Girardi Is Catching Heat Behind the Plate

The Yankees are a better team with Jorge Posada catching, not José Molina. But at least statistically, Game 2 starter A.J. Burnett is better when pitching to Molina, not Posada. Manager Joe Girardi's decision to pair Burnett with Molina has created a wave of discussion, especially when Posada offered a clipped interview suggesting he wasn't thrilled with the move.

Burnett on Thursday reiterated that he hadn't requested Molina to be his catcher.

"Skip made the decision," said Burnett, who has a 3.28 ERA when pitching to Molina and a 4.96 ERA when pitching to Posada.

Asked if he was surprised about the reaction to Girardi's decisions, Burnett said: "I'm not surprised because what Jorge is to this organization and what he's done in the postseason. He's the leader in this clubhouse. He's the leader in the dugout."

Twins Take a Break

Just to make the playoffs, the Minnesota Twins needed an extra game, then extra innings, and by the time they finished their Game 1 7-2 loss against the Yankees, they desperately needed a rest. The first off day in the series, leading up to Friday's Game 2, came at just the right time. The Twins had used eight pitchers in their Tuesday tiebreaker game against Detroit; their bullpen was depleted, and they were running on fumes.

"Now we get a little breather," Minnesota's Jason Kubel said, "which is well-deserved. We're all going to try to take advantage of that."

Oh, Baby

Phillies starter Cole Hamels was sitting alone on the Phillies' bench during the sixth inning Thursday, having just been pulled from the game after five disappointing innings, his face expressionless, when someone came and tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear.

Suddenly, Hamels's face showed recognition, and he bolted from the bench, down the tunnel to the clubhouse and -- within minutes -- into a waiting car for a ride to a local hospital, where his wife, former reality TV star and Playboy model Heidi Strobel, was in labor.

Hamels, 25, had known for days now that his wife's delivery, their first child, was imminent, and Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel said the situation could have affected Hamels's pitching. Last year, when he was named MVP of the World Series, Hamels allowed only seven earned runs in the entire postseason, spanning 35 innings.

But on Thursday, in his five innings of work, he was touched for four earned runs, including one that scored when he made an ill-advised attempt to get a runner at home plate on a swinging bunt by Colorado's Todd Helton.

"I don't know. I think definitely he was concerned about his wife, and probably his child, too," Manuel said. "That's an exciting time. I know it probably would have been on his mind."

Hamels is projected to start Game 5 for the Phillies, if necessary, back in Philadelphia. It was unclear early Thursday evening, as the Phillies prepared to fly to Denver, the status of the delivery or Hamels's travel schedule.