The Rangers are in control entering Game 3 of the ALCS. The series is tied and the Yankees stole home-field advantage, but Texas has the hammer because Texas has Cliff Lee. And now Yankees manager Joe Girardi could be faced with making a major decision regarding his pitching rotation.
Lee is the ultimate lineup-buster. He works deep into games and pounds the strike zone. His last three playoff starts on the road (25 IP, three runs, no walks, 31 strikeouts) came against the Rays and Yankees. He starts Game 3 on Monday night at Yankee Stadium, and everyone — with the exception of Girardi and the Yankees — expects him to win, which means we’re less than a day away from every reporter in New York flooding Girardi with the following question:
Who starts Game 4?
As of now, the answer to that question is A.J. Burnett, which just sent every Yankees fan in the country into cardiac arrest. If New York loses Game 3, Girardi has the option of bringing back CC Sabathia. Of course, there’s a major issue with that — and it has nothing to do with Sabathia’s ability to pitch on short rest.
Burnett will pitch at some point in this series. He’s a noted head case with a history of inconsistency. He sounds like an awful guy to rely on in Game 4. But can the Yankees demote him to Game 5 without completely psyching him out? It’s a question worth asking and one Girardi hopes he doesn’t have to wrestle with Tuesday morning.
