Pettitte, A-Rod Just Too Selfish

I am going to keep this fairly short (for me) because I have nasty cold and am too busy picking up the pieces of my head after it exploded while watching the Yankees' 4-2 loss to the Rangers Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, dropping them into a first-place tie with the Sox in the AL East.

Andy Pettitte was awful from the start, walking Ian Kinsler to lead off the game and allowing three runs in the first. He was all over the place, struggling to control any pitch.

He gutted out five innings, but the line was ugly: 7 hits, 4 runs, 6 walks and 6 strikeouts. He threw only 59 of 104 pitches for strikes.

After the game Pettitte and Joe Girardi refused to blame Pettitte's back for his wildness. Pettitte had left his previous start after 5+ innings and five walks because of a stiff lower back.

They said Pettitte's struggles Wednesday were simply a lack of control, but since when does Pettitte ever walk that many batters, even without his best control?

No one would ever question Pettitte's toughness. He's gutted out plenty of performances when he hasn't be at 100 percent. And in the past, as recently as last season, the Yankees have needed him to do that because they simply didn't have enough starting pitching depth.

That's not the case this season. The Yankees have six capable starters and had Chien-Ming Wang, who will return to the rotation Thursday with Phil Hughes headed to the bullpen, lined up to start in case Pettitte couldn't go.

This wasn't a time for Pettitte to play hero. It is a time for him and the team to be smart about his health. Yes, Pettitte said he was fine during his two bullpen sessions leading up to Wednesday and said he was fine after the start, but clearly he wasn't as well as he needed to be, and it hurt his team.

But Pettitte's struggles weren't the only reason the Yankees lost this game. The offense, despite several golden opportunities, couldn't pick him up ... and Alex Rodriguez takes the biggest hit for that.

A-Rod had a great at-bat in the first, hitting a hard single to left to drive in a run and cut the deficit to 3-1. But he lost that approach after that.

A-Rod came up with the bases loaded and one out in the third with the Yankees trailing 4-1. The Yankees needed to get at least one, but that wasn't good enough for A-Rod. He wanted to hit the big blow and his approach reflected that. He was pulling off everything, trying to jack a majestic grand slam.

The result: he pulled off a 3-and-1 pitch that was low and away and rolled a grounder along the third base line that was turned into an inning-ending double play.

It was the turning point in the game. A single likely makes it 4-3 with Robinson Cano coming up with a chance for more, but A-Rod needed the glory, putting himself over the team and the win.

"Tonight I just stunk," Rodriguez said. "One hit, and I think we win that game."

What's worse is that he didn't learn. He came up in the sixth with one out and Johnny Damon on first. Damon reached third on an errant pickoff throw by Rangers starter Scott Feldman and A-Rod had another chance to get a run home.

Instead, he struck out.

That's not the mind-set A-Rod said he was going to play with when he came off the disabled list on May 8. He needs to get back to just playing the game and having good at-bats. The homers will come, but the win and the team should always be what's most important.

Both Pettitte and A-Rod forgot that Wednesday.

Runners In Scoring Position
Wednesday
1-for-6 (.167)
Season
137-for-496 (.276)
Since A-Rod's Return May 8
71-for-228 (.311)

Up Next
Thursday vs. Rangers, 1:05 p.m., YES
Brandon McCarthy (5-2, 4.35 ERA) vs. Wang (0-3, 16.07)

This is a huge start for Wang. He's looked great out of the bullpen, but needs to show he can do it as a starter. Plus, he'll need to pick up the team after the loss. He'll be on about an 80 pitch count.