Major League Baseball

STICKIN' TO HIS GUNS; GIRARDI'S PLAN STILL SABATHIA IN GAME 5

Published Oct. 20, 2010 10:15 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

YANKEES NOTES

ARLINGTON, Texas - From the moment the Yankees said A.J. Burnett was part of a four-man ALCS rotation Monday, there were doubts the struggling right-hander would actually pitch in Game 4.

And those doubts still are in play because Joe Girardi could bring CC Sabathia back on three days' rest for Game 4 Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

"Our plan is for him to start Game 5," Girardi said yesterday about Sabathia, who was awful in a four-inning stint in Game 1 Friday night when the Yankees came from behind to win, 6-5.

Sabathia said this week that he was open to pitching on three days' rest but would have to know before today's scheduled bullpen session at Yankee Stadium.

After yesterday's Game 2 loss, Sabathia said he will take the ball when asked and rearrange his bullpen sessions accordingly.

"Whenever they tell me I am pitching I will pitch," Sabathia said. "If they want me to take the ball, I will take it, and they know it."

Smothered by questions concerning his Game 4 starter following the 7-2 defeat, Girardi asked for time.

"Let me get on the airplane first and we'll meet [today]," Girardi said when asked if he would scratch Sabathia from today's bullpen session in order to have flexibility until after Game 3.

"Right now we are in rotation," Girardi said.

That could change if the Yankees are down, 2-1, after tomorrow night's Game 3 that features Cliff Lee against Andy Pettitte.

Working on eight days rest likely caused his mechanics to break down. Sabathia needed 93 pitches to get through four frames Friday. He gave up five runs, six hits, walked four and balked.

Pitching coach Dave Eiland pointed to Sabathia's back leg collapsing and left shoulder flying open as the major reasons for the poor outing.

In Sabathia's last five starts his ERA is 5.58 and has allowed 31 hits, 13 walks and hit a batter in 302/3 innings.

*** Mark Teixeira is hitless in eight ALCS at-bats but isn't using six days in between games as an excuse.

"It's always back and forth, up and down," Teixeira said. "I am not going to blame anything on the layoff. I give those guys a lot of credit over there."

*** Since the ALCS has been reduced to a best-of-five now that it's tied, 1-1, and the next three games are at Yankee Stadium, the belief is that the Yankees have taken the home field advantage.

However, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez differ on the issue.

"We don't think that way, we have to win the next game," Jeter said. "We love it at home, but if you want to win you have to win on the road."

Rodriguez pointed to the splitting of the first two games as a positive.

"Anytime you go on the road and get one and get home-field advantage it's a good thing," Rodriguez said.

*** According to Girardi, bench coach Tony Pena called the pickoff play that Kerry Wood executed in the eighth inning Friday night when he caught Ian Kinsler leaning toward second after walking him to start the frame.

"It's something where you do spend a lot of time going over it and Tony spends a lot of time," Girardi said.

*** With righty Phil Hughes on the mound, the Rangers used lefty-hitting David Murphy to bat seventh and play left field (Jeff Francoeur had hit seventh and played right on Friday against Sabathia). Meanwhile, Bengie Molina replaced Matt Treanor behind the plate, and first baseman Mitch Moreland was hitting ninth instead of righty Jorge Cantu. Additional reporting by Mark Hale and Brian Costello.

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball