Wang makes sense tomorrow because he could benefit from being tired and pitch well, and quite possibly, better than he pitched in game 1 (which isn’t hard.)  Moose waiting in the wings, and L-Viz and Mo are your bullpen. I would have tried to get through tonight with Farnsworth in the 9th, or perhaps Ohlendorff, but what can you do.. it was a must win and it was played that way, so I can’t complain.

I would go Wang with Moose ready to jump in.

I think there’s a case to be made for either. Moose might not be on because he’s…not that good anymore so you want a safety net. Wang might not be on because of short rest, so you want a safety net. Bottom line, we’re still alive!!!!

“The other thing I know is, I’d give Chien-Ming Wang the ball tomorrow, with Mike Mussina ready to reprise his role from the 2003 ALCS if necessary.”

Hear Hear!

Using Joba for 2 innings was ridiculous tonight, but it might not hurt if we get vintage 7-8 innings from Wanger.

Guess what? Wang has a 2.75 ERA in Yankee Stadium & a 4.91 on the road.  Also, its the “fifth day”... he’s on regular rest now.  However, everywhere I look, I am seeing Moose’s name for tomorrow’s starter.

Yeah, I’d start Wang with Moose on standby.  Bad Wang is probably about as good as Good Moose.

whoops… fourth day… sorry, not regular rest.  I still like Wang.  (snicker!)

just got back from the game, awesome time.  color me confused as to why joe would use joba for 2 and then mo for 1….guess he’s a little afraid now that his job is on the line.  it was great watching joba get loose in the pen.  He danced to the music between innings and generally seemed relaxed.  whatever happens this week, 2008 is going to be pretty sweet.

Also, its the “fifth day”… he’s on regular rest now

No, he pitched Thursday.  If he pitches tomorrow it’s on three days rest.

Phil Hughes was the story of this game.

The other thing I know is, I’d give Chien-Ming Wang the ball tomorrow, with Mike Mussina ready to reprise his role from the 2003 ALCS if necessary.

QFT.

Are the Indians really going with Byrd

are we really going with mussina?

“Are the Indians really going with Byrd”
What gives you the idea Wedge knows what the hell he’s doing?

According to the Indians website, if they go with Byrd, they’ll also have Kelly Shoppach catch, moving V-Mart to 1B and Garko to the bench.

“According to the Indians website, if they go with Byrd, they’ll also have Kelly Shoppach catch, moving V-Mart to 1B and Garko to the bench. “

Degrading their offense for a bad pitcher… I love it!

Pete Abraham says Wang for tomorrow, and talk of Clemens being replaced.  What’s the deal with Kennedy, was he actually hurt at the end of the season, or was that just talk?

<i>Using Joba for 2 innings was ridiculous tonight, but it might not hurt if we get vintage 7-8 innings from Wanger.<i>

Wang at home on regular rest with a good sinker could very well stretch 100 pitches into 8 innings. That’s our best chance to win, and I’m glad Joe is going with that. Mussina is a perfect insurance policy.

I’ve got to say, I’m overall impressed with Torre today, on all fronts:

(1) I either heard or read a suggestion that the ultimatum from GS was a ploy to get the media attention off the players and onto Joe. If that’s the case, A+ on execution, as there were little to no questions about ARods super-duper-unclutchness before the game. And he got 2 hits.
(2) Joe pulled Clemens when it was apparent he was on the brink of making it a 5-0 game and went with a 21 year old with less than 15 starts under his belt.  I’m impressed because Hughes wasn’t the only option (Mussina was an option), but Hughes was definitely the best option.
(3) My initial reaction when I saw Mientkiewicz on deck for Giambi was infuriation, until he put down a perfect sac bunt to the left side and forced Wedge to walk Matsui, allowing Cano to bust it open. If Giambi gets up there and does anything less than getting the runners over, that inning turns out much differently.
(4) Joba for 2 innings? Ehh, ok. He was obviously losing velocity and control and now he’s out for tomorrow, but I don’t have a problem using Joba. I might have tried to press my luck with Farnsworth in the 9th, but it was a must win, so Joe played it that way.
(5) Wang is the best option for tomorrow, and kudos to Joe for making the right call (over starting Mussina.)

Go Yanks!

According to the Indians website, if they go with Byrd, they’ll also have Kelly Shoppach catch, moving V-Mart to 1B and Garko to the bench.

Hey guys, we lost a tough one today, and the momentum is starting to shift. We can wrap this series up with 1 more win, so I’ve decided to go with the house money line up tomorrow.

Hmm.. makes sense to me.

Pete Abraham says Wang for tomorrow, and talk of Clemens being replaced.  What’s the deal with Kennedy, was he actually hurt at the end of the season, or was that just talk?

I was convinced that they were just shuffling to set up the rotation, but when they didn’t put him on the roster, I concluded that the injury was legit. If he’s available, Kennedy is the guy you take. It’s the same thing I posted in response to Don’s babbling - forgetting roles, Kennedy is your nth best pitcher and you’re allowed m pitchers on the playoff roster. m > n

Just realized that the Yankees just broke a 5 game playoff losing streak.

Wang over Mussina is a no-brainer.  If this is indeed the call that Torre is making, it’s a good one.

What’s wrong with Cap’n Jeets?  He’s just been putrid at the plate.

Not everyone.

I have said all year that A-Rod is staying.

I hope Torre is not re-signed no matter what. His decision to pull Hughes after the 6th inning was the latest in a long line of dumb moves. That Joba was in for 38 pitches could cost them in Game 4.

As I posted yesterday, the Yankees just need to hold serve. One down, one to go, then on to Game 5. I’m very confident.

J,

Excellent post and on the money. Torre did a great job.

I hope they go with the same lineup tomorrow.

I think Roger is too injured to be ready for the next round if we make it, so it makes sense to invoke the inury rule. 

The $64 question is who do they pick? My guess is its a reliever and not Kennedy. They can add Kennedy for round 2 under the regular rules for changes as each round ends.

I dont have a strong preference from those to pick from but my guess its Villone if only to make the Indians have to take it into account in their moves. I dont see Britton or Ramirez being any better but wouldnt be surprised either.

If any of them were really good, they’d have been on the roster already.

One more thing: It was obvious to some of us that Hughes should have started the game instead of Clemens.

If the Yankees advance to the ALCS, I really hope the rotation is Wang, Pettitte, Hughes, and Kennedy.

One more thing: It was obvious to some of us that Hughes should have started the game instead of Clemens.

Yes, but Torre has to live in the real world, and you don’t pay a guy $28 million to not start in the postseason.

Yes, but Torre has to live in the real world, and you don’t pay a guy $28 million to not start in the postseason.

All things being equal, I would agree, but the guy has a tear in a ligament in his pitching elbow and probably a torn hamstring, which had limited him to one start (albeit an effective one) since September 3rd.

It’s often said that the biggest benefit of the financial advantage that the Yankees’ revenue streams confer is the ability to write off player personnel mistakes more easily than other franchises. So even though $28 million (or $17 million, his pro rated salary) is a ton of money, when viewed in the context of a $200+ million payroll, it can more readily be considered a sunk cost.

Consequently, I think monetary expenditures have to treated as subordinate to doing whatever is necessary to put the team in the best possible position to win a WS, which would generate sufficient revenue to at least partially offset Clemens’s exorbitant contract.

Hey guys, just got home and browsed thru the game chatter. i was watching the game at a watering hole, but nice to see we were all on the same page.

apart from joba pitching two, no gripes here. it’s always nice when you’re spotted 6 runs by Red Sox. suppose we won’t figure to use him against paul byrd. i also have a warm fuzzy feeling regarding Wang. he generally rebounds well, and will pitch his tail off either way.

i gotta say, watching the first 3+ innings of this game unfold, i could not help but think about Game 7 in ‘03. clemens struggling, nixon homering, never doubting. to me roger’s exit was very symbolic. his body language was so bad tonight, and after he struck out V-Mart, he looked like a slumped old man. his uni seemed to be dripping off of him like The Babe’s was in that classic photo. you could sort of see in his face that this guy was done, and for the first time you actually believed you were seeing The Rocket walk off the mound for the last time… however when the ball was passed to Phil- wow. Magic. A pitcher possessed. The future sure looks bright.

We beat the tribe three times in a row twice this season. Let’s get this thing back to the Jake.

How many pitches did Phil Huggies throw? 63 in 3.2 innings. That is a reason he should not have started. Otherwise it would have been Mussina in relief of him and this worked a whole lot better, IMO.

Hughes really does need to economize his pitches.

It hurts to have been so wrong about Hughes, huh Don?

Don, that would put Phil into the 6th. It would be the bullpen to relieve him. Just apologize about being wrong about Hughes and get over with it.

The TBS announcer said it all: “Phil Hughes may be saving the Yankees’ season.”

For one game, anyway, that’s exactly what he did.  He was very, very good, and the pitch count wasn’t terrible.  It works out to 102 pitches for 6 IP.  Of course there’s no saying he wouldn’t have had a quick inning and gone 7 or a bad inning and gone only 5.  Still, he was the best option to start the game and I’m very, very happy that the choice to start Clemens didn’t kill the team. 

Wang with Moose as backup is the best choice for tonight, and Mo should be available for 2 innings if needed (b/c Joba will either be unavailable or available for 1 inning only).  The offense needs to pound the hell out of Byrd and get this back to Cleveland.

LET’S GO YANKEES!

SG, sorry but I don’t know where I was “wrong” about Hughes. I merely said that I wasn’t sure he deserved to be on the post season roster. I did not say he shouldn’t be. The pitcher I did not want to see on the roster was Ohlendof.

That’s ‘Ohlendorf’.

sleepy, you need to read post 33. Thanks for your apology in advance.

Your post is silly, not surprisingly though. Hughes has been at 90+ in the fifth inning quite often. I stand by my post at 29. Get over it.

And it is amazing that when I post something days ago, something that people are mistaken about, they remember it. Days later. Wow! Always on your mind.

“I merely said that I wasn’t sure he deserved to be on the post season roster. I did not say he shouldn’t be. “

How can someone not “deserved” to be on the post-season roster, but should be on the roster?
And you call my posts silly!

sleepy, you are confused.

First, I don’t make the Yankees post season roster.

Second, I expressed an opinion that I wasnt sure if Hughes deserved a spot. That is a simple enough statement. Then you say I should “apologize”? Apoplogize for what, exactly?