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The Yankees went down fighting in game five and the Phillies lived to fight another day. Just barely, though. The Phils took an 8-2 lead into the top of the eighth, but things got real close real fast. The Yankees scored three in the top of the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate twice in the ninth inning. Ryan Madson came through both times, though, getting Derek Jeter to ground into a huge double-play the first time and striking out Mark Teixeira to end the game the second.

The Yankees jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a run off of Lee in the first on an RBI-double by A-Rod. The Phillies jumped ahead in the bottom of the first, though, as Rollins and Victorino both reached ahead of Utley and Utley blasted a three-run homer to put the Phils up 3-1. The Phils chased New York starter AJ Burnett in the bottom of the third. Utley and Howard started the inning with walks and the Phillies wound up scoring three times in the inning to extend their lead to 6-1. Lee walked pinch-hitter Eric Hinske with one out in the top of the fifth and Jeter followed with a single that moved him to third. Hinske would come in to score on a ground ball by Damon to cut the Phillies lead to 6-2. Utley and Ibanez both hit solo homers off of lefty Phil Coke in the seventh to extend the lead to 8-2. Lee came back to start the eighth and gave up single, double, two-run double to the first three men he faced. It made the score 8-4 with a man on second and Park took over. He set three in a row down, but the second was a sac fly that brought A-Rod in from third and made it 8-5. Lidge had thrown 30 pitches in a miserable outing in game four, so it was Madson on in the ninth to try to protect the three-run lead. A double and a single put men on first and third and brought Jeter to the plate as the tying run. Madson got Jeter to hit into a double-play as Posada scored to make it 8-6. Damon followed with a single that brought Teixeira to the plate as the tying run. Madson got him, though, striking him out swinging at a 1-2 pitch to end the game.

It sure seems like the bullpen blew up in the game for the Phillies. But it wasn’t that bad, really. A lot of it was Lee and he has clearly done enough already. I think we just have game four stuck in our minds. Pitching for the second time in two days, Park faced three men and got three outs. Throwing a day after he threw 20 pitches, Madson gave up a run on three hits but got the huge double-play and the huge strikeout when he needed it.

They are still pretty scary. Especially given that we’re sure to see them a lot in game six. I think Manuel will still use Lidge in big situations in the series.

But the Phillies are still alive. They are going to need a ton of runs to keep winning, though. They are going to need everyone in the lineup — not just signs of life but a river of life. There were some signs last night. Ibanez and Howard came into last night’s game without a walk or a homer. Howard walked twice and Ibanez blasted a long homer. As miserable as the series has been for Howard, he still may be the single most explosive player in the series for either team. Let’s hope he doesn’t wait too much longer, though, cause the Phils have put themselves in a pretty big hole.

I’m pretty sure that Hamels starts game seven if there is one. Enough has been made of his misspeak. If you don’t think Hamels wants to compete and wants to win, I disagree. You don’t get this good and this far without wanting both. Saying what you mean isn’t a requirement.

The Phillies trail the Yankees three games to two in the World Series after winning game five last night 8-6.

Cliff Lee got the start for the Phillies and went seven innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, all doubles. He struck out three. He pitched a lot better than his line, taking an 8-2 lead into an eighth inning that he started having thrown 103 pitches.

That may be the end of the ’09 post-season for Lee. It’s a shame that the eighth inning last night blew up his line, cause it’s going to mean that his numbers, while still amazing, won’t quite reflect just how much he contributed. We’ll just have to remember. In five post-season starts this year Lee has gone 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA and an 0.82 ratio. In five starts he threw 40 1/3 innings. That’s more than eight runs per game. There’s a chance his efforts may still make him a champion. Whether they do or not, he may have to wait till he’s a free agent in 2011, but I think they made him a whole lot of money.

He faced a Yankees lineup that went (1) Jeter (SS/R) (2) Damon (LF/R) (3) Teixeira (1B/S) (4) Rodriguez (3B/R) (5) Swisher (RF/S) (6) Cano (2B/L) (7) Gardner (CF/L) (8) Molina (C/R). Molina in the lineup to catch Burnett with Posada on the bench. Gardner takes over in center for Cabrera, who has a hamstring injury and has been replaced by Ramiro Pena. To take Posada out of the lineup for Molina is a poor idea even if Burnett doesn’t allow six runs in two innings.

The Yankees had five players on their bench to start the game, righty Jerry Hairston, switch-hitters Posada and Pena and lefties Hideki Matsui and Eric Hinske.

Jeter led off the game and grounded to Utley on a 1-0 pitch for the first out. Damon dumped a 1-1 pitch in front of Victorino for a single. Teixeira got ahead 3-0, but flew to right for the second out. Rodriguez hit a 1-1 pitch into the right field corner for a double that scored Damon and put New York up 1-0. Swisher walked on four pitches to put men on first and second. Cano flew to left on a 1-0 pitch to end the frame.

Didn’t look like the same Lee in the first. Jeter’s ball was up the middle and took a nice play by Utley to get an out. A-Rod smoked the ball. Swisher and Teixeira both got ahead 3-0. Lee threw 20 pitches in the inning.

He started the second up 3-1 and didn’t have much trouble with the bottom of the order. Gardner grounded to first 1-2 for the first out. Molina grounded to third on a 2-2 pitch. Burnett struck out looking 2-2 to set the Yankees down.

Lee threw 14 pitches in the inning and had thrown 34 for the game.

Jeter grounded to third 2-2 for the first out of the third. Damon walked on five pitches. Teixeira hit a ground ball to third and Feliz threw to second to force Damon for the second out, but the Phils could only get one. A-Rod flew to center on an 0-1 pitch for the third out.

Fifty pitches in the game for Lee after throwing 16 in the inning.

Swisher lined a 2-1 pitch to third for the first out of the fourth. Cano grounded to second and Gardner grounded to short.

Lee was up to 62 after throwing 12 pitches in the inning.

With Burnett out of the game, Posada hit for Molina to start the fifth and grounded to second 1-2 for the first out. Lefty Eric Hinske hit for the pitcher David Robertson next and Hinske drew a walk on five pitches. Jeter followed with a single to right that moved Hinske to third. Damon was next and he hit a 1-1 pitch slowly to first. Howard took it and when he started towards the bag Hinske took off for homer and scored to make it 6-2 with two outs and Jeter on second. Teixeira flew to right for the third out.

14 and 76 for Lee. Nice base-running by Hinske, both to go first to third and to delay and then score on the ground out to first.

A-Rod flew to right to start the first out in the sixth. Swisher flew to center for the second. Cano singled to center 1-0, but was left stranded when Gardner struck out looking 1-2.

Lee was at 91 after 15 pitches in the inning.

Posada struck out looking 0-2 after trying to call time out but not getting it earlier in the count to start the seventh. Jerry Hairston hit for the pitcher Alfredo Aceves and he flew to center on a 3-1 pitch for the second out. Jeter lined softly to Utley 1-2 to end the frame.

Twelve pitches in the inning had Lee at 103.

He was up 8-2 when he started the eighth. Francisco was playing center with Victorino on the bench. Damon led off and reached on an infield single. Teixeira was next and he blasted a double to left that moved Damon to third. A-Rod was next and he hit Lee’s first pitch hard into left-center. Ibanez made a diving effort but had the ball go off of his glove for a two-run double that made it 8-4. Park came in to pitch to Swisher having thrown 14 pitches the day before. Swisher grounded to second 2-2 for the first out, moving Rodriguez to third. Park stayed in to pitch to Cano. Cano hit a fly ball to shallow center 0-1 that Francisco took for the second out. Rodriguez tagged and scored to make it 8-5 with two outs. Francisco made a weak throw that wasn’t close to getting A-Rod on a ball that wasn’t hit deep. Gardner popped to Rollins on a 2-1 pitch to set the Yankees down.

Miserable inning for Manuel. Victorino was pleading to stay in the game. Francisco probably would have made the catch on A-Rod’s ball off the glove of Ibanez in left if he had taken over in left with Victorino in center. Francisco’s throw home was terrible. Victorino with a healthy hand would have made a much stronger throw — who knows after being hit. He also left Park in to face Cano as the batter that could have made the score 8-6. The Phillies didn’t use any of their three lefties in the pen in the game.

Madson started the ninth having thrown 20 pitches the day before. Posada led off and hit a 3-1 pitch off the top of the wall in right for a double. Lefty Hideki Matsui hit for the pitcher Phil Hughes. Matsui singled to left on a 2-1 pitch, sending Posada to third. Jeter got ahead in the count 2-0, but grounded a 2-1 pitch to short and the Phillies turned a double-play. Posada scored to make it 8-6 and it brought up Damon with two outs and the bases empty. Madson got ahead of Damon 0-2, but Damon singled into center on a 2-2 pitch to bring the tying run to the plate again. The game was delayed briefly for a ceremony to honor Damon’s 2,000th hit in this World Series. He was presented with some tupperware and a $50 gift certificate to Home Depot. Damon took second as the count went 0-2 on Teixeira. Teixeira struck out swinging 1-2 to end the game.

Park threw 11 pitches in the game and Madson threw 24. Both have thrown two days in a row, but both seem like they will surely be available in game six after an off-day today. Lee threw 112 pitches in game five and there’s no way you will see him in game six.

The so-called “official” stats suggest that Damon is only 8-for-21 in the series. He’s 5-for-his-last-9. Matsui is 5-for-9 in the series. Jeter 8-for-22. Posada 5-for-16. A-Rod just 4-for-18 but with six RBI to lead the team. Teixeira is just 2-for-19. Cano, Swisher and Cabrera are a combined 7-for-43.

The Phillies lineup against righty AJ Burnett went (1) Rollins (SS/S) (2) Victorino (CF/S) (3) Utley (2B/L) (4) Howard (1B/L) (5) Werth (RF/R) (6) Ibanez (DH/L) (7) Feliz (3B/R) (8) Ruiz (C/R).

The Phillies started the game with five players on the bench, lefties Dobbs, Stairs and Bako and righties Eric Bruntlett and Ben Francisco.

The Phils were down 1-0 when Rollins led off the bottom of the first. Rollins hit a 1-2 pitch into center for a single. Victorino was bunting, but Burnett’s first pitch to him was right at him and drilled him hard on the right hand. Utley swung at the first pitch and blasted it way out to right to put the Phillies up 3-1. Howard drew a walk, but Werth struck out swinging 1-2 for the first out. Ibanez was next and hit a ball hard, but Teixeira made a great diving play to take a hit away from him. Teixeira threw to first to force Howard for the second out, but Ibanez beat the relay to keep the inning alive. Feliz grounded to short 0-1 to end the inning.

Much different approach to Burnett in this game. Rollins, Utley, Howard and Feliz were all swinging first pitch. Utley hit a big home run on the first pitch of his at-bat. Howard drew his first walk of the series. Ibanez smoked the ball he hit. Burnett threw 23 pitches in the inning.

First home run of the series for the Phils with a runner on base.

Ruiz got ahead 3-0 to start the second but struck out swinging 3-2 for the first out. Lee swung at the first pitch and grounded to first. Rollins walked on five pitches. Victorino swung at the first pitch and popped out to short. He screamed and shook his right hand, the one that had been drilled in the first, after hitting the ball.

Second time Rollins had been on base in two at-bats.

After 13 pitches in the inning, Burnett was at 36 for the game.

Utley walked on a 3-1 pitch to start the third. He stole second as the count went 1-1 on Howard — Molina didn’t make a good throw, but Utley still would have been out if Jeter had been able to handle the short-hop on the throw. Howard walked to put men on first and second. Werth ripped a 1-2 pitch into center for a single. Utley scored and it was 4-1 with men on first and second. Ibanez hit a 3-1 pitch into right for a single. Howard scored and it was 5-1 with men on first and third. That was it for Burnett. Righty David Robertson came in to pitch Feliz. Feliz got ahead 2-0, but fouled out to Teixeira for the first out. Ruiz got behind 0-2 but managed to make contact, hitting a ground ball to short. Jeter got an out at second, but Werth scored and it was 6-1. Lee singled into right, moving Ruiz to second. Rollins struck out looking 1-2 to leave both runners stranded.

Nice job by Ruiz to bring the runner in from third with one out after getting way behind in the count.

Robertson set the Phillies down 1-2-3 in the fourth. Victorino grounded to second. Utley grounded to short and Howard struck out swinging 2-2.

They were up 6-2 when they hit in the fifth. Righty Alfredo Aceves was on to pitch for New York and he set the Phils down in order. Werth smashed a ball to left-center field that Gardner caught as he crashed into the wall for the first out. Ibanez grounded to first for the second and Feliz grounded to short.

Aceves was back for the sixth. Ruiz flew to right and Lee struck out swinging before Rollins singled to center. He went to second on a wild pitch before Victorino grounded to short to leave him stranded.

Third time Rollins had been on base in the game.

Lefty Phil Coke started the seventh for the Yankees. Utley led off and homered to right on a 3-2 pitch to put the Phils up 7-2. Howard struck out trying to check his swing 1-2 for the first out. Coke stayed in to pitch to Werth and Werth flew to center 2-0 for the second out. Ibanez blasted a 2-1 pitch out to right. 8-2. Coke was done. Phil Hughes came in to pitch to Feliz. Feliz struck out on three pitches to end the inning.

Utley’s homer gave him five home runs for the series, which tied him for the record with Reggie Jackson. Jackson hit five in 1977. When Howard followed with a strikeout it was his twelfth of the series, which also tied him for the record. The Phils lefties fared pretty well against Coke.

Hughes was back to start the eighth with the Phillies lead cut to 8-5. Ruiz led off with a single and Stairs hit for Park. Stairs hit into a double-play on a 2-2 pitch to clear the bases. Rollins grounded to second.

Rollins was 2-for-4 with a walk in the game. The single to start the first after the Yankees pulled ahead in the top of the inning set the tone. He’s 5-for-19 with five walks and a .417 on-base percentage for the series.

Victorino was 0-for-3 with a brutal hit by pitch when he tried to bunt in the first inning. He’s 3-for-18 with two walks in the series. He says his hand is okay and he expects to start in game six. I don’t know how okay he could be after that, but hopefully the effects are minimal by Tuesday. The thoughts of Victorino out of the game, especially in a DH game against a lefty are kind of scary. With the players on the roster right now I think it would have meant Francisco in center and Bruntlett as DH (although I think Mayberry may have taken Victorino’s roster spot if Victorino couldn’t play).

Utley went 2-for-3 in the game with two home runs, a walk and four RBI. In the last two games he’s 4-for-7 with three home runs, a double and six RBI. 6-for-16 with a double, five home runs and three walks so far.

Howard was 0-for-2 with two walks in the game. 3-for-19 with two doubles and 12 strikeouts. 1-for-his-last-10 with six strikeouts.

Werth was 1-for-4 with an RBI in the game. 5-for-17 with two homers in the series.

Ibanez was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in the game. Teixeira also took a hit away from him in the first on a ball he hit hard. He’s 5-for-20 with two doubles and a home run in the series.

Feliz 0-for-4 with a strikeout last night after a huge game in game four. 4-for-19 with a double and a home run in the series. Ibanez and Feliz have combined not to walk in 39 at-bats.

Ruiz was 1-for-4 with an RBI last night. 4-for-16 with two doubles and a home run in the set. He’s also walked three times.

Despite the early exit by Burnett, Robertson was the only pitcher to throw more than 20 pitches out of the Yankees bullpen. He threw 27. I think who the Yankees didn’t use in the blowout, most noticeably Rivera and Marte, might say a lot about who they have confidence in. I don’t think you’re going to see much of Coke against the Phillies lefties in game six if things are close.

No game today. Pedro and Pettitte tomorrow night.

Vizzini is the guy in The Princess Bride who is best known for his list of classic blunders that’s headed up by never getting involved in a land war in Asia. With an assist to Grady Little, it may be time for him to add never letting Pedro Martinez stay in a playoff game to pitch to Hideki Matsui. In game six of the 2003 ALCS, Little left Martinez in to pitch to Matsui in the bottom of the eighth and the Red Sox were never able to recover. Last night, after being pulled from his previous start after 87 pitches with a two-hit shutout, Martinez’s 97th pitch of the game was delivered to Matsui and Matsui hit it out to right to put New York on top to stay at 2-1.

Despite the high pitch count, Pedro was throwing well at the time. He had just struck out the big bats of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez back-to-back. Starting with the at-bat against Matsui, though, he faced four more hitters in the game. Matsui homered, he got one out to end the sixth and the only two men he faced in the seventh got hits. Keeping Martinez in to face those four hitters cost the Phillies two runs in a game when they scored one. They got off that easy because of a missed call that gave them two outs on a play where they earned none.

AJ Burnett was fantastic in the game. The Phillies managed a run off of him in the second thanks to a two-out bloop double that was followed by a ground ball to third that should have been handled by A-Rod but went into left to put the Phils up 1-0. Martinez pitched well early as well, but Mark Teixeira connected for a solo home run in the fourth that tied the game at 1-1. With his pitch count near 100, Martinez stayed in to pitch to Matsui with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and Matsui hit a 1-2 pitch just out to right. 2-1. Pedro came back to start the seventh against the miserable bottom of the Yankees order and couldn’t get anybody out. He faced two men in the inning and both singled, putting men on first and third with nobody out. Park came in to face Jorge Posada and Posada delivered an RBI-single that made it 3-1 with men on first and second and nobody out. Jeter tried to bunt and fouled out before the Phillies got out of the inning without any more damage, getting a double-play on a ball hit hard to Howard that the umps said he caught that he didn’t. Mariano Rivera came in and kept the Phils off the board for the last two innings of the game.

The Phillies took a ton of pitches in the game and got behind Burnett time after time. Some people seem to think it was the wrong approach. I don’t agree. I’m pretty sure it was the perfect approach — not because you want Burnett to throw a lot of pitches and you get to take a chance against the pen, but because Burnett will walk the whole world. He didn’t last night. He was great. But the approach was right for the Phillies, at least to start the game. I think you can argue that they should have started swinging earlier in the count in the middle innings when it was clear that Burnett was getting ahead time after time. I think they want to do it the same way the next time they see him, at least early in the game.

So the Phils leave New York with a split but also with a bad taste in the mouth. The things that stick out most in my mind from the two games aren’t Utley’s home runs or the clutch hit from Ibanez or even Lee’s heroics. It’s Pedro walking off the mound and pointing at the sky and the little smile on his face after he didn’t pitch well and the Phillies were losing. It’s the way that Lee caught Damon’s popup as if he playing in the World Series wasn’t quite enough for him and he needed to manufacture a little excitement. It especially bothers me because I haven’t seen either of those guys win the World Series wearing a Phillies’ uniform. The Phils have put together a fantastic run in the post-season over the past two seasons because they have elevated their play. They’ve played with an intensity that’s been pretty awesome to watch, but it’s just about the exact opposite of flipping out your glove to catch a popup. They have simply been better in the playoffs than they are in the regular season. It feels like this is the place where I should be saying that it’s not that I don’t want to see them having fun. The problem with that is it’s not true. I don’t want to see them having fun. Not during the game. Have fun after the game or before it on in August when you’re up by 8 1/2 games in the division. Right now you need to go back to work.

The Phillies and Yankees are tied at one game apiece in the World Series after the Yankees took game three in New York last night.

Martinez got the start for the Phillies and went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, a double and two home runs. He struck out eight.

He faced a Yankees lineup that went (1) Jeter (SS/R) (2) Damon (LF/R) (3) Teixeira (1B/S) (4) Rodriguez (3B/R) (5) Matsui (DH/L) (6) Cano (2B/L) (7) Hairston (RF/R) (8) Cabrera (CF/S) (9) Molina (C/R). Molina catches Burnett with Posada on the bench. Hairston plays right with Swisher on the bench. Matsui and Cano move up a spot in the order. That lineup is a gift to the Phillies. Sure was nice of New York to take their good players out of the lineup and put their bad ones in instead. Taking Posada, who was among the best hitters in baseball against righties this year, out against a righty is particularly nice. Hairston had nice numbers against Martinez coming into the game, but it sure seems like the Yankees would have been better off with the lefty Hinske in right if Swisher wasn’t going to play.

The Yankees had four players on their bench to start the game, lefties Brett Gardner and Eric Hinske and the switch-hitters Posada and Swisher.

Pedro threw a 1-2-3 first, striking Jeter out swinging 3-2 for the first out, Damon swinging 1-2 for the second and getting Teixeira to pop to Rollins behind the mound to end the inning.

Big strike zone for Martinez in the first. Silliest call was a 1-1 pitch to Jeter that was pretty far outside and called a strike. Pedro threw 17 pitches in the inning.

Pedro started the second with a 1-0 lead. A-Rod struck out looking 1-2 for the first out. Matsui was next and he hit a 2-1 pitch past a diving Utley and into right for a single. Cano hit a ball into left-center on a 2-2 pitch, but Ibanez made a very nice diving play to take a hit away from him. Hairston flew to right to end the inning.

Great catch by Ibanez changed the inning. After a long 26-pitch inning Martinez was at 43 for the game after just two innings.

Cabrera flew to center to start the third. Molina followed and walked on a 3-2 pitch that was outside. Jeter struck out looking 2-2 for the second out and Damon swung at the first pitch and flew to center.

Sixteen pitches in the inning, 59 for the game.

Teixeira led off of the fourth and hit a 1-0 pitch out to right-center to tie the game at 1-1. A-Rod flew to left 0-2 for the first out. Matsui drew a walk on a 3-1 pitch, but Cano flew to center and Hairston struck out looking 1-2.

After 16 pitches in the inning Martinez was at 75 for the game.

He struck Cabrera out swinging 1-2 for the first out of the inning. Molina grounded to short on an 0-1 pitch for the second out before Jeter came to the plate and lined his first pitch from Martinez into left for a double. Damon swung at the first pitch he saw, too, and popped to Howard to leave Jeter stranded.

Lots of action in the pen for the Phils as Martinez’s pitch count neared ninety. After throwing eight pitches in the inning he was at 83 for the game. Just two pitches for the Jeter and Damon at-bats.

Pedro struck out Teixeira swinging 2-2 for the first out in the sixth. A-Rod was next and he struck out swinging 1-2. Martinez stayed in to pitch to the lefty Matsui. He got ahead of him 0-2, but Matsui hit a low 1-2 pitch out to right to put New York up 2-1. Cano flew to left on an 0-1 pitch for the third out.

Another big hit for Matsui off of Pedro in the post-season. Martinez stays in to pitch to the lefty and it costs the Phils. A-Rod was 0-for-7 in the series with five strikeouts and a bad defensive play at this point. Sixteen pitches in the inning had Pedro at 99.

He came back to start the seventh and it cost the Phils. Hairston led off and got behind 0-2 but singled to right on a 1-2 pitch. Brett Gardner ran for him at first. Cabrera lined a single to right and Cabrera went to third. Posada hit for Molina and Park came in to pitch to him. Park got ahead of Posada, but Posada lined a 1-2 pitch into center for a single. Gardner scored to make it 3-1. Jeter was next and he tried to bunt but got behind 0-2. He bunted the next pitch foul for the first out. Eyre came in to pitch to the lefty Damon. Damon hit it hard to first. Howard threw wildly to second and wouldn’t have gotten any out on the play, but the ump at first ruled that Howard had caught the ball. He hadn’t, but Rollins tagged out Posada on second base to complete a double-play to end the inning.

Bottom of the order gets it done for the Yankees against Pedro as Manuel lets him start the seventh. Park flailed his arms about after the Posada hit, but I’m not sure if he was mad at someone or just the hit. Jeter trying to bunt is a poor idea, especially with two strikes. It helped the Phillies out a lot. They got three outs in the inning. Jeter gave them one he shouldn’t have and the other two came on a play where they wouldn’t have gotten any with the right call.

Madson started the eighth with the Phils still down 3-1. He hit Teixeira on the leg, but struck A-Rod out looking at pitch out of the strike zone 1-2 for the first out. Matsui got ahead 2-0 but struck out swinging 2-2 for the second out. Cano hit the first pitch of his at-bat into right for a single, moving Teixeira to second. Gardner was next and he struck out swinging 1-2 to end the inning and leave both runners stranded.

Jeter is 4-for-8 with two doubles so far. Matsui 3-for-6 with a homer. Posada 2-for-5. A-Rod 0-for-8 with six strikeouts. Cabrera, Cano, Teixeira and Damon are a combined 4-for-28 with the big home run by Teixeira. The Yankees have two walks in the first two games, one by Matsui and one by Molina.

The Phillies lineup against righty AJ Burnett went (1) Rollins (SS/S) (2) Victorino (CF/S) (3) Utley (2B/L) (4) Howard (1B/L) (5) Werth (RF/R) (6) Ibanez (LF/L) (7) Stairs (DH/L) (8) Feliz (3B/R) (9) Ruiz (C/R). Stairs at DH against the righty with Ibanez back in left field and Francisco on the bench. Four lefties between the 3-4-5-6 spots in the order.

The Phillies started the game with four players on the bench, lefties Dobbs and Bako and righties Eric Bruntlett and Ben Francisco. Dobbs was on the roster but not available. He has the flu.

Burnett looked very good in the first. Rollins flew to left on a 1-1 pitch for the first out. Victorino struck out looking 1-2. Utley got ahead 3-1 and flew to left.

Burnett threw strike one to all three hitters in the inning. All three took. He threw 12 pitches in the inning.

Howard started the second and struck out trying to check his swing 1-2. Werth grounded to third on a 3-2 pitch. Ibanez hit a 2-2 pitch down the left field line. It dropped on the line and went into the stands for a ground-rule double. Stairs was next and he hit a 1-1 pitch hard to third. It went under A-Rod’s glove for a single. Ibanez scored to put the Phils up 1-0. Feliz struck out swinging 1-2 to end the frame.

Burnett had gotten ahead of all eight Phillies hitters 0-1. Two lefties in a row hit with hits to the left side of the infield. You won’t see Matt Stairs with a lot of hits to left. A-Rod should have made the play on his ball. Burnett threw 25 pitches in the inning and was up to 37 for the game.

He didn’t get ahead of Ruiz to start the third, cause Ruiz swung at the first pitch and grounded out to short. Rollins was next and he drew a walk. He was running as Victorino dribbled a 2-2 pitch back to the mound. Burnett threw to first for the second out. Utley was next and took three straight balls before the Yankees put him on intentionally. With two outs and men on first and second, Howard took ball one too but struck out swinging 1-2 to leave both men stranded.

Utley was the first Phillies hitter to get ahead in the count on the first pitch. Twenty-four pitches for Burnett in the inning and 61 for the game.

Werth led off the fourth and singled to right. Ibanez got behind 0-2 and checked his swing as the count went 1-2. Molina threw to first and Werth was picked off for the second out. Ibanez struck out swinging for the second out. Stairs swung at the first pitch and flew to left.

Huge play by Molina helps the Yankees work around the leadoff single. If you’re going to get four hits and two walks in seven innings off of Burnett you don’t want to give away outs on the bases. It got the crowd, which had been sleepy all night, back in the game, too. The Yankees scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the inning when Teixeira led off with a home run. Twelve pitches had Burnett up to 73.

Feliz started the fifth with the score tied at 1-1. He swung at the first pitch and flew to right. Ruiz was next and he ripped a 1-2 pitch into left and off the wall for a double. Rollins struck out swinging 3-2 for the second out. Victorino swung at the first pitch of his at-bat and popped to third, leaving Ruiz stranded.

Burnett was up to 86 pitches for the game after throwing 13 in the inning. Two outs in the frame on the first pitch.

Utley led off the sixth and grounded softly to first 2-1 for the first out. Howard struck out looking 2-2 for the second out. Werth flew to center on an 0-1 pitch for the third out.

Third strikeout in three at-bats for Howard. Burnett threw 11 pitches in the inning and had thrown 97 in the game.

The Phils started the seventh down 2-1. Ibanez struck out looking 1-2. Stairs struck out looking 0-2. Burnett got ahead of Feliz and Feliz hit a 1-2 pitch softly to short for the third out.

Eight in a row for Burnett. After 11 pitches in the inning he was at 108 for the game.

Righty Mariano Rivera started the eighth inning with a 3-1 lead. Ruiz grounded to third on a 1-1 pitch for the first out. Rollins was next and he walked on a 3-2 pitch. Victorino dribbled an 0-1 pitch into right field for a single, sending Rollins to second. With the count full on Utley the runners were not running with the pitch. Utley hit a hard ground ball to second and the Yankees turned the double-play with the help of a strong throw from Jeter that just nipped Utley.

Utley was safe at first, but the Phils got their share of calls in the game. Not sending the runners on the 3-2 count cost the Phillies the chance to bring Howard to the plate as the go-ahead run. I’m okay with not running, cause I think you want to stay out of the strike-out-throw-out double-play that ends the inning, too.

Rivera was back for the ninth and struck Howard out looking 0-2 on a ball that wasn’t in the strike zone for the first out. Werth hit a soft liner to second 2-2 for the second out. Ibanez doubled to left-center on a 1-1 pitch, bringing Stairs to the plate as the tying run. Rivera struck him out swinging 2-2 to end the game.

Rollins was 0-for-2 with two walks in the game. 1-for-6 with three walks in the series.

Victorino was 1-for-4 with a strikeout. 2-for-8 with a walk so far.

Utley 0-for-3 with a walk last night and 2-for-7 with two walks and two home runs in the series.

Howard was 0-for-4 and struck out four times. He’s 2-for-9 with two doubles in the first two games.

Ibanez 2-for-4 with two doubles in the game. The Phils had just three extra-base hits last night — two doubles by Ibanez and one by Ruiz. He also made a very nice diving catch in left. Ibanez is 3-for-8 in the series.

Werth was 1-for-4 last night and is 2-for-6 with two walks in the series. He made an awful mistake in last night’s game, getting picked off of first base.

Stairs was 1-for-4 with an RBI in his only action in the series.

Feliz was 0-for-3 in the game and is 0-for-7 so far.

Ruiz 1-for-3 with a double in the game and 2-for-7 with two doubles in the series.

Mariano threw 39 pitches in the game, but there’s an off day today with game three on Saturday.

Pedro Martinez faces righty AJ Burnett tonight in game two of the World Series.

Burnett went 13-9 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.40 ratio in 33 starts for the Yankees this season. The righty was much better against lefties than he was against righties. Lefties hit just 217/310/343 against him while righties hit a much better 282/366/450. Lefties did walk a little more often against him. He walked about 11% of the lefties he faced and about 10.6% of the righties. The on-base percentage is so much better for righties cause they got so many more hits.

He walked too many batters, both right and left-handed. That’s how his ratio is 1.40 when he allowed 193 hits in 207 innings. Overall he walked about 4.22 batters per nine innings. Among the 11 Phillies pitchers who started more than one game for the team this season the pitcher with the worst rate of walks per nine innings was Park. He walked 3.56 per nine for the year.

Burnett gave up 97 walks this year, which led the American League. He led it by a lot. Matt Garza and Ricky Romero tied for second and they each walked 79.

He has made three starts in the post-season this year, throwing to a 4.42 ERA with a 1.31 ratio. In 18 1/3 innings he has walked ten. In game two of the ALDS he held the Twins to a single run over six innings but walked five. In game two of the ALCS he held the Angels to two runs over 6 1/3. His most recent start was game five of the ALCS and he was hit hard, allowing six runs over six innings.

He made a start against the Phils on May 22 of this year and allowed five runs over six innings as the Phillies rolled to a 7-3 win in Philadelphia. Werth, Rollins and Ruiz all homered off of him in that game.

Rollins is the Phillie who has seen Burnett the most in the regular season over his career. 11-for-43 with three doubles and a home run (256/340/395). Victorino 1-for-6. Utley 6-for-21 with a triple and a homer (286/348/542). Howard 2-for-12 with two home runs. Werth 1-for-7 with a homer. Ibanez 4-for-15 with a double. Feliz 2-for-15. Ruiz 3-for-3 with a home run. Stairs is 3-for-11 with two home runs against him.

Martinez made nine starts for the Phillies this season, pitching to a 3.63 ERA and a 1.25 ratio over 44 2/3 innings. He gave up seven home runs — that rate would have him giving up about 31 over 200 innings. Opponents slugged .472 against him for the season.

He didn’t walk much of anyone. His walk rate of 1.61 batters per nine innings was the best of any Phillies pitcher other than Lee.

He was fantastic in his start in game two of the NLDS against the Dodgers, allowing two singles over seven shutout innings. That is the only start he has made since September 30. He had a pitch limit of about 90 pitches in the NLCS and was pulled having thrown just 87.

He has faced some of the Yankees a lot during the regular season over his career. Jeter is 22-for-86 with three doubles and three home runs against him (256/347/395). Damon 5-for-25 with two walks (200/259/200). Teixeira 1-for-6 with a double. Rodriguez 16-for-56 with two doubles and a home run (291/350/382). Posada 11-for-60 with four home runs and a memorable post-season head-pointing incident (183/290/450). Matsui 4-for-28 with a homer (143/200/250). Cano 0-for-12. Swisher 0-for-2. Cabrera 1-for-5 with a walk.