A Look at Nick Blackburn

Nick Blackburn is a model of consistency so far in his career (not necessarily good, but consistent). I eliminated 2007 where he only pitched in 6 games in relief, but look how similar the numbers are between 2008 and 2009 courtesy of Baseball-Reference:



That's pretty remarkable. 11-11, .02 difference in ERA, .006 difference in WHIP. The games, runs, HR, BB, SO, and all the averages are unbelievably similar. This guy is nothing if not consistent.

The reason his hit total from this year is in bold? He led the league in hits given up in 2009. As John Flaherty breaks down for Sam Borden, Nick Blackburn throws four pitches, but is mainly a sinkerballer who will hope to get a lot of ground outs. But if those balls start sneaking through the infield, it could be a short night for Blackburn on the mound.

Let's look at how he's done against the Yankees in his career:



Not much success at all. This year he pitched on game against the Yankees in the Bronx and got a no-decision on one of those walk-off days in the New Yankee Stadium. Here's what Blackburn's stat line looked like that day:



Not a bad outing, but Mark Teixeira did take him deep in the 3rd inning for a 3-run homerun, as Tex went 4-4 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBIs. Let's look at how all the Yankees have faired against Blackburn over their careers:

                    PA  AB  H  2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG   **OPS**   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---
 Mark Teixeira       7   6   6  1  0  1   5   1   0 1.000 1.000 1.667   2.667     0   0   1   0   0
 Derek Jeter        12   7   3  0  0  1   3   4   2  .429  .636  .857   1.493     1   0   0   0   0
 Jose Molina         3   2   1  0  0  0   0   1   0  .500  .667  .500   1.167     0   0   0   0   0
 Hideki Matsui       3   3   1  1  0  0   0   0   0  .333  .333  .667   1.000     0   0   0   0   0
 Alex Rodriguez      9   9   3  0  0  1   3   0   4  .333  .333  .667   1.000     0   0   0   0   0
 Johnny Damon       12  11   3  1  0  1   1   1   0  .273  .333  .636    .969     0   0   0   0   0
 Eric Hinske         5   4   1  1  0  0   0   1   0  .250  .400  .500    .900     0   0   0   0   0
 Nick Swisher       15  12   3  1  0  0   2   3   1  .250  .400  .333    .733     0   0   0   0   2
 Brett Gardner       4   4   1  0  0  0   0   0   0  .250  .250  .250    .500     0   0   0   0   0
 Melky Cabrera       6   6   1  0  0  0   0   0   0  .167  .167  .167    .334     0   0   0   0   0
 Francisco Cervell   2   2   0  0  0  0   0   0   1  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0
 Robinson Cano       8   8   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   1
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---
Total              86  74  23  5  0  4  14  11   8  .311  .400  .541    .941     1   0   1   0   3

It will be interesting to see if Girardi gives Brett Gardner the start tonight against the righty. I doubt it (he seems to want to keep Gardner on the bench as a pinch runner), but it would add another element to their game. The speed of Gardner against a groundball pitcher may be hard to counter for Minnesota. Also, Jose Molina has actually a hit against Blackburn (and a walk!) in their very short history so that's a good sign for tonight.

The key for the Yankees is to be patient, let Blackburn elevate the ball, and then pounce on him. Unlike Blackburn, you have no clue what you'll get on the mound tonight for the Yankees in Burnett. The key to tonight's game may be to continue the offensive attack started in Game 1. With a good hitting team like the Yankees and a pitcher who is prone to give up a lot of hits, this may be a good match-up for the Yankees to exploit.