Girardi continues to ponder his ALDS rotation

MINNEAPOLIS - Yankees officials met throughout the afternoon Monday to complete the team's 25-man Division Series roster and to line up the rotation.

Although manager Joe Girardi said he won't make an official announcement on his rotation until he meets with the media here today, the Yankees, as expected, are leaning toward going with a three-man rotation against the Twins.

That would leave A.J. Burnett, who just finished the second year of a five-year, $82.5-million contract, out of the Division Series.

With a day off taken away from the American League Championship Series, Burnett almost assuredly will get a start if the Yankees get that far.

Burnett (10-15) was not great but was not awful in his final regular-season start Saturday at Fenway Park, when he allowed four runs and six hits in six innings, although it was against a lineup of mostly Red Sox call-ups.

The Yankees already had announced CC Sabathia as their Game 1 starter; it is expected that Andy Pettitte will pitch Game 2 so he will be available to start a potential Game 5 on regular rest. Pettitte is 18-9 with a 3.90 ERA in 40 career postseason starts and owns the record for postseason victories.

Having their two lefthanders, Sabathia and Pettitte, available to pitch twice each against the Twins' lefty-heavy lineup would make sense for the Yankees. Phil Hughes would start Game 3, meaning Sabathia would start Game 4 on three days' rest.

Sabathia, who went 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA last postseason, making two of his five starts on three days' rest, said he broached the topic recently with Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland.

"I told Joe and Dave that I am prepared to do it if they need me to do it," Sabathia said. "I want to be out there every chance I get."

An argument could be made for pitching Hughes in Game 2 in Minnesota because 47.4 percent of the balls put in play against him this season were fly balls (compared with 37.6 percent for Pettitte). Target Field, the Twins' expansive new home, yields few home runs.

Additionally, though the pre- and post-All-Star splits on Hughes get much of the attention, his home/away splits can't be ignored. Hughes, 18-8 with a 4.19 ERA after picking up a win in relief Saturday, went 6-4 with a 3.52 ERA on the road and 11-4 with a 4.66 ERA at home as a starter. More significantly, of the 25 homers he allowed this season, 20 were at the Stadium.

That's why Girardi said Sunday that even after a day of meetings, he wasn't going to say anything about his rotation until it becomes necessary.

"I will sleep on it Monday night,'' he said, "and then announce it Tuesday."

Extra bases

Alex Rodriguez was voted AL player of the month after leading the league in RBIs (26) and slugging percentage (.667) and tying for second with nine home runs. A-Rod finished with 30 homers and 125 RBIs, his 13th straight season with at least 30 home runs and at least 100 RBIs and 14th in 15 full seasons . . . The Yankees will leave for Minneapolis this morning and will have a 5 p.m. workout at Target Field. The Twins are holding their workout this morning.