnett audio coming in a moment.

UPDATE, 12:17 a.m.: OK, here’s the audio from Burnett. It’s not the best because it was absolutely packed in the clubhouse but hopefully you can hear it.

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And here’s Girardi’s post-game press conference. As you can hear, he said that if Pettitte feels good tomorrow, he will be the Yankees Game 6 starter.

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UPDATE, 12:46 a.m.: Both Girardi and Burnett said the bad start was no the result of Burnett pitching on three days rest. Girardi said Burnett’s struggles will have no impact on his decision to start Pettitte in Game 6.

“I don’t see nothing different,” Jose Molina said. “They were just hitting.”

UPDATE, 10:40 p.m.: Well, not exactly what the Yankees were looking for with a chance to close the series out. It’s 8-2, Hughes is coming on and here’s a new thread for you to vent.

UPDATE, 11:18 p.m.: This isn’t over by a longshot. Tying run at the plate in the form of the Captain.

UPDATE, 11:24 p.m.: This is how it started last night – a big hit by Damon. …

UPDATE, 11:27 p.m.: Not this time. Tex strikes out to end it. Game 6 on Wednesday in the Bronx.

UPDATE, 8:57 p.m.: Despite that rocky first inning, Burnett looked good in the second and may pull off another one of these bad-start, good-finish starts. Lee is certainly more hittable than he was in Game 1. There’s a long way to go yet.

UPDATE, 9:09 p.m.: Looks like Chad Gaudin is getting loose in the Yankees pen.

UPDATE, 9:10 p.m.: And that’s it. Burnett is done. So much for the MVP talk. Robertson – my mistake, not Gaudin – is coming on.

UPDATE, 9:12 p.m.: Robertson hasn’t pitched since Game 1 of the World Series, which was five days ago.

UPDATE, 9:17 p.m.: Burnett’s final line: 2-plus innings, 4 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP. He threw 53 pitches, 28 strikes. Yeeesh.

UPDATE, 9:24 p.m.: Molina due up fourth this inning. Will Girardi go to Posada this early in the game? If something happens to him, Jerry Hairston (?) goes behind the plate in a World Series game.

UPDATE, 9:38 p.m.: Good job by Robertson getting some outs, but the Yankees can’t do anything with Lee so far.

UPDATE, 9:40 p.m.: Maybe Posada can get something going. He is hitting for Molina. Hinske is on-deck to hit for the pitcher.

UPDATE, 9:43 p.m.: Seems prudent to note that Girardi has said Jerry Hairston is his emergency catcher. Probably won’t matter, but very little seems to have gone right this game, so you never know.

UPDATE, 9:47 p.m.: What a strange moment for Ryan Howard. He seemed completely torn on exactly what to do. He was too close to first base to not get that out, but it’s hard to imagine a run scoring on that play.

UPDATE, 9:50 p.m.: Aceves in the game batting ninth.

UPDATE, 9:54 p.m.: Hell of a catch by Brett Gardner on Werth’s ball. He went right into the Southwest Airlines sign in center. I’m pretty sure Melky doesn’t make that catch.

UPDATE, 10:13 p.m.: Phil Coke warming up. Pitcher’s spot is due up second in the top of the seventh.

UPDATE, 10:20 p.m.: That’s a tough break for Posada on the strike two call. It looked like he asked for time before Lee got into his wind, but Posada – as a catcher – also should know that you’re not out of it until the ump calls time. He shouldn’t be assuming anything.

UPDATE, 10:33 p.m.: Chad here to say it again, in seven years covering Triple-A baseball I never saw a better hitter than Utley. That’s five home runs for him this World Series, setting a new Phillies record. He has seven World Series home runs in his career, the most ever hit by a second baseman.

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Brett Gardner CF
Jose Molina C
A.J. Burnett P

Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (1-0, 3.55 ERA in postseason)

PHILLIES
Jimmy Rollins SS
Shane Victorino CF
Chase Utley 2B
Ryan Howard 1B
Jayson Werth RF
Raul Ibanez LF
Pedro Feliz 3B
Carlos Ruiz C
Cliff Lee P

Pitching: LHP Cliff Lee (3-0, 0.54 ERA in postseason)

TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

WEATHER: Looks like it should be a nice night for baseball. Cloudy but with a low chance of precipitation and temperatures around 50 degrees. Check out the full forecast here.

STATE OF THE STRIPES: The Yankees are one win away from their 27th World Series title after beating the Phillies in a wild game last night. The Yankees have held a 3-1 lead in the World Series eight previous times and they’ve won the title each time (six times in Game 5, two times in Game 6).

BATTER VS. PITCHER: Here are the Phillies vs. A.J. Burnett. And here are the Yankees vs. Cliff Lee.

THREE AMIGOS: The Yankees have used only three starters throughout the postseason and they are the first team to reach the World Series with a three-man rotation since the 1992 Braves (Smoltz, Glavine, Avery). The last team to win the World Series with three starters came a year before that, when the 1991 Twins (Morris, Tapani, Erickson) beat Atlanta.

BUSTING OUT: The 15 runs scored by the Yankees in Games 3 and 4 marks their biggest World Series outburst since they scored 18 runs over Games 1 and 2 of the 1998 World Series against San Diego.

WORKING OVERTIME: Mariano Rivera made his 11th appearance of the postseason in Game 4, matching his career high (also 2001). The only games in which he hasn’t pitched are Game 4 of the ALCS and Game 1 of the World Series. Rivera has thrown more than one inning five out of 11 times and more than two innings three times, recording a 0.63 ERA in 14 1/3 innings while striking out 13.

ALEX AND TEX: The middle of the Yankees order hasn’t been a consistent producer during the World Series with Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez combining to go 3-for-28 with 13 strikeouts. Rodriguez’s two hits, at least, have been meaningful – he homered in Game 3 and drove in the decisive run in Game 4.

DAMONIC: When Johnny Damon stole second and third base in the ninth inning of Game 4, he became the 13th player to record two stolen bases in an inning in the World Series. The last was Tampa Bay’s B.J. Upton in Game 3 last year.

TARGET PRACTICE: The Yankees have been hit by five pitches in the World Series, one shy of the World Series record. Pittsburgh was hit by six in 1909 and Arizona was hit by six (from Yankees pitchers) in 2001, both of which were seven-game series.

RANDOM QUESTION OF THE DAY: If you could be involved in a Yankees Champagne celebration, who would you spray first?

IF THERE WERE WALK-TO-THE-PLATE-MUSIC IN REAL LIFE, TODAY’S WOULD BE: Today Was a Good Day by Ice Cube.

Back with more later. Joe Girardi is scheduled to be in the interview room at 4:50 p.m.

UPDATE, 5:04 p.m.: Girardi said the Yankees are in talks with MLB about making a roster move for Melky. As you can see Gardner is starting in center. Audio and more info coming shortly.

UPDATE, 5:23 p.m.: Chad reports that the Yankees will hear from MLB about their roster move at 6 p.m. Obviously we’ll keep you updated. Here’s Girardi’s audio:

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UPDATE, 5:25 p.m.: For those wondering about the sign-stealing talk, apparently Larry Bowa was on ESPN Radio here in Philly and said the reason for the Yankees constant visits to the mound is that the Phillies are notorious for stealing signs. Shane Victorino responded angrily, saying, “I guess he knows something that I don’t know about, obviously. You know, everybody makes excuses. Everybody is going to find a reason. For Bowa to come out and say something like that if he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, if he doesn’t have cold, hard facts he shouldn’t say something like that. … That’s just weak, I guess.”

He added, “Obviously, if we were stealing signs, we’d be doing a lot better than we are right now.”

UPDATE, 5:35 p.m.: Here’s some audio from Joba Chamberlain’s press conference. Normally teams bring the next day’s starting pitcher to the interview room, but neither team did that today because neither team has named a Game 6 starter (if there is one). So the Yankees sent Joba and the Phillies sent Victorino.

(By the way, Girardi said Pettitte is throwing his usual side session today and the Yankees will “see how he feels” on the off day if they lose tonight.)

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***BREAKING NEWS***
UPDATE, 5:43 p.m.: MLB just announced that Ramiro Pena will replace Melky Cabrera on the roster.

UPDATE, 5:50 p.m.: Chad here with a thought on the addition of Pena instead of Freddy Guzman. I have to think Jerry Hairston is now the fourth outfielder, which means the Yankees needed someone to fill the utility infielder role. Guzman would have given the Yankees a pinch runner to replace Gardner off the bench, but he’s never going to play right field — he’s done it roughly a dozen times in his career – and if there’s going to be a defensive switch in the late innings, it’s either going to be in right field or to improve the throwing arm in left. Hairston does both of those better than Guzman. With Hairston’s likely role coming in the outfield, Pena makes sense in the infield. And he gives the Yankees pretty good speed himself, I just never thought Pena, Cervelli, Guzman and Bruney would all be active at one point or another this postseason.

UPDATE, 6:23 p.m.: Chad here again with some more notes from Girardi.

• The Yankees have been making an unusual number of trips to the mound this series, but Girardi said it’s not simply because the Yankees are concerned about the Phillies stealing signs. It’s the World Series. The Yankees are making sure everything is exactly right, that every pitch is exactly the one they want to throw.

• That said, there is some concern about players stealing signs but Girardi said it’s no more or less with the Phillies than with any other team. “In today’s game, with all the TV coverage, you have to be careful,” he said. “The camera is right on the pitcher, looking in on the catcher, you can figure out signs pretty quick.”

• Sounds like Girardi considered starting Jorge Posada but was never leaning that direction. “(Posada) had a big hit again last night, he’s had some big hits for us, but that relationship has been working,” Girardi said. “A.J. has been pitching very well. Sometimes, this time of year, it’s about pitching and defense and we just don’t want to break it up right now.”

• I know you all don’t want us reporters to jinx anything, but we had to check with Girardi to find out if they would have a workout at the stadium tomorrow in the event they lose tonight. “Probably,” he said. “But let’s not talk about that.”

UPDATE, 6:33 p.m.: One bit of dialogue from the beat writer’s session with Girardi left all of us laughing. I’ll paraphrase the questions and quote Girardi’s answers. Notice how he tries to convince himself that he can’t use Mariano Rivera for more than an inning, but slowly has to admit that this is Rivera in the World Series. Nothing is off the table.

Question: Would you use Rivera for two innings tonight?
Girardi: “I doubt it just because he’s thrown three out of four days.”
Question: Is three outs the maximum?
Girardi: “I might try four.”
Question: So four outs is the maximum?
Girardi: “I gotta see how he feels.”
Question: One-run game, middle of the order coming up in the eighth inning?
Girardi: “It might be a situation where I’d go to him.”

UPDATE, 7:02 p.m.: Meant to mention this before, but a few of you have e-mailed asking if Joe Girardi is going to change his number from No. 27 (to No. 28 or something else) if the Yankees win the World Series. Here is his answer: “I really haven’t thought a whole lot about that. I’m sure my kids would have recommendations what my uniform number should be, but I haven’t thought about that and I don’t like to think too far ahead.”

Also, it seems that Larry Bowa claims he was misquoted. He told Newsday that he never said anything about the Phillies stealing signs.

UPDATE, 7:22 p.m.: A.J. on his way to the bullpen to start his warm-ups. There’s some juice in the park tonight. Everyone knows what this game means. It’s a great night, too, for baseball. Very crisp.

UPDATE, 7:47 p.m.: Nothing says American Pastime like a Canadian singing the national anthem, though Alanis Morissette did a great job. The Phillie Phanatic was obviously impressed, running over and trying to hug Alanis after she finished. She seemed bemused.

UPDATE, 7:49 p.m.: Jim Bunning throwing out the first pitch, joined by Robin Roberts. Couple of HOFers.

UPDATE, 7:54 p.m.: A-Rod and Frankie Cervelli playing catch, as they always do, alongside the Yankee dugout. We’re minutes away.

UPDATE, 7:56 p.m.: I should mention that MLB announced that tonight’s game is being dedicated to Michael Goldsmith, an advocate in the fight against ALS, who died Sunday. For more info, check this article out.

UPDATE, 8 p.m.: And we’re off. It’s 50 degrees with clear skies at first pitch on a great night for baseball. Enjoy the game everyone.

UPDATE, 8:06 p.m.: That was A-Rod’s 16th RBI of the postseason, setting a franchise record. Remember what Flaherty said in Flash Points? Getting to Lee early could take some starch out of the Phillies and make things a lot easier for A.J.

UPDATE, 8:10 p.m.: How many “Rocky” scenes will we see on the big screen here tonight? 20? 50? It’s the bottom of the first and we just saw our first one …

UPDATE, 8:16 p.m.: Tough call right off the bat there. I thought he was pulling back, but you could certainly argue it the other way.

UPDATE, 8:17 p.m.: Wow. One pitch later it’s 3-1 Phillies. That ball was crushed by Utley right off the bat. A.J. has to stay composed. There’s a long way to go.

UPDATE, 8:25 p.m.: Great play by Teixeira there. He makes the throw from his knees as well as anyone in the game.

UPDATE, 8:27 p.m.: Whatever Burnett does, the Yankees need to keep working Lee. He threw 20 pitches in the first inning. Back in Game 1, that was three innings for him.

UPDATE, 8:37 p.m.: And Lee mows through the Yankees bottom three hitters. Fourteen pitches isn’t bad, but it was pretty free and easy for him. Right back to A.J.

UPDATE, 8:42 p.m.: Nice comeback for Burnett, who fell behind Ruiz 3-and-0 but struck him out with a 94 mph fastball. His command looked good there, staying right on the outside corner.

The Philadelphia Inquirer has apologized today for running an ad (from Macy’s) congratulating the Phillies on winning back-to-back World Series titles.

In a related story, George Steinbrenner is now in serious negotiations to make Bloomingdale’s the “official department store of the New York Yankees.”

Former Yankee and current YES Network analyst John Flaherty has agreed to break down the pitching match-up for every Yankees postseason game exclusively on the LoHud Yankees blog. Be sure to check him out on the pre- and post-game show on YES today. Here’s his take on the Game 5 starters:

YANKEES: RHP A.J. Burnett

WHAT’S HE THROW? “Two kinds of fastballs, power curveball, change-up”

BREAKDOWN: “To start with, I’m not that concerned about the three days rest thing – his numbers doing that are fantastic and more importantly, A.J.’s confidence is overflowing right now after doing what he did in Game 2. I think he is champing at the bit to get back out there. The one thing we’ve talked about all postseason is whether he can keep his emotions under control and I was impressed with how he handled the 0-1 situation in Game 2. This is a different set of emotions, knowing he can close out the World Series, but I have no reason to think he won’t be able to handle it, too. In terms of pitches, look for him to go back to that power curve as much as he can, especially if it’s working like it was in Game 2. He really was on top of it then and got most of his strikeouts with that pitch.”

——-

PHILLIES: LHP Cliff Lee

WHAT’S HE THROW? “Two fastballs, cutter, curveball, change-up”

BREAKDOWN: “Lee has had an unbelievable postseason and he throws everything – all of his pitches – for strikes. If you’re a hitter, you feel like you’re being attacked because there is just no room for patience at all. I think the Yankees will look to take the attitude that they can’t wait – they’re going to go up there hacking tonight, because if you try to wait him out you just end up down in the count and that’s when Lee can be even tougher to handle. I expect Lee to be as good as he’s been tonight, so it will be up to A.J. to hang with him and turn this game into a real battle.”

——-

EDGE: “On pitching alone, I’d give a slight edge to Lee but less than if you’d asked me at the start of the series. That’s how much I think of what A.J. did in Game 2. I’d say this, too: I think the first three innings are huge tonight. If Lee stumbles at all, and gives up a few runs, I think the Phillies might say ‘we can’t win three in a row against this team’ and make life easier for A.J. In a game like this one, I see one inning – or even one hit – being the difference.”