Will Yankees manager Joe Girardis pitching decisions pay off?
Girardi was under tremendous pressure because he had no obvious choice after CC Sabathia for Game 2 (which also would line up that pitcher for Game 5). Here were his options: a) Andy Pettitte: Hasn’t thrown more than 88 pitches in a game since July 8 and allowed a .361 batting average against since he returned from the DL. b) A.J. Burnett: He is the worst starting pitcher in Yankees history among any pitcher given 30 starts (5.26 ERA). Since May 9 he is 6-15 with a 6.16 ERA. His swing-and-miss percentage was a career low. c) Phil Hughes: In his final eight games he went 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA. d) Four days of snow in Minneapolis. Scratch d). The weather looks great in Minneapolis. On Tuesday morning, the Yankees announced that they would go with Pettitte for Game 2 and Hughes for Game 3, leaving Game 4 open for the time being. The best option might have been Hughes. In those past eight games, he at least has held batters to a .229 average, suggesting his stuff is there. But Girardi likely
