Indians 5, Yankees 4

One of those, "Yeah, saw it coming, even when they tied it up" games.

The downside of winning so many cliffhangers is that, eventually, your first line of relievers is going to exhaust itself. Happens all the time, happened today.

Thoughts:

1. For Hughes, again, two forward, one back. Meanwhile, Wang, in three scoreless relief innings, has cut his era more than half from its apex! (To sixteen-something.) So: whaddya do? Watch and learn? Right now, about a dozen Yankees couldn't play better in their dreams, from Tex on down. They're in first, and there's about a ninety percent chance the Wild Card comes from the East. Does Girardi allow himself the luxury of forcing Wang to play himself back into the rotation? Does he sit back and observe, and wait for Phil Hughes to become Phil Hughes?

2. Robby-Boy is pushing hard for Joba in the pen. Two thoughts: 1. If you do it now, do it forever, and with the intention of installing him as closer eventually. 2. Are we looking at a rotation of CC, Burnett, Pettitte, Wang and Hughes, in that case? 3. I forget who asked the question, but where in the world is Ian Kennedy. Yeah, yeah, that's what the internet is for. I'll find out myself.

Joba back to set-up? I disagree, but not vehemently.

3. Of course we really knew when it was over. Posada's DP grounder in the ninth. Turns out Brett Gardner was given the "must steal" sign. Re Girardi:

Yankees manager Joe Girardi gave Brett Gardner at first base the steal sign with Posada up, but the rookie didn't go.

"It has been addressed," Girardi said.

So: Gardner gets his sign. He breaks for second, the shortstop breaks for the bag. Tapper to second, Gardner comes in safe, Posada out at first, go-ahead run scores from third, and Gardner is on second, ready to score on a base hit.

In any case, in this scenario, up comes Mo and out go the Indians.

Well, of course we know that.

Funny, though. Did Girardi throw the kid under the bus? Sounds like he did. How very un-Torre of him.