Defending Manuel's Decision to Bring Pedro Back for 7th

I see that a lot of bloggers are killing Charlie Manuel's decision to bring back Pedro Martinez for the 7th.  I think it was a terrific move by Manuel.

The Yanks were up 2-1 entering the bottom of the 7th.  Pedro was still really sharp.  Heck, he gave up two solo shots to Teixeira and Matsui, that's it really.  Matsui got his two hits off Pedro's wicked curve, so you gotta give Matsui all the credit there.

What would Manuel have accomplished if he took out Pedro after the 6th?  The Phillies bullpen have been shaky all year and asking them to get 9 outs while you're down by a run is not the best baseball move.  Hairston and Cabrera got two cheapies off Pedro to start the 7th, who's to say they don't get hits off Chan Ho Park?

The way I see the move is that Manuel didn't think the Phillies had a great chance against Mariano Rivera for the 8th and 9th.  Why waste your bullpen when you can ride Pedro for a few more outs?

In retrospect, the move didn't make any difference to the outcome of the game.  Mariano shut down the Phillies, so does it matter if they lost 3-1 or 2-1?  A loss is a loss.

Postgame audio, courtesy of WFAN.com:

Charlie Manuel

Pedro Martinez