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Published: September 29. 2006 3:00AM
Tigers
Rotation could turn on N.Y. jinx
September 29, 2006
from freep.com
Kenny Rogers hasn't beaten the Yankees in 13 years.
That might be why Tigers manager Jim Leyland hasn't announced his playoff
rotation.
The Tigers will play Oakland or the Yankees in next week's best-of-five
series. The order of Leyland's rotation could depend on the Tigers' opponent.
Following his start Thursday, Rogers is in line to pitch Game 1 of the
playoffs Tuesday on his normal four days' rest. Leyland indicated several
days ago that he's thinking about Rogers for Game 1 if the Tigers play
Oakland.
But if the Tigers don't win the Central Division, they will play the Yankees
in the first round. Whoever pitches Game 1 against the Yankees -- in Yankee
Stadium -- would also be in line to pitch there in the decisive Game 5 in the
best-of-five series.
So if Rogers pitches Game 1 against the Yankees, the Tigers would in effect
be banking on him to beat a team twice in a week that he hasn't beaten since
1993.
Rogers has had tremendous success against Oakland. But he said he looks
"forward to the challenge" of facing the Yankees, whom he hasn't pitched
against in 2 1/2 seasons.
"I know I have to make certain adjustments, because I'm positive they have a
very good idea what's coming a lot," Rogers said. "I've seen much less
experienced pitchers with not the same quality stuff go out and beat them. I
plan on finding a way to do that myself."
Rogers stopped short of saying he was tipping his pitches to the Yankees. "I
think they're very good at picking up little tendencies," he said. "I've
cleaned up a little bit. I hope that will make it a little bit easier for me,
and not too easy for them. I know I can beat them. I just haven't done it in
a long time."
During his long 11-start winless streak against New York, Rogers spent two
seasons with the Yankees, 1996-97.
But he hasn't come close to winning at Yankee Stadium as a visiting pitcher
since 1993. Since then, he's 0-5 as a visitor at Yankee Stadium with an 11.25
ERA.
So if the Tigers play the Yankees, Leyland might want to hold Rogers for Game
3, the first game of the series at Comerica Park.
If Leyland didn't use Rogers in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, he'd have three
other choices: right-handers Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman, or
left-hander Nate Robertson.
The most intriguing possibility is Robertson. He has shown a lot of grit this
season, and the ancient left-right percentages say he'd have a better chance
than Verlander or Bonderman in Yankee Stadium, which is made for left-handed
hitters.
In Robertson's lone start in New York this season, he held the Yankees to two
runs in seven innings. He lost, 2-0, to right-hander Chien-Ming Wang, whom
the Yankees plan to start in Game 1 of the division series.
The Tigers' opponent could also determine whether the final bullpen spot for
that series goes to right-hander Zach Miner or a third left-hander.
If it's the Yankees, Leyland might want three lefties so he could bring in a
lefty reliever to face a big Yankees' lefty hitter (such as Jason Giambi or
Hideki Matsui) as early as the fifth inning. Jamie Walker is the lefty sure
to be on the playoff team; the other left-handed relief candidates are Wil
Ledezma and rookie Andrew Miller.
The A's don't have as many left-handed hitters as the Yankees, so Leyland
might want only two lefties for Oakland. That would leave room for Miner.
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