Anti-Yankee Machine

We'll get to Jimmy Rollins tomorrow (I hope) but for tonight, I would like to  focus on how everyone says Eric Wedge should be starting CC Sabathia vs. the Yankees on short rest.

Howard Bryant's lead story at ESPN.com says so, Rob Neyer says so, and the guy that Neyer links to says so, as well.

Somebody by the name of Chris Ruddick actually goes into print saying,

Mark my words he [Byrd] is going to get destroyed tonight

If the Indians blow this series, this decision tonight will be the reason why.

I think of 2004 when the Astros went back to St. Louis with the momentum after Jeff Kent's three-run shot won Game Five of the NLCS.

We had Clemens, and we had Pete Munro, and I for one thought that you had to give your best pitcher his rest, and that's how I feel now.  

Back in '04, Garner chose to give Roger his full rest, and start Munro in Game Six.  

What happened was the Astros nearly won Game Six despite Munro, then Clemens lost Game Seven.

But what that says to me is not that you should start your good pitchers on three days.  What it says is that you should have better number four starters.

Sometimes you're fucked no matter which way you go, and if the Indians don't win this series, it won't be because Eric Wedge is stupid, it'll be because the Indians' pitching staff wasn't deep enough.

Also thought this was interesting, in which Jay Jaffe is pretty convincing in making his case that Chien Ming Wang has a real advantage when pitching at the Stadium.

Conventional wisdom says that a sinkerballer is the pitcher least affected by pitching on short rest, that a little tiredness in the bones helps the sinker drop.  I certainly remember such a thing being said back in the heyday of Astro middle reliever Juan Agosto.

Pinto over at Baseball Musings ain't so sure this is gonna help Wang, though, because "Wang throws his hard," meaning his sinkerball presumably.  Pinto also is one of the few who have been willing to go into print saying that Wedge is making the right move with Byrd, or more to thepoint, with Sabathia on full rest in Gamefiveifnecessary.

One of the few, along with me.

Go Injuns!