CC leads Yanks Past O's, A-Rod Benched

YANKEES 3
ORIOLES 1

Here's a shocker for ya, the Yankees are going back to the ALCS. For the third time in the last four years the Bronx Bombers are heading to the LCS after a 3-1 victory over the pesky Baltimore Orioles.

The Yankees completed the series victory behind ace CC Sabathia's dominating complete game performance, who gave up four hits and a run over nine innings. He struck out nine, and threw 121 pitches.

Sabathia dominated, never getting into any real trouble, as he pitched a one hitter through seven innings. With the Yankees leading 1-0 in the sixth, Sabathia served up a fat pitch to Orioles' Nate McClouth, who cracked the pitch down the right field line toward the foul pole. The play came under intense review, but the umpires determined that McClouth's foul ball, was not a homer since it didn't hit the foul pole.

However there have been numerous reports from people who were in the vicinity of the baseball, who said that the ball did hit the foul pole. If it counted, the game would have been tied at one, but with the way Sabathia was pitching it is hard to say that a McClouth homer would have changed the complexion of the night.

In the bottom half of the sixth the Yankees padded their lead, when Ichiro Suzuki lined a double to right to drive in Derek Jeter giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

Finally, Curtis Granderson, who has struggled in this postseason lifted a pitch into the bleachers in right to make it 3-0 Bombers.

After getting into trouble in the eighth, Sabathia settled down and struck out McClouth and forced J.J. Hardy into a ground out to get out of a bases loaded jam.

Sabathia closed the game out by retiring the Orioles in order in the ninth.

While the Yankees may be headed back to the LCS to face the Detroit Tigers, their 3-1 victory was muted by the fact that Alex Rodriguez was benched for game five. Rodriguez has, once again, struggled in the playoffs, batting .125 and looking totally lost at the plate.

In game three, manager Joe Giradi removed Rodriguez from the game in favor of pinch hitter Raul Ibanez, who led the Yankees to the come-back victory. Then on Friday, he sat Rodriguez for the  entire game in favor of Ibanez who drove in a run in game five.

Rodriguez is quickly becoming a biggest $114 million bust in Yankees history. This is a guy, who outside of the 2009 postseason, has been horrible for this ball-club in the clutch over the years. He has failed to deliever in big time situations, and has drawn the ire of Yankee fans' frustration every single fall.

With Rodriguez's benching, it is clear that A-Rod is no longer a top player in this game. Girardi and the Yankees don't trust him - why should they? Ibanez has provided a lot of energy to this lineup when inserted, and don't be shocked to see more of him in the LCS. Time will only tell, where A-Rod fits in the Yankees plans for the rest of this season. However it should end, the less A-Rod plays this month, the more red flags will be raised come 2013.