Interesting factoid from Pete Abe today: if the Yankees go .500 the rest of the season, they’ll win 99 games. So a 100+ win season is a pretty good bet, as is a playoff berth.
So how does the rotation line up for the playoffs?
The beginning of the year, you’d think it would go 1. Sabathia, 2. Burnett, 3. Joba, 4. Pettitte. Right now, based on performance, it should go 1. Sabathia, 2. Pettitte, 3. Burnett, 4. Joba.
However, consider the following:
AJ Burnett Home ERA: 3.47
AJ Burnett Road ERA: 5.12
If the Yankees secure home-field – and right now they have a 5.5 game lead on the Angels – wouldn’t it make more sense to let AJ pitch game 2, at home, and let Pettitte pitch on the road? Plus, in a 7 game series, that would line up Pettitte to pitch a potential game 7.
