Playoff Pulse: Yankees Dodge Catcher Controversy This Time Around

Playoff Pulse is our morning rundown of the night that was and the night that will be during the MLB postseason.

Looking Forward ...

Controversy? What controversy? We won't know officially until Saturday afternoon if backup Yankees catcher Jose Molina is once again paired with scheduled Game 2 starter A.J. Burnett, though it seems highly likely that Molina will once again get the nod.

Manager Joe Girardi told reporters before Game 1 that the pairing "worked pretty well last time," about as strong a hint as he could give that it will be an encore for Molina.

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Kudos to Girardi for playing possum on the decision and deflecting attention away from Molina, Burnett and regular catcher Jorge Posada, the latter of whom caused a stir before the ALDS by expressing -- gasp! -- mild disappointment that he wouldn't get to start a playoff game. (Why was this a big deal again?)

But kudos, mostly, to the Yankees. This -- above all else -- is the power of winning, and the Yankees have looked totally unstoppable so far this October. When you're undefeated in the postseason and three wins away from the World Series, it's awfully hard for anyone to second guess you, even the New York media.

In Their Own Words
"They have supported me from the beginning, and they have embraced me since I came." -- Pitcher Vicente Padilla on the difference between the Dodgers' clubhouse and ones he has inhabited in past seasons.
By the Numbers
73 Consecutive postseason games played by the Yankees without getting a complete game from a starter -- a tribute to Mariano Rivera's brilliance. Roger Clemens in Game 4 of the 2000 ALCS was the last Yankee to go the distance in a playoff game. The all-time record is 81. -- Ed Price
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Looking Back ...

So he isn't cementing a clutch reputation on par with David Ortiz or Derek Jeter. Maybe Andre Ethier should be, though. He had four walk-off home runs and six walk-off hits during the regular season, then hit .500 with two homers and five extra-base hits in the Dodgers' NLDS sweep of the Cardinals.

And there he was again on Friday afternoon, digging into the batter's box in the bottom of the eighth inning with Los Angeles knotted at 1-all with the Phillies and the bases loaded.

This time around it was what Ethier didn't do with the bat -- swing. He worked a walk off of J.A. Happ, the Dodgers took the 2-1 lead, and just like that manager Joe Torre was able to hand the ball to fireballer Jonathan Broxton in the ninth inning.

With a few more clutch hits and Dodger wins, it'll be time to start penning the Ethier Legend.

Scout's Eye View ...

It's usually pretty clear in the early part of the game when CC Sabathia is poised for a dominant outing. Friday night was no different.

Here is a good indicator for anyone watching Sabathia starts: If he's getting the fastball to the inside corner on righties, you know he's getting that downward angle through his delivery that can make him so difficult. It also tells us that he's finishing through his delivery well, and therefore able to get that late tailing action on his fastball and changeup.

-- Frankie Piliere (Full Scouting Notebook)

Saturday's Tale of the Tape ...

Angels (Joe Saunders) at Yankees (A.J. Burnett), 7:57 PM ET: Current Yankees are hitting .284 off of Saunders, but he's handled most of them well, with the exception of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez who have worn him out. Rodriguez is 7-for-14 with a pair of homers lifetime against Saunders, so the Angels' left-hander will want to handle him with care. One other thing to watch out for: Saunders was a creature of habit this year, posting a 3.91 ERA on normal rest, a 5.72 ERA with an extra day and a 4.50 ERA with two extra days or more. Saunder's last started 13 days ago in the Angels' regular season finale, so rust could be a factor. Burnett has good numbers on the whole against the Angels, limiting current Halos to a .258 average. Bobby Abreu, Chone Figgins and Mike Napoli have had good success against him. You can be sure Napoli, who sat in Game 1, will be in there in Game 2. He's 4-for-11 with two home runs in his career against Burnett.