MINNEAPOLIS – People can say what they want about how using pitchers on three days’ rest rarely works; about how Johan Santana is doomed to fail when he takes the mound today.
Let’s just say the Twins aren’t exactly concerned.
“We’re not too worried about the kid,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Suffice to say, the Twins have other things higher on their priority list than worrying about how Santana will do in Game 4 today. The ace lefty and probable Cy Young winner may be going on short rest, but he’s clearly still their best option.
Especially since the alternative would be Kyle Lohse, who posted a 5.34 ERA this year and allowed four runs in six innings in his only appearance against the Yankees.
“You’ve got to throw your best out there to beat ’em,” Gardenhire said.
And Santana, who went 20-6 with a 2.61 ERA this season, is certainly the Twins’ best. For one thing, he shut out the Yankees for seven innings in Game 1. For another, he has permitted only one run in 16 frames against them this year.
Then again, that’s essentially akin to what Santana has been doing for the last four months against everybody. Incredibly, the last time he allowed more than three runs in a game was June 3, when he surrendered four in 7 2/3 innings against the Devil Rays.
Critics will point to Gardenhire’s decision to pitch Santana on short rest and say recent history doesn’t support the move. Over the last 10 postseasons, pitchers have taken the mound 69 times on just three days’ rest. The results? They’ve gone 16-29 with a 4.49 ERA. And as a starter, Santana has never pitched on three days’ rest.
Then again, the last playoff pitcher to take the mound on three days’ rest against the Yankees was Josh Beckett in World Series Game 6 last year. You know how that turned out.
So Santana isn’t exactly trembling with the thought of not having a full rest between starts.
“This time of the year, it doesn’t matter,” Santana said. “I feel pretty good, and that’s the most important thing.”
One thing that should help the 25-year-old Venezuelan star is his pitching background. He appeared in 27 games as a reliever last year and spent the majority of his early Twins career coming out of the pen.
In other words, his arm is familiar with this kind of use.
“I know what it’s like,” he said.
Santana should also be aided by the weather – or considering the game is going to be played in the Metrodome, the lack thereof. Pitching in Game 1 in frigid Yankee Stadium, Santana noted the cold had a slight impact on his command. There shouldn’t be any problem this time.
“I feel comfortable and feel at home and we’ll see how it goes,” Santana said.
The Twins are counting on short rest not equaling a short outing.
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Game 4 pitching matchup
Twins vs. Javier Vazquez
Player — (H-AB) — AVG.
Shannon Stewart
2004 (2-3) .667
Career (6-11) .545
Jacque Jones
2004 (1-7) .143
Career (1-7) .143
Torii Hunter
2004 (3-7) .429
Career (3-7) .429
Justin Morneau
2004 (2-6) .333
Career (2-6) .333
Corey Koskie
2004 (3-6) .500
Career (3-6) .500
Lew Ford
2004 (1-7) .143
Career (1-7) .143
Cristian Guzman
2004 (1-2) .500
Career (1-2) .500
Michael Cuddyer
2004 (1-3) .333
Career (1-3) .333
Henry Blanco
2004 (1-6) .167
Career (2-15) .133
*
Yankees vs. Johan Santana
Player — (H-AB) — AVG.
Derek Jeter
2004 (1-6) .167
Career (1-8) .125
Alex Rodriguez
2004 (0-2) .000
Career (4-13) .308
Gary Sheffield
2004 (2-5) .400
Career (3-7) .429
Bernie Williams
2004 (0-4) .000
Career (1-8) .125
Jorge Posada
2004 (0-5) .000
Career (1-7) .143
Hideki Matsui
2004 (1-5) .200
Career (3-7) .429
Ruben Sierra
2004 (1-5) .200
Career (1-5) .200
John Olerud
2004 (1-6) .167
Career (3-12) .250
Miguel Cairo
2004 (1-5) .200
Career (2-7) .286
