Playoff Pulse: Double Down on Rivera

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

Looking Forward ...

For the seventh time in his playoff career as a closer (1995-96 not included), Mariano Rivera made a second consecutive appearance of two innings or more Thursday, sealing it with a six-out save in Game 2 of the World Series after he shut the door on the Angels in Game 6 of the ALCS.

That, of course, is a tribute to Rivera's unrivaled excellence and his durability, but it may also reveal something about the state of the Yankees' bullpen.

Five of those seven consecutive two-inning outings have come since 2000, the year the Yankees last won the World Series, and while you don't want to read too much into a small sample like that, doesn't it say something about the guys pitching in front of the great Rivera over most of the last decade?

During the dynasty years, Joe Torre had a plethora of arms to turn to before Rivera -- Jeff Nelson, Graeme Lloyd, Ramiro Mendoza and so on -- and one of the reasons often cited for the Yankees' title drought since then is their inability to build a reliable bridge to their all-world closer.

It was supposed to be different this time around with Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, but it hasn't quite worked out that way in October, and so Joe Girardi has had to push Rivera. Yes, there was an off day as buffer in Game 2, but Rivera threw 39 pitches, the most he has thrown in the postseason since Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS (a blown save, if you recall).

Perhaps the Yankees' middle relief will turn it around. The guys in front of Rivera were certainly very good during the regular season, so this might be more of a bump in the road than a roadblock. But Girardi's usage of Rivera tells us not only how great his closer is, but also how much his confidence in his primary setup man has been eroded.

In Their Own Words
"It's a terrible cliche, but it was a must-win. You don't want to go 0-2 into Philadelphia. ... Their fans are going to be all over us." -- Mark Teixeira
By the Numbers
21 First-pitch strikes thrown by A.J. Burnett in Game 2. Only five Phillies saw a ball to open a plate appearance against Burnett on Thursday night -- Ed Price
More From FanHouse
Mariotti: Pedro's Daddy Issues Olson: Burnett Simply Brilliant Fletcher: Pedro Proves Point Price: Rollins Rips Into N.Y. Piliere: Scouting Notebook

Looking Back ...

Charlie Manuel is sure to have his share of second-guessers after Game 2, a game in which he summoned memories of Grady Little in the 2003 ALCS by sending Pedro Martinez back out for the seventh inning on 99 pitches thrown.

Little Redux aside, Manuel's decision not to send speedsters Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins (who were at first and second, respectively) in the eighth inning with Chase Utley at the plate in a 3-2 count seemed puzzling at the time.

Utley wound up grounding into a double play, ending the inning and spoiling any chance the Phillies had at coming back against Rivera, but Manuel stood by his decision.

"There's a lot of things that can happen there, and I definitely wanted [Ryan] Howard to hit. Plus Utley don't hit into a lot of ground ball double plays," Manuel said, referring to his slugging first baseman due up after Utley.

(He's right, Utley only hit into five double plays this year.)

Of course, it wouldn't be the 2009 postseason without an umpiring error being involved somehow. Replays showed that Utley, who Manuel pointed out always hustles down the line in defense of not sending the runners, was safe at first.

"Utley was safe. Go look. Yeah, he was safe," Manuel said. "That's all I'll tell you. I'm not complaining about the umpire. I'm not saying nothing at all about the umpire. I'm just saying that he was safe."

Scout's Eye View ...

The approach was there, the execution was there, but Pedro Martinez's stuff was just short of allowing him to completely shut down the New York Yankees. All in all, the Phillies have to be more than pleased with just a few runs in six innings for their veteran right-hander. At least for a little while, he had the Yankees eating out of the palm of his hand.

It can't be said enough: The best way to stop New York's lineup is often by allowing their patient approach to work against them. Martinez has the type of command and moxie to pull off such an approach. By letting Martinez consistently get ahead 0-1 and 0-2, you give him multiple pitches to play with and different ways of getting you out.

-- Frankie Piliere (Scouting Notebook)

Saturday's Tale of the Tape ...

Yankees (Andy Pettitte) at Phillies (Cole Hamels), 7:57 PM ET: Pettitte has been terrific this postseason, going 6 1/3 innings in each of his three starts and allowing just five earned runs total. He's also had his way with this Phillies group, holding them to a collective .222 average over 99 at-bats. Even better, he's allowed just one earned run in two career starts at Citizens Bank Park. Hamels' own comfort at CBP was part of the rationale Philadelphia skipper Charlie Manuel used for starting Pedro Martinez over the 2008 World Series MVP in Game 2, and indeed his ERA was more than a run lower at home than it was on the road this year. The Yankees have limited experience against Hamels -- only Mark Teixeira and Jerry Hairston Jr. have more than 10 career at-bats against him. Teixeira does have two home runs off of him.