PHILADELPHIA -- CC Sabathia will start Game 4 of the World Series for the New York Yankees on three days of rest. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said it's possible A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte also could come back on short rest later, leaving New York with a three-man rotation. Sabathia would pitch a possible seventh game.

Sabathia lost to Cliff Lee in the opener and is 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA in four postseason starts. He will face Joe Blanton in Game 4 tonight.

"CC has pitched extremely well for us this year," Girardi said before Game 3 last night. "We wanted to see how he came out [yesterday], how physically he came out [yesterday], and he physically feels good."

Sabathia allowed two runs over seven innings in the opener Wednesday, struggling with his control far more than he did in his previous postseason appearances. He pitched once on three days of rest in the league championship series, beating the Los Angeles Angels, 10-1, in Game 4 while allowing five hits in eight innings with five strikeouts and two walks.

The start means Sabathia will get to bat. He loves to bat. And when he does, he's just not trying to make contact, to "get the ball through the infield," as Pettitte hoped.

"I'm trying to hit a homer," Sabathia said. "If I hit a single, I hit a single. I hit a double, I hit a double. I'm trying to go deep."

In addition to looking the part of a hitter, Sabathia also has the best statistics among Yankees pitchers. Sabathia is 24 for 92 (a .261 average) with three homers and 14 RBIs. FYI: He uses a 35-inch, 33-ounce bat, which is heavier than Albert Pujols' bat.

Did Alex Rodriguez really carry the Yankees through their ALDS against Minnesota and the ALCS against the Angels? You'd never know it by the New York tabloids. The New York Daily News ran a poll asking whether he would ever snap out of his World Series funk (0 for 8, six strikeouts going into Game 3). Among the poll options was this beauty: "No, 6 K's in 8 at-bats proves he's still a choker."

Teammate and captain Derek Jeter could only shake his head. "The guy has been killing the ball for three weeks. Now people talk about a slump? Well, Cliff Lee. And Pedro. It's kind of hard to sit here and overanalyze everything. If pitchers make their pitches, they're going to be hard to hit."

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