This from Tim McCarver, via the NY Post:

“The rivalry has changed because I think the pitching has changed,” McCarver said. “You don’t have them standing toe-to-toe slugging it out anymore. The Red Sox have a deep rotation and the Yankees were right with them, but with [Chien-Ming] Wang’s three horrendous starts that has changed for the time being.”

Hmmm, so Wang being bad and possibly injured kills the Yankees, but Dice-K being bad and definitely injured is not even a factor for Boston? This is symptomatic of the media’s double standard regarding the Yankees and Sox that has been irking me all offseason. The Sox have Wakefield at the back of the rotation with two prospects (Masterson, Buchholz) and two injury risks (Penny, Smoltz) and are deemed to have amazing depth. The Yankees have Pettitte and Chamberlain at the back of the rotation with two prospects (Hughes, Kennedy) ready to fill in, yet are considered to have major question marks. (To be fair, McCarver seems to have felt that the teams had equal depth coming into the season, so this rant is not really aimed at him). Statistically, the Yankees actually have a better rotation and better depth.

I think an important point being missed here by many writers is the definition and function of depth. Having depth means the ability to plug in a major league quality pitcher when one of your starters goes down or underperforms. If your depth guys are often injured, they do not provide the necessary insurance. Having Smoltz is not considered having depth until he hits the field and proves that he can be productive and healthy. Do not get me wrong, the Sox and Yankees both have envious depth, as players such as Masterson, Buchholz, Hughes, and Kennedy would likely be in the rotations for many lesser clubs. However, all of those players are far from certainties, and both clubs really have question marks in terms of how they can respond to a major injury in the rotation. With Dice-K and Wang out for the foreseeable future, we may find out soon enough.