Just What Brave Staff Needs--an Edge

By MIKE DiGIOVANNA

Oct. 20, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

NEW YORK —

Joe Torre is the New York Yankee manager, but Mother Nature has been making many of the important pitching decisions for the American League champions this month. And Torre is ready to give her the hook.

Game 1 of the World Series between the Yankees and Atlanta Braves was rained out Saturday, forcing Torre to insert shaky left-hander Kenny Rogers into his series rotation for Game 4, just as Torre did when Game 1 of the American League championship series against Baltimore was rained out.

The rainout--the first in the World Series since 1986, when Game 7 between the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox was washed out, and the first series postponement since an earthquake delayed the 1989 series between Oakland and San Francisco for 12 days--gives Atlanta a distinct advantage.

With Game 1 pushed back to tonight at 4:30 PDT and Game 2 moved to Monday at 4 p.m., Manager Bobby Cox was able to move Greg Maddux from Game 3 to Game 2, where the right-hander will work Monday with his usual four days’ rest.

The rainout also allowed Cox to shuffle his rotation so that Tom Glavine, and not Denny Neagle, will pitch two games instead of one if the series goes seven games. Neagle was scheduled to start Game 2 and Glavine Game 4, but Glavine will now start Game 3 on four days’ rest and Neagle Game 4.

Torre had hoped to go with a three-man rotation of Andy Pettitte, Jimmy Key and David Cone, but with Monday’s off day eliminated, Rogers, the $20-million left-hander who was cuffed around in playoff starts against Texas and Baltimore, will start Game 4.

Another problem for the Yankees, who have not played since their championship series-clinching victory over the Orioles last Sunday: With no off day scheduled until Friday, Torre will not be able to use set-up man Mariano Rivera as much as he’d like, putting more of the relief burden on Jeff Nelson and David Weathers.

“It can only help the Braves,” Torre said. “With their [National League championship] series against St. Louis going seven games, Bobby couldn’t set his rotation up like he wanted to. Now he can.”

And Torre can’t. While Atlanta and St. Louis were battling for the National League pennant last week, Torre contemplated adding rookie Ramiro Mendoza to the postseason roster and starting the right-hander in Game 4.

Torre even said he would consider starting rookie reliever Brian Boehringer, who was 0-5 with a 12.24 earned-run average in six starts this season, in Game 4.

That’s how little confidence Torre had in the sore-shouldered Rogers, who lasted only two innings, giving up two runs on five hits, in his division series start against Texas and went three innings, giving up four runs on five hits, in his AL championship series start against Baltimore.

But with Rogers showing some physical improvement this week, and with the Braves’ most powerful bats--Fred McGriff and Ryan Klesko--swinging from the left side--and with a powerful rainstorm drenching Yankee Stadium on Saturday, Torre was left with no choice but to turn to Rogers.

“Kenny is one of my four starters,” said a diplomatic Torre, trying his best to muster something good to say about Rogers. “Every time I send him out there, even though it hasn’t worked out in the postseason, I believe he’s going to give us the five or six innings we need to win the ballgame.”

Rogers’ injured shoulder, which will likely require off-season surgery, has made it difficult for him to find his proper release point, and that has affected his control. Though he walked only two against Baltimore, he ran the count full to nine of the 16 Orioles he faced.

“The postseason is a special time of year,” Torre said. “The only thing I want him to do is remember how well he pitched against Baltimore in an important [regular-season] series here.”

Rogers, bum shoulder and all, went 5 2/3 innings, giving up no runs and three hits, to lead the Yankees to a 9-3 victory over the Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader on Sept. 19. That allowed New York to maintain a four-game lead over surging Baltimore.

“He knows what it feels like to pitch well,” Torre said. “I just want him to be aggressive and go after people, and hopefully he’ll have more than one or two pitches working for him. You definitely need that against the Braves.”

Rogers said he doesn’t see his World Series start as a chance to redeem himself for his past two performances.

“When they give me the ball I’ll just try to do my job, like I always do,” Rogers said. “I’ll take the same approach I’ve had all year. This is no different. . . . I think this is a good sign. God wants me to pitch.”

He probably couldn’t say the same for Torre.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Delay of Game

Postponements of World Series games because of rain unless otherwise noted:

* 1911--New York (NL) at Philadelphia (AL), Game 4, 6 days (Oct. 18-23)

* 1962--New York (AL) at San Francisco, Game 6, 3 days (Oct. 12-14)

* 1975--Cincinnati at Boston, Game 6, 3 days (Oct. 18-20)

* 1989--Oakland at San Francisco, Game 3, 10 days (Oct. 17-26)*

* Oct. 5, 1903--Boston (AL) at Pittsburgh, Game 4

* Oct. 9, 1903--Boston (AL) at Pittsburgh, Game 6**

* Oct. 12, 1903--Pittsburgh at Boston (AL), Game 8

* Sept. 4, 1918--Boston (AL) at Chicago (NL), Game 1