NATIONALS ROLL AS WANG GIVES UP WALK-OFF HOMER By GEORGE KING June 19, 2006 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ryan Zimmerman watched Chien-Ming Wang take the mound for the ninth inning instead of Mariano Rivera and a thought hit the Nationals' third baseman. "Even Superman has to rest sometime," Zimmerman said of Rivera, who was not asked to protect a one-run lead in the final frame. Having told Rivera he wasn't going to hurl for a third straight day and not wanting to use Scott Proctor for a fourth time in five games and giving Kyle Farnsworth's balky back a second day of rest, Joe Torre let Wang hit in the ninth and pitch the home half of the inning. When Wang got Jose Guillen on a grounder to the right side, the Yankees were two outs away from celebrating a sensational pitching effort. Even Marlon Anderson's pinch-hit, ground single to right didn't dim their hopes. One pitch later they trudged off RFK Stadium's turf 3-2 losers when Zimmerman spanked a first-pitch sinker that didn't sink over the left-field fence for a game-winning homer. "The kid was courageous today," Torre said of Wang, who fell to 7-3 with the hard-luck defeat that was watched by 45,157 sweaty customers. "He got two ground balls to start the ninth, got a pitch up and lost the ball game." "I threw it bad," Wang said of the fateful pitch. "It was a sinker up." While lefty specialist Mike Myers and Proctor were throwing in the bullpen, Torre didn't intend to bring them in. If he used Myers for the left-handed hitting Anderson, Frank Robinson likely would have countered with the right-handed hitting Matthew LeCroy. As for Proctor, he was coming into the game only if Torre saw Wang fade or lose the strike zone. While Wang inhaled a loss on his 107th pitch that produced the fifth homer he has surrendered, the misbehaving sinker wasn't the Yankees' only problem. Mike O'Connor, a soft-tossing 25-year-old lefty making his 11th career start, allowed one run and four hits in seven innings to help send the Yankees to their seventh loss in 10 games. Yet, when Alex Rodriguez ripped a two-out, RBI double to the left-center gap in the eighth that scored Melky Cabrera from first, the Yankees had a 2-1 lead going to the ninth. Since 1997, that meant Rivera. But not yesterday, despite Rivera telling pitching coach Ron Guidry he was willing and able. "That's what I do, that's my job," Rivera said about protecting ninth-inning leads. "To see [Wang] pitch a good game and lose like that was tough. I prefer me to lose the game than him." Rivera didn't criticize Torre for not using him. Still, the competitor in Rivera wanted him on the mound. "I will never second guess Mr. Torre," Rivera said. "But if it was up to me I would pitch every day. I look at today and they look at the season. That's why I am a player and he is the manager. If it's up to me, I want to be there. I was ready." Wang should be used to feeble support. In his last three starts the Yankees have scored three runs. He won the first two, 2-1 and 1-0. Yesterday, giving up three was enough to get beat. "It's demoralizing because [Wang] worked so hard," said A-Rod, who had two of the Yankees' five hits. "He was the right guy out there." With their bullpen spent thanks to Jaret Wright and Shawn Chacon not going deep in the previous two games, the Yankees desperately needed Wang to work long yesterday. Unfortunately for them, he went one pitch too many. http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/no_mo__no_w_yankees_george_king.htm --

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