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As the 2009 World Series moves back to the Bronx, the Philadelphia Phillies once again put the ball in the hands of Pedro Martinez.
The Phillies, after witnessing Martinez's performance in Game Two of this series, believe he is the right choice to get the win and force a game seven.
Martinez has performed well this postseason, posting an ERA of 2.08 and has showed signs of pitching like his former self.
The argument for Pedro is that when there is a big game situation, you can still put the ball in his hands in order to get the job done. Unfortunately for the Phillies, Pedro's start in Game Two did not net them a win, but a loss.
Taking a closer look at Martinez's stats in the Game Two loss show that there is little blame that can be placed on him for the loss. Any pitching performance in the World Series that reads six innings pitched, with six hits, and three earned runs, may be able to get you a win, especially against a formidable Yankee lineup.
The Phillies offense was just not there in Game Two, hitting A.J. Burnett just four times with the only RBI coming from Matt Stairs.
In Game Two, A.J. Burnett was absolutely stunning, and his stuff was able to keep the Phillies guessing all night.
Fast forward to Game Five, where the Phils had seen what Burnett has, and were able to give him an early exit in the third inning.
Pedro, who was able to keep the Yankee hitters quiet for the most part with eight strikeouts, may suffer the same fate Burnett had in Game Five.
If you are a starter and a lineup as good as the Phillies or Yankees sees you more than once in the World Series, expect to be shelled—unless your name is Cliff Lee or C.C. Sabathia.
The same thing can be said of Andy Pettitte, who had a decent outing in Game Three, but could see some trouble if he gets the start tomorrow night.
With two shaky bullpens, each team's starters will have the pressure turned way up in Game Six.
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