Charlie Manuel was taking a big chance. Everybody agreed. By holding back ace Cliff Lee until Game 5, letting him pitch on his normal turn, giving the ball to Joe Blanton instead, the Phillies manager was putting the season at risk.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi turned the other way at the fork in the road. He brought back Game 1 starter CC Sabathia with just 3 days of rest.

The consensus was overwhelming. Manuel had been outmaneuvered. The assumption was that Sabathia, even if he wasn't 100 percent, would beat Blanton. Then the Yankees would need just one more win to cancel the Phillies' subscription to Defending World Champions Annual.

What was generally overlooked was that Girardi had also crawled out on to a limb. Maybe even more than Manuel. By starting Sabathia, he pretty much committed himself to a course of using his rotation with short rest for the remainder of the World Series. It will be A.J. Burnett on 3 days tonight. If need be, he would presumably be followed by Andy Pettitte on 3 days back at Yankee Stadium for Game 6 Wednesday night. And, if necessary, Sabathia on short rest for the second straight start in the decisive Game 7.

Each would be opposed by a Phillies pitcher with full rest.

The only way out of the pattern that Girardi has set in motion would be to insert, say, Chad Gaudin at some point. And he has pitched just one inning in the entire postseason.

Bottom line: While it may not have appeared that way on the surface, New York needed last night's game just as much as the Phillies.

As it turned out, the Yankees won, 7-4. The Phillies are officially on the brink.

But they aren't a loss away from elimination because Blanton pitched poorly or because Sabathia was so dominant. They lost because two of the runners who scored against Blanton (Derek Jeter in the first, Melky Cabrera in the fourth) reached base on infield hits. And because Jeter's RBI in the fourth was on a grounder that just got past shortstop Jimmy Rollins and Johnny Damon's was on a flare to right.

Because the middle of the lineup continues to struggle. Because Brad Lidge gave up three runs in the top of the ninth after getting two quick outs.

The consolation for the Phillies, such as it is, is that they at least have Lee rested and ready for tonight.

Hero

 

Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees third baseman drove in the winning run with a double in the top of the ninth. A superstar who until this year had a reputation for coming up small in the biggest situation, has tied a franchise record with 15 RBI in the postseason.

Said A-Rod: "There's no question, I have never had a bigger hit."

Goat

 

Brad Lidge. The Phillies hoped he was back. They prayed he was back. But when he made his first World Series appearance of the year, coming into a tie game in the top of the ninth, he gave up three runs after two were out with nobody on base.

The stat