The extra days off in the first two rounds of the playoffs have helped the Yankees — in theory. (Communism works, in theory.) It has allowed them to plan for a three man rotation, which is key when you have only three reliable starters. Yet in the ALCS there has been a drawback. It could constitute too much time off.

Yes, it’s tough on the fans. After just 18 off days over the season’s first six months, the Yankees have played two games in a row just twice this postseason. Most of us preferred it that way — the Yankees gained a strategic advantage by choosing the long ALDS — but it still doesn’t make the month go by any quicker. For fans, the extra off-days in October are painful.

In this case, it’s not just about the fans. The players have to be feeling it, too. In one way I’m sure they appreciate the rest. Over 162 games even tough guys get sprains, sore arms, and muscle pulls. But at some point I’m sure they want that rhythm back. With no more than two consecutive days with a game, it’s tough for some of those players to get to where they were in the regular season.

It’s anyone’s guess as to why the Yankees’ offense is slumping (or was slumping, if you believe they broke out last night), but being out of rhythm is certainly one theory. The clearest example here is Teixeira, why by anecdotal accounts takes time to find his groove. It’s tough to find and stay in a groove if you’re playing every other day. Tex had a few decent at bats last night. I’m sure he wants to build on that today.

In fact, I’m sure the whole Yankees team wants to play today. Who wouldn’t want to play the day after you trounce your opponent? The Angels looked defeated by the end. After Juan Rivera grounded into a double play to kill a potential sixth-inning rally, the Angels went down without a whimper. Only Kendry Morales drew a three-ball count the rest of the way, and he ended up flailing at a 3-2 pitch. The Yankees want to come back out today and finish the job. Instead, they have to wait for tomorrow.

I’m grateful for the edge the Yankees get from the extra off-day, and I’m sure they are, too. The ability to go with only three pitchers, three very good pitchers, is an advantage for a team that doesn’t have a reliable fourth option. But there is a downside, and it’s not just related to fans who want baseball every day. Baseball is about rhythm, and these off-days in the playoffs mess with that. The good news is that it works both ways, and there seems to be no team more asynchronous than the Angels.

Funny how a week can change everything. Last week I questioned Mike Scioscia’s decision to start Joe Saunders in Game 2. Today I’m saying he should start him more. This, of course, is a complete second-guess. Since the original post we saw Saunders pitch well in Game 2, and then saw Kazmir struggle in Game 4. It made Mike Scioscia’s reasoning obvious, but it also brings up another question: should Kazmir have been starting at all in this series — especially with the Angels down two games to one?

Kazmir, as we discussed before the game, had a rough 2009. He started out horribly, pitching to an ERA over 7.00 before hitting the DL for most of June. He returned and brought that ERA down a bit, but was still inadequate as a starter, and a huge disappointment compared to his 2005 through 2008 performances. He pitched better after the trade, but again, those starts were all in September. Rosters expand then, and some teams go from win mode to talent evaluation mode. It makes for specious September results. It appears Kazmir was a beneficiary of this, as he’s been terrible in the postseason.

It’s not fair to look back on Kazmir’s 2008 playoff run, in which he allowed 12 runs in 25.2 innings (4.20 ERA), because 1) it wasn’t that bad, and 2) as we’ve seen from CC and Alex this postseason, past playoff indicators are not not necessarily predictive of future performance. The combination of regular season and 2009 playoffs, however, should have been enough to convince Scioscia to do what the Yankees did, bringing his ace back on three days’ rest to negate some of the pitching advantage the Yankees had last night. He didn’t, and Kazmir’s short performance cost his team.

In his lone ALDS start, the Red Sox rocked Kazmir. Through six innings he allowed five runs, walking three and striking out just one. That looks a lot like his pitching lines from earlier in the regular season. Apparently Scioscia grew concerned after this start, too. He wanted a lefty to start a game at Yankee Stadium, and instead of calling on Kazmir, who has pitched very well against the Yankees in his career, he went to Joe Saunders. The move worked out — so well, in fact, that perhaps Scioscia’s best bet was to get Saunders a Game 5 start.

But Scioscia stuck with his guy. He did it in Game 2 with Saunders and it worked out. He wasn’t so lucky in Game 4. Now, even if the Angels battle back to bring the series to seven games, they’ll have Jered Weaver on the mound rather than John Lackey. That’s not to downplay Weaver’s talent or skill. He’s a good pitcher who helped get the Angels to where they are. There’s a reason, however, that Scioscia didn’t start him in Game 2 at the Stadium. With the three-man rotation he would have started at the Stadium, but in Game 6.

All this comes from the ivory tower, of course. Scioscia knows his players better than anyone, and wants to put them in the best position to win. Given Kazmir’s regular season and 2009 postseason performances, however, it looks like a poor decision to give him the Game 4 start. Then again, I’m the guy who thought he should have started Game 2, so my ivory tower musings are not the final word. Sometimes even good decisions backfire.