Girardi's gamble

For the Philadelphia Phillies, they staved off elimination thanks, mostly, to the Soccer jerseys red hot bat of Chase Utley, who blasted two more home runs in Game 5 to give him five total in five games against the Yankees, tying Reggie Jackson (1977) for the most home runs in a single World Series. Watching Utley go about his business has been a sheer joy. He grinds out at-bats and when the pitcher makes a mistake, he makes them play. And the best part has been the fact that he refuses to take 'curtain calls' when the crowd gives him a post-homer standing ovation, something that the players in the opposite dugout can't claim.
The second guessers are starting to clear their throats after A.J. Burnett, pitching on three days, failed miserably to close out the series. Much like in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Angels, Burnett came out and laid an egg in the first inning, allowing the Phillies to jump out to a 3-0 lead before there were any outs courtesy of Utley's first of two home runs. After that, Burnett seemed to find a rhythm, although it was becoming painfully apparent for Yankees supporters that Burnett's backdoor curve, which was so effective in Game 2, didn't have as much bite and/or wasn't being called a strike by home plate umpire Dana DeMuth. The result was that Burnett was hooked four batters into the third which led to three more Phillies runs crossing. The Yankees did their darndest to claw their way back into it thanks to A-Rod and Johnny Damon, but tack-on runs, thanks to solo home runs by left-handed hitters off left-handed specialist Phil Coke provided the eventual margin of victory.
So it's back to the Bronx for a match-up of wily starters Pedro Martinez versus Andy Pettitte. The Yankees, with a 3 games to 2 lead have some wiggle room; the Phillies not so much.
Where the second guessers are starting to flash their 'I told you so' looks is in regard to Yankees' manager Joe Girardi's election to go with a three-man rotation in the series, which guaranteed, weather-permitting, that ace CC Sabathia would make two starts (if the series goes the maximum seven games) on three-days rest, while Pettitte and Burnett would make one apiece. So far, Girardi is batting .500 on that call. Sabathia pitched into the 7th in Game 4 as the Yankees took a 3-2 lead in the series. Burnett was not even close to being as sharp the next night and the series now heads back to New York.
For the New York Yankees, it's time to go home to the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium II to sew up their 27th World Series championship all-time and their first in their new digs. For Alex Rodriguez, it's his chance to finally be fully welcomed into fraternity of all-time Yankee greats, thanks to 18 RBI this post-season, most ever by a Yankee hitter in the playoffs and one short of the Major League record held by Sandy Alomar Jr. ('97 Indians), Scott Spiezio ('02 Angels) and David Ortiz ('04 Red Sox). That is, of course, if the Yankees sew this in the next couple of games. Nothing short of a World Series win would give A-Rod that acceptance no matter how many runs he drives in.
But it will all fall at the feet of micro-managing Girardi should the Yankees cough up a 3-1 lead and fail to close this out. His options for a fourth starter weren't that great: Chad Gaudin or Joba Chamberlain. Gaudin hadn't made a start since September 28th and has only thrown 2.1 innings over the last five weeks so his effectiveness would be very questionable. Chamberlain was the fourth starter all season and would be expected to at least give them five innings. But his value in the post-season has been in the set-up that he cut his teeth on in the past. So, I'm guessing that the choice to go with a three-man post-season rotation was the better gamble.

For the sake of Girardi, who would have to answer for this should he fail to win the Yankees first World Series title since 2000, there's a lot on the line.
The funny thing was that Burnett, coming into the start, had been successful pitching on short rest, having gone 4-0 with an ERA of 2.33 in four starts on three days rest. But pitching on short rest against the Royals in the middle of June is one thing, facing the Phillies in Game 5 of the World Series is something altogether different.
For Pettitte, whose 17 career wins in the post-season are the most ever, this will mark the 22nd time that he will make a start on three days rest. His career stats are 8-7, 3.68 ERA, .252 OPP AVG. Not great, but certainly not horrible either. And if Pettitte falters, then it will all fall on the broad shoulders of Sabathia who was inked to a 7-year, $161 million contract last off-season just for starts like this.