Major League Baseball

COMING UP SHORT - CC STINKER MEANS ACE COULD GET GAME 4 SHOT

Published Oct. 18, 2010 10:12 p.m. ET

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ARLINGTON, Texas - Maybe the Yankees should start CC Sabathia on short rest. Extra rest sure didn't work.

The Yankees' ace was beaten up and battered by the Rangers in Game 1 of the ALCS, chased after four ineffective innings in a game the Yankees rallied to win 6-5. Sabathia allowed five runs on six hits, with four walks and three strikeouts, a wild pitch and a balk. The only highlight of his night was a nice fielding play at the plate. It was his shortest postseason outing as a Yankee, and his third shortest overall in pinstripes.

Now, Yankees manager Joe Girardi faces a choice: Should he bring Sabathia back on three days' rest to pitch Game 4 on Tuesday or pitch A.J. Burnett in that game and have Sabathia, if Game 5 is necessary, go a day later?

Girardi has said he doesn't want to use Sabathia on short rest, but that could change if his team is in a hole. With Cliff Lee pitching Game 3 for the Rangers on Monday, that appears to be a probable Texas win.

Then again, no one saw Sabathia's horrible outing coming.

It was clear he did not have his normal control from the start. He walked Elvis Andrus to start the bottom of the first, then gave up a single to Michael Young. Josh Hamilton followed and blasted a home run down the right-field line to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead before Sabathia could even wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Hamilton's homer was the first home run on an 0-2 pitch off Sabathia since Game 1 of the World Series last year, when Chase Utley got him. Before that, it was Carlos Guillen in May, 2007 - when Sabathia was still an Indian.

Sabathia's lack of control was remarkable. Six of the first 10 batters he faced reached a three-ball count. On April 16, when Sabathia beat the Rangers in a six-inning, rain-shortened game at Yankee Stadium, he did not reach a three-ball count against any of the 21 batters he faced.

Last night, he allowed three walks and a home run in the first inning. He had done that in only three starts this year over the entire course of a game.

The inning came to an end when Sabathia tagged Nelson Cruz out at home after his pitch to Bengie Molina had sailed to the backstop. Jorge Posada made a nice flip to Sabathia, who tagged Cruz on the back just before his foot touched home.

Sabathia spoke in September of overthrowing when he gets too much rest. That could have been the case last night. He had not pitched since Game 1 of the ALDS on Oct. 6. In his career, Sabathia has a 4.02 ERA when he has six days or more of rest.

Young doubled in two more runs in the fourth inning to give the Rangers a 5-0 lead. Sabathia left the game after the inning. Now, the Yankees must decide when to bring him back.

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Shortchanged

CC Sabathia had his third-shortest start of his Yankees career last night in Game 1 of the ALCS. Here's a look at the Yankees' ace bottom three:

DATE OPP IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA

*JUNE 21, 2009 at FLA 1.1 3 1 1 1 1 0 6.75

OCT. 2, 2009 at TB 2.2 8 9 5 5 3 0 16.87

LAST NIGHT at TEX 4.0 6 5 5 4 3 1 11.25

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