All the bluster about who the Yankees’ ALCS Game 4 starter is going to be could be a lot of wasted hot air.
If the weather cooperates, manager Joe Girardi said yesterday he is strongly considering starting CC Sabathia three times if the series goes a full seven games.
“We are definitely considering,” Girardi said, “going to a three-man rotation in this round.”
That would mean Chad Gaudin and Joba Chamberlain — candidates for a Game 4 start — would both stay in the bullpen. Because there is an extra off day between Games 4 and 5, the Yankees would be able to get by with just their three elite starting pitchers —Sabathia A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte — if Sabathia pitches Game 4 on three days’ rest and Game 7, if necessary, on regular rest.
For that to happen though, Game 1 must be played Friday night and the forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of rain.
The fact that Sabathia was relatively untaxed down the regular-season stretch makes it easier to start him on short rest in Game 4.
“It does,” Girardi said, “and the fact that he’s on a long rest right now too as well.”
Sabathia started ALDS Game 1 against the Twins last Wednesday night in The Bronx, and he’s scheduled to start ALCS Game 1 against the Angels on Friday night at Yankee Stadium. That affords the ace lefty eight days’ rest between starts and provides a cushion for him to go on just three days’ rest in Game 4.
Eight days’ rest, three days’ rest and four days’ rest between consecutive starts, however, would certainly be an irregular schedule for him.
Sabathia actually pitched on six days’ rest in his second-to-last start of the regular season. Safe to say he was just fine — he shut out the Red Sox on one hit in seven innings. The last time he pitched on three days’ rest was NLDS Game 2 last year for Milwaukee, and he was pounded for five runs in 32/3 innings. However, Sabathia also pitched on three days’ rest in his final three regular-season starts last season and posted a 0.83 ERA.
“We’ve talked a little about what we might do,” Girardi said. “We told him, though, to concentrate on Game 1. That’s the most important game and we’ll go from there.”
If the Yanks use four starters, Girardi said it’ll be between Chamberlain and Gaudin for Game 4. The Post’s Joel Sherman has already reported, however, that they are strongly leaning toward starting Gaudin, especially since Chamberlain pitched well out of the pen in the ALDS while Phil Hughes struggled.
Starting Sabathia three times also allows the Yankees to throw lefty starters in five of the seven games (Pettitte will start twice), which could help hamper the Angels’ running game. Girardi mentioned how with lefty pitchers, “a lot of times you have to pick first movement to go on.”
Meanwhile, when Sabathia takes the hill on Friday, the Yankees will also be trying to revive their dormant bats. In sweeping the Twins, the Yanks hit just .225. One slumping player — Johnny Damon (1-for-12 vs. Minnesota) — requested extra hitting yesterday against some of the Yankee pitchers who were at the Stadium to throw.
“Johnny asked to come in,” Girardi said, saying Damon will keep starting. “I don’t make too much of 10-12 at-bats. We know Johnny can get real hot, real fast.”
mark.hale@nypost.com