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Javier Vazquez insists he doesn't have any problem starting on three days'
rest. Doing so against Pedro Martinez with the struggling New York Yankees trying
to avert a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium to the hated Boston Red Sox may
be another story.
Vazquez, who pitched brilliantly in a 3-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on
Wednesday, was told he would be going back out to the hill on short rest prior
to Friday's series opener against Boston. That was before the Red Sox embarrassed
the Yankees 11-2 on Friday, and pulled out a 3-2, 12-inning win Saturday to
grab an early 5-1 edge in the season series between last year's AL championship
series participants.
The 27-year-old Vazquez will help New York avoid going to a fifth starter -- either rookie Alex Graman or veteran reliever Donovan Osborne. More importantly, he'll be trying to give the Yankees a much-needed lift after their surprisingly poor start to the season.
``Whatever I can do to help the team. I feel good. I always feel great on my fourth day,'' Vazquez said. ``I told (pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre), if they ever want me to do it that I can.''
Vazquez lost to the Red Sox on April 16 at Fenway Park, giving up six runs -- four earned -- and nine hits over 5 1-3 innings of a 6-2 setback.
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``I know what I did wrong in Boston. Hopefully, I can correct it,'' the right-hander
said. ``I made a lot of mistake pitches. I was up in the zone a lot. They're
a good hitting team and they can hit a fastball.''
Martinez will be pitching in New York for the first time since squandering a three-run eighth-inning lead in Game 7 of the ALCS last October -- a game the Yankees won in the 11th inning on Aaron Boone's memorable home run.
The hard-throwing right-hander has been inconsistent through his first four starts, but is coming off a strong performance in Tuesday's 4-2 win at Toronto. Martinez allowed one earned run and five hits over seven innings, striking out six and walking two.
After battering Yankees pitchers for 12 hits, including four homers, Friday, the Red Sox used three sacrifice flies to sneak past New York on Saturday.
Mark Bellhorn's drive to center sent Manny Ramirez home with the go-ahead run in the 12th as Boston continued its early season dominance of New York.
Relievers Scott Williamson, Alan Embree, Keith Foulke and Mike Timlin held the struggling Yankees offense without a run for six innings, increasing the Boston bullpen's scoreless streak to 22 2-3 innings.
Alex Rodriguez belted his third homer of the season, and first at Yankee Stadium, but the rest of the New York lineup continued to look lifeless.
The Yankees entered Saturday hitting .228, next to last in the league, and looked every bit as bad. They went 4-for-36, and except for three singles in the seventh never really looked comfortable at the plate.
Derek Jeter went 0-for-5 and doesn't have a hit in a career-high 21 at-bats.
Bernie Williams, dropped to eighth in the order, also went hitless in five at-bats
and is in a 1-for-31 slide.