Associated Press
NEW YORK ó The Yankees might go with a three-man rotation against the Los Angeles Angels in the AL championship series.
CC Sabathia is scheduled to start Friday night’s opener, with A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte as New York’s other two primary starters. The shortened rotation would allow manager Joe Girardi to keep Joba Chamberlain and Chad Gaudin in the bullpen.
“It looks like we have some rain in the forecast, so that can change things,” Girardi said Tuesday during a conference call. “We are definitely considering possibly going to a three-man rotation in this round, but we’ll have to take a look at it and see how it goes.”
New York swept Minnesota in the opening round and used Chamberlain as a setup man in all three games. He pitched 12/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, and combined with Phil Hughes and the rest of the bullpen to bolster the link between starters and closer Mariano Rivera.
“That was pretty good with us in the first round,” Girardi said. “If you go to a three-man rotation, obviously he stays in the bullpen. But if you go to a four-man rotation, then we have to weigh the benefits of either putting Joba in the bullpen or putting Chad in the bullpen.”
DODGERS
LOS ANGELES ó Joe Torre says he doesn’t plan to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers after his contract expires.
“I have one year on my contract and I don’t anticipate it being more than that,” he said Tuesday, two days before the Dodgers open the NLCS against Philadelphia.
However, he noted, “I’ve said that before and my wife doesn’t believe me at all.”
The 69-year-old manager is in the middle of a three-year deal he signed nearly two years ago after 12 seasons guiding the New York Yankees. The Dodgers are 179-145 with two consecutive NL West titles under Torre.
His 83 postseason victories are more than any other manager in major league history, and his 14 consecutive playoff appearances as a manager are tied with Atlanta’s Bobby Cox (1991-2005).
General manager Ned Colletti said Tuesday that he’ll sit down with Torre to discuss his future after the season ends.
If the Dodgers were to advance to their first World Series since 1988, Torre said he doesn’t think he’ll walk away a year early.
“It’s fun and if we were fortunate enough to win the World Series, it would make that next year so much sweeter,” he said.
GIANTS
SAN FRANCISCO ó Giants general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy have been planning for the 2010 season for a while now, even with their own contract situations unresolved.
Both knew their futures with the club would be handled in time. Now, they know they’re staying in San Francisco.
Bochy and Sabean each received two-year contract extensions with a club option Tuesday after meeting with managing general partner Bill Neukom. Both men expected to return, but Neukom had said he would wait until the end of the season to make a decision after sitting down to debrief on the year.