Half A Game Back

I was away for 10days, and somewhere in there, Bubba Crosby had a very big Yankee moment.
Indeed, in the 10 days while I was in absentia, the Yankees won 7 of 10 games. They've won 10 of the last 15, and they look pretty hot as they surge towards the finishing line. Considering the Red Sox were 4.5 games ahead before I left, I feel like this is a pretty good sign that the last series of the year is going to be corker.

In fact, Alex Belth at Bronx Banter says that if the Yankees win the next 2 games against the Orioles sweeping them, they would completely erase that half game difference that comes from the fact that the Yankees have played one fewer game than the Red Sox. So. Who starts?

With that in mind, here's how the rotation projects over the remainder of the schedule:

Wed 9/21 v Bal: Johnson
Thu 9/22 v Bal: Mussina
Fri 9/23 v Tor: Chacon
Sat 9/24 v Tor: Wright
Sun 9/25 v Tor: Wang
Mon 9/26 @ Bal: Small
Tue 9/27 @ Bal: Johnson
Wed 9/28 @ Bal: Mussina
Thu 9/29 @ Bal: Chacon
Fri 9/30 @ Bos: Wright
Sat 10/1 @ Bos: Wang
Sun 10/2 @ Bos: Small

This actually works out very well for the Yankees. If Wright falters on Saturday, Wang and Small can pitch on regular rest in the first two Boston games, bouncing Wright to the pen and moving Randy Johnson into the starting spot in the season finale on regular rest. If the Yankees need to win that final game to force a one-game playoff, Johnson could similarly step in for Small, with Small moving to the bullpen. Mussina would then be in line to start the playoff game, which would be played on Monday. However, if the Yankees have already clinched a tie entering the final game, they could take their chances with Small, saving Johnson for the potential playoff game and Mussina for Game One of the ALDS, with Johnson and Mussina set up to start the ALDS if Small wins and the playoff game is not needed.

That's pretty interesting.
The return of Chien-Ming Wang has been big as well as Aaron Small's miraculous run of 9 winning decisions without a loss. He hasn't been all that great in the last 2 starts, but he's managed to pull something from the fire.
Shawn Chacon has lost his sparking 1.something ERA, but he's been good enough to keep the Yankees in the game and hit their way out of trouble.
Jaret Wright has been good in patches but he keeps getting hit by projectiles and knocked out of the game. That has to be a statistical anomaly. So maybe there's something in the Wright signing after all.
That leaves Randy Johnson to do his *thang*; and a jack-in-the-box Moose who may be good to go, or totally crap; and Al Leiter to be the backup option for Moose when he goes only 4 innings.
Well, this is not the rotation they built in January, but it sure is the product of those decisions. If they don't make the post-season this year, I guess at least it's been an interesting season.

UPDATE OF THE DAY
Randy Johnson pitched the Yanks past the Orioles 2-1. Matt Lawton got his yankee moment as he hit a 2-run shot to bust out of a slump; and it was all the Big Unit needed. Meanwhile the Bosox lost a late lead to the Devil Rays and just like that, the Yankees stepped up in front with 11 games left. The Yanks and Bosox both play the Blue Jays and the Orioles, followed by the finale series iin Fenway where they meet for the last time in the regular season. It's going to be a very close finish indeed.
Who remembers the Boston massacre of 1978? - I do. :)

UPDATE 2
The yanks outlasted the Orioles today behind Moose and won 7-6. Moose was okay with 6Ks, No BBs in 6IP, and it was the Bullpen that gave up the 6 earned runs according to the scorers. Jorge Posada had 2 homers. It's all good as the Yankees now have a full 1-game lead.