Back off the Cliff
Lee gets 2nd victory in Series, Utley hits 5th homer to keep Phillies alive
PHILADELPHIA -- A day after showing obvious irritation over the topic, Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had a little fun over his hotly debated decision to keep ace Cliff Lee on his regular four days of rest during the 105th World Series.
''What's that old saying?'' Manuel said Monday night as his smile widened. ''Spahn and Sain and pray for rain? Got an off day tomorrow, maybe it'll rain the next day and I can get him in on three days like you guys are talking about.''
(AP)
Fact is, the Phillies are delighted the topic still has legs today after they held on for an 8-6 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 5 to pump up the volume at a wild Citizens Bank Park and cut their deficit to 3-2 entering a day off today.
The Series is scheduled to resume Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, where the Phillies will start a rested Pedro Martinez against a short-rested Andy Pettitte.
And the debate over how each manager is handling his rotation will continue to live on.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi is sticking with keeping all of his starters on three days' rest. That worked fine for ace CC Sabathia, who prevailed in Game 4.
But the results weren't as pretty for Game 5 starter A.J. Burnett, who left in the third inning after the first four batters reached base. In two innings, Burnett was battered for six runs -- the big blow Chase Utley's three-run homer in the first inning. It was the first of Utley's two home runs in the game.
''He felt good,'' Girardi said. ''A.J. struggled today. That's something that happens in the game of baseball.''
Girardi had the option of using former Cubs reliever Chad Gaudin to start Game 5 or even Game 6, but stuck with his three-man rotation. And he appears just as comfortable with his decision as Manuel was with his own.
''The interesting thing is Chad hasn't thrown much in the last month, and that's a difficult spot to put him in,'' Girardi said of Gaudin, who hasn't pitched since Oct. 20 and hasn't started since Sept. 28. ''So we feel this is the right move.''
Lee, meanwhile, wasn't as sharp as he was in a complete-game victory in Game 1, but he kept the Yankees quiet early, taking an 8-2 lead into the eighth inning. He allowed five runs and seven hits in seven-plus innings.
''I had to battle a little more than I've had to the past few games,'' Lee said. ''But thankfully we scored a lot of runs. We won, that's the bottom line. I really don't care how we got it done.''
The Phillies' offense broke out -- and broke out big.
Utley now has five home runs this World Series, tying Reggie Jackson -- Mr. October -- for the single-Series record.
''Obviously, it's great company,'' Utley said. ''At some point -- not right now -- maybe I'll look back on it and see what kind of special moment it is. But right now, our goal is to win two more games.''
The Yankees nearly pulled the rug out from under the Phillies with a ninth-inning rally off right-hander Ryan Madson, who was subbing for closer Brad Lidge. Manuel said he wanted to give Lidge a rest after he took the loss in an emotionally draining game the night before.
After allowing one run and having Johnny Damon standing on second base, Madson struck out Mark Teixeira to end the game.
''That was definitely the biggest game of my career,'' Madson said. ''We went out and played like we were up 3-1 instead of being down 3-1.''
Now the focus swings back to the mound.
Girardi said he will make a final decision today on whether Pettitte will start Game 6, but it's clear he won't put the Series in Gaudin's hands. Martinez is 0-3 with a 5.67 ERA in his last six postseason outings against the Yankees.
And Lee says he's ready to pitch whenever Manuel taps him on the shoulder. That could mean relieving in Game 6 or a potential outing in Game 7. But Manuel, who watched Game 4 starter Joe Blanton get chased early by the Yankees, has no regrets about his decision not to use Lee on short rest.
''I've seen it work, and I've seen it not work,'' Manuel said. ''If we would have pitched Lee [in Game 4] and he would have won, we'd still need to win [Game 5]. And who's to say that if Lee pitches tonight and we win, who's to say ... he might pitch again.''