In the 17 games that CC Sabathia started for the Brewers this year, Milwaukee went 14-3. In his last two starts, both of which came on short rest, he struck out 18 batters in 16 innings, holding opponents to one earned run and eight hits. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder came up especially big down the stretch for the Brewers, but I don't think even they will argue that CC Sabathia is the reason the Brewers are in the playoffs.
Today, Brewers' nation again turns their lonely eyes to the big lefty. After being thoroughly dominated by Cole Hamels and the Phillies in Game 1, Sabathia needs yet another big performance on short rest to keep the Brewers from falling into what would be a nearly insurmountable 2-0 deficit before they get back to Miller Park. He's already logged 253 innings and 10 complete games this year and with his fourth start on short rest tonight, he's redefining the term "workhorse."
The question, of course, is would you really bet against him tonight? He fell apart in the playoffs last year, but he wasn't used to such an intense workload. This year his inning totaly is pretty much right on line with last years and I think that gives him a better chance of holding things together. Even on short rest again, the Brewers don't want anyone else on the mound for their biggest game in 25 years.
