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Mariners vs. Yankees |
Mets vs. Cardinals
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Saturday, October 14
ALCS notebook: It's official, Neagle to start Game 5
By Wayne Drehs
ESPN.com
SEATTLE -- Yankees manager Joe Torre wasted plenty of time deciding on his starter for Game 5 and when all was said and done, it turned out to be Denny Neagle anyway.
Though Neagle was outdueled by Seattle's Freddy Garcia in Game 1, he was effective nonetheless, giving up just two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. That performance was enough to earn Neagle a spot in Game 5, where he will try to send the Yankees to their fourth World Series in five years.
Torre said the decision was finalized after Friday night's 8-2 Yankee win. Had New York lost, Torre said he would have considered using Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez on three days' rest.
"My feeling was that I would rather have -- if there is a Game 6 and a Game 7 -- El Duque and (Andy) Pettitte at full strength in those two games," Torre said. "I'm not sure what we would have done if we were down 3-1."
That's hardly a vote of confidence for Neagle, whose made a career out of getting pushed aside on All-Star postseason staffs. In Atlanta, he competed with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz for starts, while in New York it's Hernandez, Andy Pettitte and Saturday's winner Roger Clemens blocking Neagle's path.
"In '97, I won 20 games, almost won the Cy Young and still was the fourth starter with (Atlanta)," Neagle said. "Just like the situation there, I told everybody the same thing there. I said it's hard to argue with Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. Who are you going to bump from those three?"
Neagle, who came over to the Yankees in a trade with Atlanta in July, has appeared in 11 postseason games, going 1-1 with a 3.10 ERA. But more importantly, he's picked up numerous nuances in postseason pitching by rubbing shoulders with the likes of Maddux, Pettitte, Clemens and others.
From Pettitte, Neagle said he learns what pitches to use in critical situations. From Clemens, he picked up a strong work ethic and from El Duque, it's the ability to maintain intensity and poise during adversity.
"I was fortunate to play with these guys and learn a lot from them," Neagle said. "I think you can always pick a little from each guy that you watch. It definitely helps me out."
Neagle said he first got word of Sunday's start in the locker room after Friday's game. He admitted the last few days waiting in limbo, wondering if he would start were difficult, but that there was little else he could do. In his favor he had the strong Game 1 start, but against him was an 0-3 finish in his last three regular-season starts, in which he posted a 15.19 ERA.
"There was concern that maybe I might not get the nod again," Neagle said. "I knew there was a possibility they might want to bring back El Duque, but I can't worry about that. All I can think is that I did a good job in Game 1 to warrant another start."
Through all the indecision about whether Neagle should start, the New York media, Yankee fans and possibly even Torre have lost some confidence in Neagle. Still, despite his late-season slide, the 32-year-old says he remained positive.
"The one thing I was not concerned about what losing confidence in myself," Neagle said. "But, obviously, that outing (in Game 1) is definitely a lift. Hopefully I can feed off that for this next one."
Mariners shuffle lineup
Much like Torre did in Game 2, hoping to generate some offensive life into his ballclub, Seattle manager Lou Piniella shuffled his lineup in Game 4.
Though Clemens was in rare form Saturday, the results were still disappointing and came one day after Piniella said he wouldn't touch the lineup until a potential Game 6. Apparently, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Stan Javier batted leadoff in right field, replacing Jay Buhner. Al Martin started in left field for Rickey Henderson and batted second. David Bell moved to second base for Mark McLemore (batting eighth), Carlos Guillen played third base (batting seventh) while center fielder Mike Cameron dropped from second in the order to sixth.
Aside from Al Martin's double in the seventh inning, which broke up a potential Clemens no-hitter, nobody else in this group even reached base.
The only mainstays in the lineup were the 3-4-5 hitters, which include shortstop Alex Rodriguez, designated hitter Edgar Martinez and first baseman John Olerud. Rodriguez and Olerud each walked once.
"We are 10-4 when (Javier) leads off," Piniella said before the game. "He's patient. Martin matches up well against Roger, if there is such a thing. And Guillen, he swung the bat well for us at times this year and hopefully a fresh bat will give him a chance."
Entering Sunday's Game 5, the Mariners have scored just five runs in the first four games of the series. Only the 1983 White Sox (three) and the 1990 Red Sox (four) have scored fewer runs in the first four games of an ALCS.
Tough luck
The hard luck continued for Seattle starter Paul Abbott Saturday night.
Abbott, who at 33 just completed his first full season in the majors thanks to various injuries and minor-league demotions, left the game prior to the sixth inning with stiffness in his throwing shoulder.
He struggled with his control late in the fifth inning, giving up a two-out single to Scott Brosius and then walking Chuck Knoblauch before Derek Jeter smashed a three-run homer.
A Dave Justice grounder ended the inning and Abbott returned to warm up in the sixth, but apparently couldn't get over the stiffness in his shoulder.
"He couldn't get it loose," Piniella said. "He kept playing around with his arm. The pitching coach went out there and the trainer went out there and said that his shoulder was getting really stiff.
"I think he wanted to stay in there because of the adrenaline, but truthfully, his shoulder was really stiff."
Prior to the two-out, fifth inning rally, Abbott had surrendered just two hits.
Odds and ends
New York's pitching staff has a 1.25 ERA in the first three games of the series. ... Yankees first baseman and former Mariner Tino Martinez had his eight-game postseason hitting streak snapped Saturday, as he went 0-for-4. Martinez entered the game batting .438 in the playoffs, tops in the majors. ... Seattle's bullpen, which hadn't surrendered a run in the first 13 innings of the playoffs, has now allowed 12 runs in its last nine innings. ... New York's 3-1 series lead is the ninth time in ALCS history a team has led 3-1. Six of those previous eight teams reached the World Series. ... With his 0-for-2 performance Saturday, Mariners catcher Dan Wilson, a career .262 hitter, is 2-for-55 lifetime in the postseason (.036) and 0-for-22 in the ALCS. ... With his eighth-inning, two-run homer, David Justice increased his career ALCS RBI total to 20, tying him with Reggie Jackson for second place all-time, one behind leader Steve Garvey.
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