ALDS Rotation and Game 3 Questions

Though we still don’t know who we’ll be playing this Friday in Game 1 of the ALCS, the rotation is starting to shake out. Phil Hughes will definitely be in the bullpen this postseason, and we know that CC will start Game 1 and Nova will be given the ball in Game 2. So what about Game 3? According to Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News, the Game 3 starter could depend on whether the Yanks are facing the Tigers or the Rangers.

And given Girardi’s penchant for matchups, that certainly seems plausible. If the Yankees face the Rangers in the ALDS Game 3 would likely belong to Freddy Garcia. In his one start against the Rangers this season he went 6 scoreless innings while giving up only 2 hits. On the other hand, if the Yanks face the Tigers, AJ Burnett could take the mound in Game 3.  Burnett is 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA against the Tigers this season as opposed to Garcia’s 5.14 ERA in one start against the Tigers. Granted, these are small sample sizes and Garcia did strike out 8 Tigers despite allowing 10 hits and 4 runs over 7 innings.

So what do you think Yankees fans – would you play the matchups like Girardi is inclined to do? Or would you look at overall season performance? Or would you leave both Garcia and Burnett out of the ALDS rotation in lieu of another pitcher? Let us know in the comments!