Oct
18

Sabathia to start Game Four

By Mike Axisa

Via Marc Carig, the Yanks have announced that CC Sabathia will start Game Four on three day’s rest. It would be the first time in pinstripes that Sabathia has started on short rest, but as you surely know he did it several times down the stretch last year for Milwaukee. Even if you discount his dominant Game One start, this is absolutely the right move. The Yanks have been taking it easy on CC all year for this very reason, and having the big guy start three games in a seven game series is a considerable advantage.

Posted on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 7:32 pm in Asides, Playoffs.

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95 Comments »

dkidd says:
 
Evil Empire says:
 
Handtius says:
 

There isn’t going to be a Game 4. We will deliver such a beating to Weaver tomorrow, that Scioscia will forfeit in order to save face.

 
 

What’s done is done and cannot be undone. Or something like that.

Evil Empire says:

It is accomplished.

 
 

I would’ve preferred that Girardi take him out before he got to 117 pitches, as Ben said a few days ago, but 3-0 >>>> 2-1

Yeah, I kicked that around as well. But that’s really getting a little too cute. CC was rolling, he’s pitched well on short rest when he hasn’t had to do it too often, it would have been a bit of managing overkill. I wanted to let Joba/Hughes get a little work, but it wasn’t important enough to mess with CC’s groove.

Jim Kaat used to say Baseball is a game of ‘first(s)’. Get that first strike, get that first out, etc etc. Girardi wanted to get that first ALCS win without messing around with it.

dkidd says:

known quantity: cc is dealing
unknown quantity: phil hughes

i’ll take the known quantity every time

 
 
 

Throats: they will be stepped on.

 
Mike Pop says:
 
mustang says:
 
scooter says:

Devil’s advocate: when Andy wins tomorrow, does the thinking change at all?

Mike Pop says:
 
mustang says:

My 2004 scar just itched.

Hell no

 

I would’ve liked to see CC in Game 4 IF the Yankees were to lose Game 3. But hey, if CC in Game 4 means a sweep is on the horizon, so be it.

 
 
BBFan says:

Probably we will sweep and celebrate after that game :)

 
Jake says:

“War, once declared, must be waged offensively, aggressively. The

enemy must not be fended off; but smitten down. You may then spare

him every exaction, relinquish every gain, but ‘til then he must be

struck incessantly and remorselessly.”

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Accent Shallow says:

Does our pitching staff count as a fleet in being?

 
 
ashish says:

Don’t you think you guys are getting a bit ahead of your selves with this whole talk about the sweep? I mean, Andy is clutch but Jered Weaver is a VERY good pitcher in his own right. And the Yankees offense has been dreadful. Now isn’t the time to get cocky.

Handtius says:

Positive Posse in the House! We stay true.

 
 
Salty Buggah says:

No one’s being cocky. We OWN Weaver. He has a career ERA of 5.88 and an ERA of 5.59 in 2009. A-rod OWNs Weaver.

.333/.474/1.133/1.607 in 19 PAs with 4 HRs. That’s insanely insane.

1.333 SLG?!?!?!

Salty Buggah says:

That’s should be 1.133 SLG in the end but that’s still crazy. Also, those are his ERAs against the Yankees.

 
 
andrew says:

I’m not cocky, I’m confident, so when you tell me I’m the best, it’s a compliment

/Ja Rule

 
 
Chris says:

The Yankees offense has not been dreadful. It has been worse than in the regular season, but they’re still the second highest scoring team in the post season:

PHI: 4.83 RPG
NYY: 4.6 RPG
LAD: 4.2 RPG
LAA: 4 RPG
COL: 3.75 RPG
BOS: 2.3 RPG
MIN: 2 RPG
STL: 2 RPG

The other interesting thing is that the Yankees have scored 4 or more runs in every game this post season, and allowed 3 or less runs in every game.

Salty Buggah says:

Those 4 lowest scoring teams are out of the playoffs. Who said pitching wins championships?!?!

/Strawman’d

Hmm…but if pitching truly wins championships wouldn’t the Braves have had more rings in the ’90s than the Yankees did?

dudes says:

who said the yankees didn’t have pitching?

They did. But Maddux-Smoltz-Glavine were the cream of the crop and they only manged to win in ‘95 with them.

 
 
 
 
 
steve (different one) says:

that’s true, b/c what anyone says here will surely affect what happens on the field

 
 
Drew says:

Word. We shouldn’t be confident.

/wait, what’d?

 
 
Alex says:

I hope if we go up 3-0 he changes it to Gaudin. If we are up that much no need to start him on three days rest.

Evil Empire says:

No, more like if we have a chance to clinch a World Series berth there is no need to start Chad Gaudin.

 
Accent Shallow says:

I tend to agree. If the Angels win tomorrow, we should see CC. If they don’t, I’d be ok with Gaudin pitching.

 
Chris says:

No matter who pitches game 4, the final 3 games in the ALCS would be started by AJ, Pettitte, and CC on regular rest (the order would change, though). Since the same pitchers are going to pitch the remaining games, the only thing that matters is which pitcher gives you a better chance to win in Game 4. I like Sabathia on short rest much more than Gaudin.

 
Rocky Road Redemption (formerly RAB poster) says:

I hate managing ;like that. Don’t give the Angels any hope; make no assumptions.

You end up while you can so hat you don’t need to worry about that one last win.

 
Pasqua says:

You close the damn door when you have the chance. It’s not like CC is venturing into uncharted territory. By starting Gaudin you’re saying that, while we’d like to win the series, we don’t feel the need to win it tonight…which is kind of batshit insane.

 
Riddering says:

I’d be all for that…if the WS started the next day.

Girardi will put CC out there the same reason he put Mo in the 8th last night–to have the best chances at winning in the present.

 
 
ansky says:

Terrible idea! Classic overmanaging by Girardi! With the long game last night and the long travel its going to feel more like 2 days rest instead of 3!

/Joe Magrane’d

Rocky Road Redemption (formerly RAB poster) says:

I heard that comment while eating cereal and shot milk out my nose from laughing so hard.

vin says:

Yeah, between that discussion and the Joba to bullpen talk… I had to turn the tv off otherwise my blood pressure would’ve shot up so high, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep.

 
 
steve (different one) says:

i don’t even understand how it’s “overmanaging”. is that the new buzzword for “managing”?

the choice is CC Sabathia or Chad Gaudin.

it’s not really a choice.

Drew says:

“Overmanaging” is the opposite of “undermanaging.”

“Middlemanaging” is a word for suckers.

Basically, if you’re not overmanaging you’re underachieving.
The question is, are you above the influence?

mustang says:
 
 
mustang says:

Is there such a thing as 1/4 managing or 3/4 managing ?

Drew says:

Yes, obviously.

I’d explain but they only relate to football and basketball. In fear of veering off topic, I will save this for another day.

Just remember, if you’re not first you’re last.

AND

If you’re not overmanaging, you’re underachieving.

 
 
 
 
 
Larryf says:

Did CC fly out to LA before the rest of the team?

vin says:

No, I’m pretty sure I saw him in the dugout. The real question would’ve been “did Andy fly out ahead of the team?” And the answer to that is also “no.”

 
 
 
Jake H says:

You go for the throat

 
Evil Empire says:

Game 1 of the World Series is scheduled to be on 10/28, so its not like CC wouldn’t be more than rested for game 1 of the World Series unless the ALCS makes it to a seemingly unlikely game 7.

steve (different one) says:

in which case, you’d be throwing your #3 starter in a game 7 instead of your #1 starter b/c you didn’t want to use CC on short rest in game 4.

 
 
Rocky Road Redemption (formerly RAB poster) says:

We’re going Angel hunting, bitches. And we’re not fooling around.

Bring. It. On.

 
Drew says:

CC won’t make 3 starts this series.

Rocky Road Redemption (formerly RAB poster) says:

Win in four, you say?

Drew says:

Yes.

Some how, Alex Rodriguez is even better in LAOCthehillsA Stadium. The Angels aren’t ready for what is coming.

Evil Empire says:

Seriously. A-Rod is in the zone. He will crush everything in sight when he’s in Los Angeles. He’ll be launching multiple bombs into that wanna-be agrocrag.

whozat says:

Wow, Nickelodeon GUTS reference. Hardcore. Did that show come back or something? I remember it from when I was in HS back in the late 90s.

Evil Empire says:

Dude that show was the bomb back in the day. I used to watch that it all the time when I was a kid. It was almost as good as Legend of the Hidden Temple.

 
 
 
Rocky Road Redemption (formerly RAB poster) says:

Seriously, I find it impossible to criticize A-Rod. You no longer can say he’s not clutch. I know the playoffs aren’t over, but those were two fthe most dramtic HR’s I’ve witnessed (I’ll just leave out the 01′ bombs since those were so high on the drama scale they broke it; it’s really unfair to compare).

Evil Empire says:

Yeah A-Rod is superhuman, this roll is reminiscent of April 2007. I keep saying the guy is due for a big post season and we’re finally cashing in on that notion.

 
 
 
 
 
Mike bk says:

the reason this is not a problem even if up 3-0 is the extra off day after game 4 which means everyone else would be on regular rest so there is no harm in going for the kill with CC if everyone else is on normal and CC wouldnt have to come back short again. depending on the schedule in the series that all might change.

 
Mike HC says:

I also think it is a smart move and I think CC can easily handle it, but I wouldn’t say that the Yanks have been “taking it easy on CC all year.” 230 regular season innings is plenty.

vin says:

Maybe, but he never started on short rest, and he even went on 5 days rest down the stretch when they had all those Thursdays off. Cliff Lee threw 230+ innings. I’d be more worried about a guy like that, than the big-bodied CC.

 
pete says:

I agree it’s plenty, but it’s not overboard. He didn’t pitch on short rest once, and got extra rest a bunch of times. I’m personally in the camp that thinks that recovery time is more important than total innings, which were high for CC because he pitches deep into games

 
Drew says:

We gave him extra days off throughout the final month.

What would you consider “taking it easy” on him? Seriously, what would you do if you were Cash/Joe?

Would you take him out after 90 pitches? Would you pull him after 5 innings? Would you shut him down for a month?

I’m just trying to figure out what it would take for you to consider that the Yanks “took it easy” on CC, our horse.

Mike HC says:

I think pitching 230 innings is what an Ace should pitch, and is a great year, especially with the era CC put up with it. I wouldn’t downplay how much of a horse CC was for us this year by saying we took it easy on him.

Just because the Brewers abused him does not mean the Yanks took it easy. He pitched as many innings as he should pitch every year.

Drew says:

Right, I don’t disagree with anything you said.

I’m just asking, what would you consider “taking it easy” on him? I offered several options and also encouraged you to explain your own thoughts.

Mike HC says:

Taking it easy on CC would be if he pitched about 210 innings or less.

If I was Cash/Joe, I would not have done anything differently.

I would not take him out after 90 pitches.

I would not pull him after 5 innings.

I would not shut him down for the month.

I would consider him pitching 210 innings or less taking it easy on him.

Drew says:

Okay, so he averaged 6.7 (230/34) innings per start. In baseball talk that is 6.2(6 innings and 2 outs).

“Taking it easy” on CC would have been 6.17 (210/34)innings per start. Rounding down, in baseball talk that would be 6 innings per start.

Maybe it is me, but that is not a material difference.

Handtius says:

Math..Pish-posh. I can’t see that with my eyes.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
 
Mike HC says:

You are right. 230 innings and 210 innings are basically the same. I now realize the Yanks have taken it easy on CC this year.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
Drew says:

heh I’m not trying to be a dick. Just trying to understand.

From my eyes, I don’t see how we could have taken it any more easy on him, ya know?

 
Mike HC says:

We are basically arguing over our definition of what “taking it easy” means. I don’t think the Yanks overworked him or took it easy on him. I think 230 innings is a perfect amount for CC and what an Ace should pitch. He was sixth in all of baseball in innings pitched. The leader only pitched 10 more innings than him. If that is taking it easy, I don’t know what you would consider a “normal” year. And what would over working him be, like 280 innings? If you are sixth in all of baseball in innings pitched, I don’t see how that can be considered taking it easy.

 
Drew says:

Word I got you. You think it’s somewhere in the middle, not “overworked” but we didn’t “take it easy on him.”

Hopefully next year we can debate over something this arbitrary again!

 
 
 
 
 
 
Evil Empire says:

Let CC pitch up to 100 I guess? If we’re beating the shit out of Kazmir like I suspect, than you can pull him after 6 innings regardless of his pitch total and let KRob, Jobber, The Phils, and Mo slam the door.

 
 
 
Austin says:

my .02 is throw Gaudin if Andy wins tomorrow. The odds of coming back from a 3-0 deficit in a best of 7 series is around 6.25%, but it has only happened about, 0.95%. This means save CC for regular rest or the WS, whichever comes first, because he did in fact start to pitch worse when he was pitching more on short rest. Therefore, you throw Gaudin in game 4 because he beat the Angels during the regular season after all and then throw CC in the world series for 3 starts if needed. One series on short rest would be better for the team and alow him not to falter in the WS.

steve (different one) says:

i honestly can’t tell if this is satire or not.

Evil Empire says:

I didn’t bother to read past the first sentence until you commented on it. I can’t tell either.

 
Drew says:

My BAC is about .06.

My desire to read his entire post is about 17.33%.

The chance of me actually fulfilling such a desire, eh, about 5%.

Evil Empire says:

The chance of me laughing at this post is 94%

 
Handtius says:

I’m down to .05% after reading responses to it. I also made the decision to stop reading after 5 words.

 
 
 
 
JFH says:

what do you do when the competition is drowning?

shove a hose down his throat and turn on the water.

 
Tank the Frank says:

Seriously, any concerns about this move can be alleviated by winning on Monday. If we go up 3-0, there’s almost no chance CC pitches 3 times this series. The sooner we win the series, the more everyone is rested. I’m assuming the Yankees will go with the same plan in the World Series, and I’m fine with that, given that we end this ALCS as soon as possible. Then let the Phillies throw Pedro and Joe Blanton at us while we have a rested rotation.

steve (different one) says:
 
 
Dela G says:

good move

now let’s go to the world series

 
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