2009 World Series - Yankees Vs. Phillies

By JEFF CAPELLINI, WCBSTV.com Senior Sports Producer
NEW YORK (CBS) ― If Andy Pettitte is reading this blog right now the Yankees are in serious trouble.

He should be locked away inside a hyperbaric chamber somewhere because he has one of the biggest starts of his life coming up in a hurry.

And from the looks of him he's not ready. Of course, my inner dread and fear could be what's really at play here. If you look at Pettitte's career statistics on short rest he is without a doubt a fine option for Game 6.

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But, again, he's facing the Phillies, who have the ability to score runs in bunches. They have Chase Utley, who could win the MVP even if the Phillies lose in six games. They have Ryan Howard, who despite all his struggles you have to figure will eventually deliver some kind of devastating blow.

On three days' rest in his career, Pettitte is 4-6 with a 4.15 ERA in 14 regular-season starts. However, the veteran lefty seems to ratchet up the intensity and block out the fatigue in the postseason as he's 3-1 with a 2.80 ERA in five starts on short rest.

But make no mistake, Pettitte was gassed following his Game 3 win in Philadelphia. He had to work for everything he got. The first few innings were especially taxing as the Phillies jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the second. He didn't look comfortable out there on the Citizens Bank Park mound, like he had on a uniform two sizes too small.

In all, on full rest mind you, Pettitte threw 104 pitches -- 59 for strikes -- in his six innings. Not great, but it got the job done.

Pettitte isn't going to blow anyone away. He relies on location and getting ahead in the count. Unlike a sinker or junk-ball pitcher, less rest can be a benefit because you can get more downward movement on the ball. Pettitte's style demands that he hit his spots. On short rest there's no way to really know if his fastball won't float, if his slider won't slide.

It may end up being chuck-and-duck time. You'll know when you see those eyes under the bill of his cap, his glove enveloping his face like Hannibal Lecter's mask.

The difference between a nice six-game Series win and a you-never-know-what-can-happen deciding seventh game rests on one fatigued 37-year-old left arm. It also may be the key to avoiding an offseason of Joe Girardi having to answer a billion questions about short rest and three-man postseason rotations.

It's not panic time by any means, but if you aren't a little nervous you're probably not human.

From where I am standing -- and shaking uncontrollably -- I believe the best case scenario on Wednesday is Pettitte goes five innings and limits the damage. It's time to lower the standards for a quality start. Usually it's six innings and three runs, which Pettitte did not accomplish in his Game 3 win.

I'd settle for five innings and three runs in a heartbeat on Wednesday.

Unlike A.J. Burnett, who proved beyond any doubt on Monday that he's just not a guy you can hitch your wagons to on short rest, Pettitte is a true war horse, someone you know will go down swinging, even if he doesn't have his best stuff.

Odds are Andy will not have anything close to his best stuff in Game 6, but at the same time you have to figure his performance won't warrant forgiveness from the fans.

"Big Game Andy" always seems to find a way to give his team a chance to win.

So whatever he does have Wednesday should be enough to keep the Yankees out of the Game 7, winner-take-all conversation for at least half the game.

Which will be fine by me and everyone else in Yankees Universe.

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For complete World Series coverage, be sure to check out WCBSTV.com's World Series section.



 

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