Joe Girardi would like to take this moment to completely ignore any or all of your favorite "don't out think the room" cliches. The Yankee manager's inexplicable decision to lift right handed reliever David Robertson in favor of right handed reliever Alfredo Aceves in the name of matching up (?) has attracted the criticism wagon train out to Anaheim. Generally, I'm not in to the whole blame the manager when something goes wrong game. However, the amount of head scratching done because of his decisions has bascially left me without a choice in the matter. With that said, far be it for me to be left behind on this wonderfully justified Girardi bash.
For all of those who don't follow the Yankees with the borderline unhealthy fervor that I do, this is nothing new for the skipper. His obsession with statistics and creating the perfect pitching match up has reached a level that he has become almost a caricature of Tony LaRussa. Very rarely do teams carry specialist pitchers that are used in anything other than a one-and-done fashion these days. Relievers are now more likely to be counted on for a full inning or more, regardless of who is batting or what their handedness is. Girardi carries 2 specialists on his playoff roster in Phil Coke and Damaso Marte. Not only do these pitcher's artificially lengthen a game by demanding constant pitching changes, the are more or less dead weight in a short series. With only a 25 man roster to work with in the playoffs, there is no room for a one-and-done player. If Girardi cannot trust a bullpen pitcher for more than 1/3 of an inning, they probably shouldn't be on the roster.
What was especially troubling about Girardi's final trip to the mound in Game 3 was that it was clear that he had made up his mind about what he was going to do, even after Robertson got two quick outs. Instead of trusting his eyes and watching his reliever retire two hitters who are far more adept than Howie Kendrick, Girardi went to his Grey's Anatomy size stats book and lifted his pitcher. Why you ask? Who knows. If ESPN has to look up Kendrick's percentage of hits against the fastball and the average number of fastballs Robertson and Aceves throw to hitters, you're probably over thinking the situation. For a manager who is obviously obsessed with knowing a pitcher's history against a batter and the variety of pitches they throw, Girardi must have a fairly selective memory. Lest he forget, Aceves was the pitcher who forced A-Rod into the hero role (again) in Game 2 with his futility in the 11th inning. As soon as he started down from the bullpen my first thought was "this moment is way too big for him to handle". Of course, because I went with my gut instinct, I was right. See Joe, it is that easy sometimes.
Lucky for Joe, he might get the mental break he needs in Game 4, when he sends one of the best stoppers in the majors, CC Sabathia, to mound tonight. But then again, if the wrong match up presents itself, maybe even CC will have to look over his shoulder for his manager.
In the Binder Girardi Trusts.
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