Two games does not a series make, but 18 innings into his first foray into the World Series, Alex Rodriguez sure looks uncomfortable, doesn't he?
The numbers are right there in black and white for all to see: Eight at-bats, six strikeouts -- some that have made him look silly -- and two weak groundouts to third. This coming after he hit .438 (14 for 32) with two doubles, five home runs and 12 RBIs as the Yankees rolled over the Twins and Angels to make it to the 40th World Series in franchise history.
Both Phillies starters to date -- Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez -- have had their way with A-Rod using a combination of fastballs off the plate and off-speed pitches low and away. It's a strategy that, I'm sure, Cole Hamels will employ as the series moves to Philadelphia for the weekend.
For the Yankees to secure their 27th World Series title, the middle of their line-up has to begin to produce or the Phillies may not allow this series to return to the Bronx next week. It was a good sign in Game 2 that Mark Teixeira finally emerged from his career playoff slump (6 RBIs, 14 Ks in 58 at-bats coming in) with a game-tying solo home run off a dominant Martinez in the fourth inning. A-Rod gets all the heat for his past post-season stumbles but other members of their high-octane offence need to pick it up quickly.
Nick Swisher (.114), Teixeira (.196), Robinson Cano (.214) and Johnny Damon (.220) have all been lacking during these playoffs. A-Rod, with his massive salary and public celebrity lifestyle, catches all the flack but others in the Yankee clubhouse need to take long looks in the mirror. They mowed over the American League this season because they clicked on all cylinders, something that we witnessed during the first two rounds, but has been nowhere to be seen against the tough and battle-tested Phillies.
It will also be interesting to see how the Yankees react to the change in venues. With their offence basically non-existent through the first 12 innings of the series, you could clearly hear the grumblings of discontent from their normally positive home crowd. It will be different in Philly where the home crowd can be downright nasty (remember, they booed Santa Claus once) and can get on the opposition and stay on them all game long. Keeping A-Rod uncomfortable shouldn't take much for the leather lungs that inhabit Citizens Bank Park.
THAT'S WHAT THE FUSS WAS ABOUT
As Toronto fans can attest, having seen him make 80 starts as a Blue Jay between 2006 and 2008, A.J. Burnett can be equal parts superstar and sluggo. One start unhittable, the next quite average, with the key being what's going on underneath his cap. This season has been much of the same in the Bronx, where he signed in the off-season after exercising an out-clause in his deal with the Jays. On July 27th, he easily handled the Rays in St. Petersburg to pick up his 10th win to go with a 3.53 ERA, almost a half run below his career number. But the rest of the regular season saw the old A.J. return, going just 3-5 with an ERA approaching five over his final 13 starts, and he was seemingly more interested in dropping a shaving cream pie on a teammate during post-game interviews than in his own success.
In the first two rounds of the playoffs, more of the same: three earned runs over his first two starts, six in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Angels including the first four batters he faced coming around to score. But in his first ever World Series start on Thursday night against the Phillies, Burnett showed why he is considered one of the top arms in the game.
In his seven innings of work, he threw first-pitch strikes to the first 11 Phillies he faced, retired his final eight hitters as the Yankees clung to a one-run lead and struck out nine Phillies with, as former Blue Jays teammate Matt Stairs described it, an unhittable back door curve. His performance matched Cliff Lee's from Game 1 and got the Yankees back into the series. And his seven-inning masterpiece allowed Joe Girardi to skip past the middle relievers and bring in Mariano Rivera to complete his 14th career, six-out, post-season save.
The series now moves to Philadelphia after Friday's off-day and is now a best-of-five. Hamels, the MVP of last year's Fall Classic, who has been sub-standard this post-season (11 earned runs in 14.2 innings over three starts), faces veteran left-hander Andy Pettitte, whose 16 career playoff wins are the most in post-season history.
