Rethinking Game 4 of the ALDS
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by Npurinto
So as we go to the top of the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium, both the Indians and the Yankees must start looking ahead to Game 4. But first, let us reflect on Eric Wedge’s management of his pitching staff tonight. Against a potent Yankee offense, SP Jake Westbrook skated through his first four innings thanks in large part to four double plays. In the fifth things fell apart as the Yankees strung together four straight hits, concluding with a three-run home run from Johnny Damon.
Eric Wedge faced a difficult decision in the bottom of the sixth: bring Westbrook back for one more inning or go to the pen and try to keep the game within striking distance? Hoping to sneak him through the sixth and save the pen, Wedge let the starter start the sixth. He induced a groundball off the bat of Alex Rodriguez that Jhonny Peralta failed to turn into an out, to put it nicely. Curiously, Wedge yanked Westbrook and handed the ball to Aaron Fultz. Fultz proceeded to give up a base hit to Jorge Posada. A sacrifice bunt by Doug Mientkiewicz and an intentional walk to Hideki Matsui followed. Robinson Cano hammered a single to right that RF Trot Nixon misplayed allowing three runs to score. To all intents and purposes, the outcome of the game was decided.
I can respect the fact that Wedge faced a very difficult decision. Should he use his best relief pitchers in a game with the series at 2-0 with a likely Game 4 on the horizon the very next night? There isn’t a right answer. But if you are going to try to sneak Westbrook through an extra inning, he might as well have stuck with him than bring on Fultz. And once the bases were loaded, he needed to go to his best relievers. Even if LP Rafael Perez had given up the hit to Cano, you could have gone to a less important reliever in the later innings with the game out of hand. To leave Westbrook out there and then go to Fultz was poor management.
Now the question that ought to be considered by Wedge is whether to bring ace C.C. Sabathia back Monday night on three days rest for Game 4 Monday night? Even if the Indians were to lose Game 4, Fausto Carmona would still be available on Wednesday on full rest in Game 5 at Jacobs Field. It would be a gutsy decision for Wedge to go with Sabathia instead of scheduled starter Paul Byrd. But Byrd is a soft-thrower who the Yankees hit hard earlier in the season and while Byrd has been with the Tribe. In three starts against New York the past two seasons, he is 0-3 and has allowed seventeen runs in twelve innings.
An interesting side note has arisen since I started this article: why is the Yankees' most valuable reliever other than Closer Mariano Rivera in the game with a five run lead? Now, Joba Chamberlain has thrown thirty-eight pitches tonight and one must wonder about how long he’ll be able to go if needed tomorrow night.
