Yankees at Phillies-World Series Game 4

The Yankees will try to make it 3 straight over the Phillies and move within one game of their 27th World Title. CC Sabathia the Yankees horse will be on the mound against Joe Blanton who the Yankees have done really well against when they have faced him. He faced them 4 times and has a 8+era from when he was in Oakland. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via the Lohud Yankees Blog. Sabathia will be pitching on short rest for the second time this postseason though he had extra rest (seven days) before his Game 1 start. Going short isn’t a problem for Sabathia, who is 5-3 with a 3.16 ERA when pitching on short rest in his career (including postseason). The last time he did it, he went eight innings allowing just one run in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Angels. I actually think CC was a little off in Game 1 although he pitched well and expect him to be better tonight. Alex Rodriguez finally got his first World Series hit in Game 3, hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning also making history as the first postseason use of instant replay. Rodriguez was also hit by pitches twice, tying a World Series record set on five other occasions. If A-rod hits now in the World Series watch out, the Yankees are a different team when he is hitting. While A-Rod broke out of his mini-slump from the first two games, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard continues to be a non-factor. Howard fanned seven times in his eight at bats in Games 2 and 3, and his nine total strikeouts are three shy of the overall Series record (set by Kansas City’s Willie Wilson in 6 games in 1980). The Yankees would like Ryan Howard to wait until next year to break out of his slump. After struggling in his first postseason appearance during Game 3 of the Division Series, Damaso Marte has been the most reliable reliever in the Yankees bullpen ever since. He has faced nine batters and retired them all, striking out three. Marte has thrown 77 % of his pitches for strikes. Marte is finally resembling the guy the Yanks thought they traded for. Jorge Posada’s single in the seventh inning of Game 3 was his 87th postseason hit, moving him past Pete Rose and into seventh place on the all-time list. Those who were worried about Hideki Matsui coming off the bench needn’t have fretted: Matsui now has a .370 (10-for-27) career pinch hit average, including the regular and post-season. He alsoconnected for the 24th pinch-hit home run in World Series history in the eighth inning of Game 3, and that was the first since his teammate, Eric Hinske, did it for the Rays in Game 4 of last year’s Series. Of the 24, it was the eighth by a Yankee (last was Jason Giambi on Oct. 23, 2003, Game 5 at Florida). Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Cabrera(CF) Sabathia(P) Phillies Lineup: Rollins(SS) Victorino(CF) Utley(2B) Howard(1B) Werth(RF) Ibanez(LF) Feliz(3B) Ruiz(C) Blanton(P) Joe Girardi announced to the beat writers just a little while ago that A.J. Burnett will be starting tomorrow on 3 days rest and he plans on keeping the 3 man rotation. Chad Gaudin has been told to prepare for anything but unless a starter gets knocked out early I don't think he will get into a game.