MLB Playoff Pulse

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

Looking Forward ...

Much will be made in the lead-up to Game 6 of another Yankees starter -- Andy Pettitte -- going on three days' rest, assuming of course that that is officially announced Tuesday. Of course, there wasn't much of a choice for Joe Girardi.

The Phillies do have some interesting options as they head back to New York. Game 6 starter Pedro Martinez was the easy part, but you can't expect him to go all nine innings, so, especially if the Phillies have a lead, what happens then?

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

Looking Forward ...

Could some bad blood, or maybe even just a little chippiness, develop in the World Series? You wouldn't think so, especially with Derek Jeter and Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez looking so chummy at different times during Game 3.

But A-Rod was plunked, not once but twice, by Phillies pitchers Saturday night and then there was Jayson Werth's emphatic reaction to his second home run of the evening -- slamming his bat to the ground along the first-base line before entering his home run trot.

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.

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

Looking Forward ...

If you're going to criticize the umps when they blow a call, you have to praise them when they get one right, as they did in the fifth inning on Jimmy Rollins' shoestring catch and double play (details below).

The crew initially didn't rule that Rollins doubled off Hideki Matsui but huddled and eventually got the call right, a good moment for the men in blue in a month where it has seemed to be all bad and for a crew that was picked specifically because of its World Series experience.

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

Looking Forward ...

The rain made it feel like eons between Game 5 and 6 in the American League Championship Series, but in terms of setting up the World Series it worked out pretty well.

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

Looking Forward ...

So you thought the weather issue was dead when the Yankees and Angels left New York? Wrong, especially now that the ALCS is headed back to the Big Apple.

There is rain in the forecast for Saturday night's Game 6, with showers expected in the morning in New York and heavier downfall expected as first pitch approaches. The chance of precipitation is 80-90 percent right now, but hey, at least it'll be warm (highs are expected to be in the mid-60s).

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

Looking Forward ...

Bask in the baseball now, because if the Yankees beat the Angels Thursday night, there isn't going to be much to keep us busy until the World Series begins.

In the last three LCS rounds, one of the two series has either gone four or five games. The other half -- the 2006 NLCS and the 2007 and 2008 ALCS -- went the distance. That partially masked the big problem with Major League Baseball's ever-elongating postseason schedule, but if the Yankees wrap up their spot in the World Series, it'll be impossible to ignore.

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

Looking Forward ...

Monday morning, the number was nine, as in the inning which might give the Angels trouble. Tuesday, it's three, as in the days of rest Yankees Game 4 starter CC Sabathia will have.

Sabathia, you will recall, did this sort of thing plenty last September as he propelled the Brewers to their first playoff appearance since 1982. He was terrific too, going 2-1 with an 0.83 ERA. But that was the NL in a pennant race. This is the AL in the League Championship Series.

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

Looking Forward ...

So what exactly will Mike Scioscia do if the Angels take a lead into the ninth inning Monday afternoon? Brian Fuentes became the latest closer to blow a save this postseason when he surrendered a home run to Alex Rodriguez in the 11th inning of Game 2.

The guess here is that Scioscia will handle Fuentes much the way he handled him down the stretch and the way Charlie Manuel has handled Brad Lidge -- he'll let the situation dictate his decisions. Scioscia has used Fuentes (a left-hander) and top setup man Kevin Jepsen (a right-hander) depending on the opposing hitters, so it'd be no surprise if he continues to do so now, just don't think of it as a slap in the face or a lack of confidence in Fuentes.

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

Looking Forward ...

FanHouse's Jay Mariotti proclaimed last week that the Yankees would not be beat. He probably didn't mean every game, though. Yet here we are. The Yankees are 5-0. Not even the 1998 Yankees -- winners of 125 games that year -- started out the playoffs that well.

No one is suggesting that New York will literally run the table, but perhaps the most amazing thing about this run in October is that the Yankees haven't been at their absolute sharpest.