The Yankee Clipper: The Outfield

As the All-Star break comes to a close, it feels like a good time to review the season so far. We'll try to roll a different one of these out for the next week reviewing the Yankees different positional groups to see how they've performed so far this season. We'll also be reviewing this to see where weaknesses are before the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. Let's start out with the outfield:

1. Brett Gardner. One of my favorite players coming into this season has rewarded the Yankees' faith in making him an everyday player. He's hitting a robust .309/.396/.415 and at his current pace would finish the season with 10 HR and almost 50 SB. He's 10th in the AL in runs (56), 5th in OBP (.396), and 4th in SB (25). Baseball-Reference has his defense in left rated as tops in the American League. In my opinion, the best thing about his game is the amount of pitches he sees. He averages 4.58 P/PA which would be the highest average since Rickey Henderson had 4.55 in 1997 (and if you want to read up on the correlation of P/PA and production, I found this Hardball Times piece from 2005). Better yet, FanGraphs says that only 5 players in the Majors swing at less balls outside the strike zone than Gardner--then again, he's also swung at the least amount of pitches inside the strike zone in the Majors and overall meaning he only swings 31.3% of the time (but he makes contact at balls inside the strike zone a league-leading 98.1% of the time when he does swing). FanGraphs tracks Gardner's Wins Above Replacement number at 2.3 which already surpasses his 2009 value and puts him in the top 15 among American League outfielders and Baseball-Reference has Gardner's WAR at 3.4 with would be tied for 6th among all AL positional players (with Carl Crawford and Kevin Youkilis). Whether it's "Gardner Planted One" (for his Inside-the-Park home run), "Gardy Goes Yardy" (his regular home run call), or "Brett The Jet" (his stolen base call), Gardner has not only turned into an important Yankee regular, but he may be a reason the Yankees second-guess giving big money to Carl Crawford in the off-season. Best Month: June .383/.472/.533.
2. Nick Swisher. I will repeat: the Yankees acquired Nick Swisher for Wilson Betemit. Wow. Swisher came into camp this year in even better shape than last year and it has showed. The Yankees starting rightfielder is having his best Major League season with career highs at every slash (.298/.377/.524) as well as his Weighted On Base Average (wOBA) of .391 (only Robinson Cano has a better mark. He's projected to have 28 HR, 93 RBI and 72 XBH. And although UZR rates him as a negative defender, he's shown definite improvement in right with both his arm and his glove. His 2.7 WAR in both FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference means that he's on pace to greatly surpass last year's output. And as shown by his recent All-Star Final Ballot selection, he's having a lot of fun doing it, bringing a loose atmosphere to the clubhouse that the Yankees needed after guys like Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi left. Swisher has moved around in the lineup a lot, hitting 2nd some games and anywhere from 4th to 8th in others--but wherever he's hit in the lineup, he's produced. Although he hasn't walked as much in 2010 (mostly due to who he's had hitting behind him), Swisher has still taken over 18% of his at bats to a full count and done damage when he's gotten there (.554 OBP). Swish has been extra Swishalicous in 2010 and the Yankees can control him for cheap through 2012 (according to Cot's Contracts, signed for bargains of  $6.75 M this year, $9 M in 2011 and a $10.25 M club option in 2012 with a $1 M buyout). Best Month: May .374/.441/.670 with 7 HR. Picture from the New York Daily News

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The Yankee Clipper: A Series Win Before Heading Back to the Bronx

The Yankees lost for the first time in Minnesota since August of 2008 last night but they still leave Minnesota with a series win and head home to face what should be the easy part of their schedule (here's a look at their pitching probables from Zell's Pinstripe Blog). Since it's been a while since we've done a Yankee Clipper, let's look at how we got here, shall we?

1. A split with Boston, a 2-game loss to Tampa, and then a series loss to the Mets. Yeah, it's been a while since we've done one of these. Tampa seems to be on another level than the rest of the majors, this past week's series against Boston notwithstanding. The split with Boston was disappointing since they had every chance to win that second game including a 5-1 lead and a rally towards the end. The Mets series was even more disappointing as the bats went dead (a theme that has carried through since). Jason Bay continues to be a Yankee killer. Jason @ IIATMS looks into whether the Yankees are waiting for the big hit and while many Yankee fans were busy panicking, Steve at River Ave Blues put everything into perspective. Also to be put in perspective, the Yankees have been playing without Curtis Granderson who returns tonight and Matt from TYU looks at what Granderson's return means to the Yankees. I think it means more protection in a lineup that has recently been pretty bad throughout, especially the middle of the line-up. Getting Granderson back could allow the Yankees to move Swisher into the #2 hole, Granderson into the #6 hole and Gardner further back in the lineup where he thrived earlier in the season.
2. The Yankees still have Minnesota's number. Two one-run games (one suspended) went to the Yankees in the first two. Home runs by Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher in a park that has shown to be very hard to homer in were the difference. Jeter's bad and glove had been questioned recently so it was good for him to show up. So calls about his defense and moving him out of the lead-off spot will have to wait for now.
3. But other teams still have Javier Vazquez's number. Despite looking really good in his last two starts, Vazquez didn't look quite as good last night going for the sweep. Maybe it was that bunt attempt that he took off of his finger...or maybe he really hasn't turned a corner just yet (or maybe he's historically struggled against some of the Twins). Rob from Bronx Baseball Daily writes that just when Javy looked like he had turned the corner, last night happened, and Joe from River Ave Blues writes that there was some good, but mostly bad last night.

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The Yankee Clipper: Despite Great Pitching, a Doubleheader Split

Two days after losing a tough game to the Tigers (and Jose Valverde's chicken dance) and one day after being rained out, the Yankees went back at it again yesterday with a day-night doubleheader. It's odd how it turns out, but most of the time, no matter how unbalanced the teams might be, it usually ends up that doubleheaders get split. Last night was no exception. The Tigers took the afternoon affair and the Yankees won the evening game. Let's take a look at how that happened:

1. Javier Vazquez's best start of the season. If he wasn't making over $11 million, you would probably feel bad for the guy. After being all out of whack this season, he pitched a really good game giving up only 2 runs over seven strong innings, striking out 7--and his team got shutout for the first time all season. The two runs were on groundballs that just snuck through the infield so hopefully this is a start that Vazquez can build on as we move forward. Mike at River Ave Blues noted that Vazquez worked at a quicker pace and with confidence--and that is usually half the battle with struggling pitchers--and got 16 swings and misses. Vazquez was a little wild early on but settled down to retired 14 of 15 at one point. In the words of Herm Edwards "we can build on this!"
2. Phil Hughes' continued dominance. Johnny Damon told Mark Feinsand of the Daily News that Hughes could be the ace on 15-20 teams in Major League Baseball. LoHud's Chad Jennings agrees. At this point, they may be right. You forget how young he is, too--he won't turn 24 until June 24th. The only Yankees in the past 30 years to win more games than Hughes by age 24 were Andy Pettitte, Dave Righetti, and Bob Wickman. Hughes leads the league in ERA (1.38), wins (5), H/9 (5.077), ERA+ (289), Win Probability Added (1.7), 2nd in WHIP (.923), 4th in HR/9 (.231), 4th in WAR (1.3) and 6th in K/9 (9.000). Hughes' FIP is 2.50 and his xFIP is 3.60 so you expect that ERA to creep up a bit (he's probably going to give up another home run at some point), but so far he's been fabulous. The regular season domination we saw last year with Hughes as a set-up man has translated into Hughes as a confident starter. His cutter has been a tremendous pitch for him.

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Should We Read More Into Today's Yankees Starting Lineup?

Brett Gardner in center. Nick Johnson hitting 2nd. Robinson Cano hitting 5th. Nick Swisher hitting 8th. A while back we debated the Yankees starting lineup but now it seems to be coming to some sort of conclusion. As Chad Jennings of The LoHud Yankees Blog wrote, today's lineup looks like the expected Opening Day lineup:

1. Derek Jeter SS
2. Nick Johnson DH
3. Mark Teixeira 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez 3B
5. Robinson Cano 2B
6. Jorge Posada C
7. Curtis Granderson LF
8. Nick Swisher RF
9. Brett Gardner CF

Two big observations there: the Yankees have faith in Cano turning around his putrid RISP numbers from last year (and, let's all admit, it might just have been bad luck) and the Yankees have more faith in Gardner playing center than Granderson. As I've said, I don't usually put a lot of stock in what goes on in Spring Training but when Ben pointed out to me that Granderson looked awful in CF, it worried me a bit. Maybe it worried the Yankees too. Leftfield at Yankee Stadium is a hard position to man so having Granderson play there is not a large knock on his abilities. And if the small sample size we have of Brett Gardner holds, this will actually make the Yankees (marginally) better defensively.

Nick Johnson hitting in the two-hole is not a surprise. Although some feel that he will "clog up the bases", I rather a guy clog up the bases by getting on base 4 out of 10 times than one who speeds through the bases 3 out of ten times. If Johnson can stay healthy, the top 4 of that lineup is probably the best in baseball. I thought that Swisher may hit a little higher in the lineup, but I don't think his hitting 8th is truly a reflection of his ability. I think, rather, it's a reflection of how deep the Yankees lineup is. I wonder if, by season's end, the Yankees will have moved him up a bit, though.

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Yankees Over/Under: Bullpen, Bench and Coaching Staff

This week we looked at the New York Yankees Starting 9 and their Starting Rotation but now it's time to do the over/unders for their bullpen, coaches, and bench. I'm going to put out the list but I want you to chime in within the comments about where you would bet these will fall in 2010 (again, with details about those numbers in parentheses):

1. Mariano Rivera - 73 regular season innings pitched (his innings have dropped every year since 2004 but 73 was the average amount over the past 6 years)
2. Phil Hughes relief appearances - Joba Chamberlain relief appearances - 0 (so if you subtract one form the other, what will you get? For their careers, this number would be -6)
3. David Robertson - 10 K/9 (he led the league with 13 K/9 last season and has 12 K/9 over his young career)
4. Alfredo Aceves - 80.2 innings of relief (his relief total from 2009)
5. Chan Ho Park - 4.35 ERA (his career ERA)
6. Mark Melancon - 22 games (he had 13 last season)
7. Damaso Marte PA vs. LHB - Damaso Marte PA vs. RHB - 0 (will he be truly used as a lefty specialist in 2010?)
8. Randy Winn - 10 stolen bases (he's averaged 17 a season over his career)
9. Marcus Thames - 7 HR (his low for a season while in Detroit)
10. Francisco Cervelli - 101 PA (his total from last season)

And now a few non-stat related ones:

11. Nick Swisher - 0.5 appearances on the mound (he had a memorable inning in April last season)
12. Francisco Cervelli - 0.5 concussions (let's hope for under here)
13. Joe Girardi - 50 TV shots of him during 2010 looking into his infamous binder
14. Brian Cashman - 3 trades during the season
15. Rob Thomson - 7 runners thrown out at home

Put your thoughts in the comments below. I'll tally up the results and we'll see how we did in October. Thanks for playing!

Picture from the New York Times

Yankees Over/Under: Starting 9 Hitters

I thought it would be fun to do Over/Under for the Yankees to see where people predict people will end up by the end of the year. So I'll put out a list of over/under numbers and you'll put your predictions in the comments below. Let's start out with the Yankee starting 9 hitters:

1. Curtis Granderson - 30 HR (his career high set last year)
2. Jorge Posada - 111 games (the amount he played in last season)
3. Mark Teixeira - 35 HR, 114 RBI (his career average)
4. Robinson Cano - .365 OBP (career high set in 2006)
5. Derek Jeter - 200 hits (a benchmark we seem to have for him every season)
6. Alex Rodriguez - 30 HR and 100 RBI (numbers he's hit every year since 1998)
7. Nick Swisher - 8 HR at home (his odd number from last season)
8. Brett Gardner - 39 SB (his career SB total)
9. Nick Johnson - 438 PAs (his average plate appearances since he left New York)

And now a few non-stat related ones:

10. Nick Johnson - 1.5 trips to the disabled list
11. Kate Hudson - 0.5 times on TV at a Yankee game this season rooting on A-Rod
12. Derek Jeter - 0.5 pies in the face after game-winning hit (he had none last year)
13. Jorge Posada - 25 games caught for his buddy, A.J. Burnett
14. Derek Jeter - 0.5 engagements
15. Nick Swisher - 2 hairstyles 

So what do you think? Put your answers in the comments below and pick an over/under for whichever ones you want. The next group we'll go with are the pitchers so stay tuned.

Picture from the New York Daily News

What They're Saying: Nick Swisher

We'll do a quick series on the blog where we'll look at what everyone's been saying over the interwebs:

• Buster Olney points out that Nick Swisher is having a miserable series, going only 1-for-13 in the first 5 games, but his patience at the plate is still there.

• Sam Borden says Swisher is not so sweet and while there are no better options and it is a small sample size, it may be worth sitting him

• The New York Post says that Swisher is working on tinkering his swing.

• Inside Edge says that bad luck is the cause of Nick Swisher's problems.

• Steve Politi says that the Yankees can't afford to give him another at-bat

• Deadspin calls Politi's article a "frantic" search for a scapegoat with only a small sample size

• Rob Neyer agrees and asks if Swisher is going to be the last good hitter to be demoted because of a slump

• Marc Carig writes that Swisher's slump is easier for him to take if his team wins

When I wrote my original opinion, I said to put in Brett Gardner instead of Nick Swisher. I think it's a good idea to start him against the lefty Saunders, but Swisher has struggled at home. He actually has almost identical OPSs hitting righty and lefty but he has hit 20 his 29 home runs from the left side. Still, I would give him another start in Game 6. If he goes 0-4 and there's a Game 7, it makes sense to start Brett Gardner against John Lackey regardless. I say give Swisher one more chance and hope the Yankees close it out tomorrow with the help of the Swishalicious one.

Still Frustrated This Morning, But Remembering 1998 and 2000

I have to admit: I didn't sleep well last night. I usually don't get worked up over losses, but something about that bothered me. The Yankees have had the lead in the 6th inning or later of every game in the series and we're at least playing 6 games.

Nick Swisher is hitting .118 (and only 3 walks) with no RBIs in the series and just .103 for the entire postseason. Mark Teixeira is hitting .174 (and only 3 walks as well), has struck out eight times, and only got his first RBIs yesterday (but at least he's playing great in the field). Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Alfredo Aceves have been hit hard. 

My solution for the hitting woes: Start Brett Gardner in center and Melky Cabrera in right. This instantly improves your defense. Gardner has as many hits as Swisher in the series, despite Gardner having 3 plate appearances and Swisher having 20. This adds the speed element to the game as well which could prove important in the game. Also, if you decide to pinch run for Jorge Posada or Hideki Matsui, you still have Freddy Guzman on the bench to do so and if that spot comes up again in the order, you have Nick Swisher available to pinch hit. The Yankees have precedent doing this. They sat struggling stars such as Tino Martinez when they did not perform in the playoffs.

My solution for the bullpen woes: Know you can end it in Game 6. If you need 6 outs to win it, give the ball to Mariano Rivera. Trust no one else with 6 outs to go. Letting someone get into trouble and then bringing in Mo is about as stupid as it gets. It's like every time you drink, waiting to throw up until you stop. Just dumb. If you're going to bring him in for 5 or 6 outs anyways, just do it. Don't get cutesy.

This has been a cooky series in some ways. Jorge Posada is 1-1 in stolen bases and Derek Jeter and Brett Gardner have no stolen bases and have been thrown out a combined 3 times. The Yankees most reliable non-Mo relievers are Phil Coke, Damaso Marte and David Robertson. The umpiring continues to be horrible with another blown call at first base when Johnny Damon was obviously safe last night. But as weird as this series has become, more and more it reminds me of 1998 and 2000 ALCSs.

Similarities:

• The Yankees had home-field advantage both years which meant the 6th game (and a potential 7th) were going to be played at home.

• The Yankees got huge pitching performances in Game 4 of the series. In 1998, El Duque pitched a gem in Game 4, throwing 7 shutout innings of 3-hit ball. In 2000, Roger Clemens pitched an all-time gem in Game 4, throwing a complete game, one hit, 15-strikeout shutout. In 2009, CC Sabathia on short rest pitched a gem in Game 4, throwing 8 innings of 5-hit, 1-run baseball.

• The Yankees most reliable right-handed reliever (non-Mo) blew a game in the series that they had come back in. In 1998, Jeff Nelson gave up 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning in extra innings of Game 2 to lose that game after the Yankees came back to tie it in the bottom of the 7th. In 2000, Jeff Nelson gave up 3 runs without recording an out (and let two inherited runners score) in a Game 5 loss after the Yankees had scored two runs the inning before to tie and then take the lead. In 2009, last night happened.

• David Justice hit home runs in 1998 against the Yankees and in 2000 for them. Maybe they can have him throw out the first pitch of Game 6?

• Joe Torre managed the Yankees in 1998 and 2000. Last night, Joe Girardi managed his bullpen like Joe Torre.
  

• In 1998, the Yankees came back home for Game 6 and won a dramatic game to clinch the pennant. In 2000, the Yankees came back home for Game 6 and won a dramatic game to clinch the pennant.

Can the Yankees do the same in 2009? We shall find out. But I like the history that is on their side.

(picture from the New York Times)

They Should Make Me GM

I had to go back through my archives, but here is a conversation that Paul and I had on November 11, 2008. Check this out (from our internal instant messaging system:

1:58:00 PM: Andrew: btw...i figured out who i want to be the Yankees 1B next year
1:58:15 PM: Andrew: Nick Swisher
1:58:32 PM: Paul: yeah, he's good, for who?
1:58:37 PM: Paul: FA?
1:59:15 PM: Andrew: no...but the ChiSox don't have any room for him and he's coming off his worst season...

Pretty prophetic, right? On November 13th, the Yankees got him (although, in the end, not to play 1B).

All Swisher has done is set career highs for OBP (.378), SLG (.506), and is on pace to set a career high for walks (102). He's also on pace for 85 runs, 30 HR, 35 2B, and 90 RBIs. Not bad.

Here's what the Yankees gave up:

Wilson Betemit - .200/.280/.311 before being released
Jeff Marquez - 2-8, 9.85 ERA, 2.058 WHIP, 27 K, 22 BB in 45.2 innings of AAA
Jhonny Nunez - Only 3 IP in majors this year, but doing well in minors

The Yankees also received:

Kanekoa Texeira - 9-6, 2.84 ERA, 1.312 WHIP, 88 K, 43 BB in 101.1 innings for AA

Swisher has been great for the Yankees the past few months. Since July 26th, he's hit .296/.406/.613 with 12 HR. The Yankees have gone 28-10 over that span. Last night he hit two solo home runs including the walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th inning. He's been a big part of the Yankees, keeping guys loose on the bench and coming up big at the plate.

Not bad at all there, Mr. GM...not bad at all.

Joining Up With Nick Swisher for a Good Cause

Saw a Nick Swisher tweet today: @NickSwisher: Lee National Denim Day is coming up soon! Join my team @nickswisher.net, donate $5 for impt cancer research & wear your jeans on Oct. 2!

From the release on his website: New Yankees star Nick Swisher has joined Lee National Denim Day, one of the country’s largest breast cancer fundraiser, to help raise money for groundbreaking cancer research. As a co-ambassador to the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Swisher is participating on behalf of his grandmother, one of the most influential women in his life, who passed away from cancer several years ago – the cause is very close to his heart. Please join Nick by visiting his team page.

The group name is "Nick Swisher & Friends" and the group ID is: "235202". I went to the website, denimday.com, and sent in my donation and I encourage you to do so as well. Like Nick Swisher, my grandmother also died of cancer. Let's all work together with one of my favorite Yankees to help champion a very good cause.

That Was More Painful Than It Needed To Be

The first four in the Yankees lineup saw 98 pitches. The position player who saw the least pitches? Nick Swisher who leads the Yankees and is second in the American League. A-Rod has 3 hits, 4 RBIs and a home run. Derek Jeter got on base 6 times. Even Cody Ransom had 2 runs, 2 hits and 2 RBIs. The Yankees were up 8-1.

So of course they needed to empty out the bullpen before bringing in Mariano Rivera to save it.

The offense was good. The pitching...not so much. Andy Pettitte was awful and now has only three quality starts in his last 11 starts. And while Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke were very good, David Robertson needed to be bailed out by Mo in the end (of course, after I praised Robertson today).

A win is a win. But it was painful at times. A lot more than it needed to be.

And some bad news after the game from Mark Feinsand from the New York Daily News via Twitter: @BloggingBombers Nady pulled himself from Triple-A game after five innings. Doesn't sound good. Cashman said it could be the "worst-case scenario"

Unrated It's Just "Embarassing"

Here's a series recap:

G version: We were awful. We lost every way possible (blown out, comeback fell just short, lead blown)

PG version: We played like crap. We are 0-8 against the Red Sox. We just can't beat this team. I feel like we're cursed.

PG-13 version: Shit. Fuck. Ass. RISP in the series: Game 3: 1-11, Game 2: 2-15, Game 1: 0-2. For those scoring at home that's 3-28. You can't win if you hit just over 10% with RISP. Cano 0-6, Jeter 0-4, Damon 0-4, Posada 0-2, Teixeira 0-2, Cervelli 0-2, Matusi 0-1. Only A-Rod 1-3, Melky 1-3, Swisher 1-1 got hits. And A-Rod was 0 for the rest of the series, and Swish made two horrible baserunning plays and one extremely bad defensive play.

R version: We sucked balls. No way around it. We came in as the best team in baseball and came out as a joke. There was not one player who had a good series besides maybe Phil Coke. We were undressed by the Red Sox. Big Papi looks steroids enhanced again when facing us (he doubled his homerun and curtain call totals this series). Aceves was not the answer to close the game. CC Sabathia tried to carry this team tonight but there's a reason why Pedroia was the MVP last year: he beat him.

This is why I drink.

Just embarassing. The Red Sox are a better team. But this is just insanity.

Thhhhhheeee Yankees Win!

1 full game up heading to Boston. Another big win from them leads to another series win. 11 games over .500 and the homers continue with Teixeira (who has been ridiculously hot since A-Rod came back), Swisher (who is getting hot), Jeter (breaking him out of a slump), and Damon (who has hit 9 at home so far this season) going deep for the Yankees. New Yankee Stadium may be a homerun haven, but the Yankees have found a way to limit the runs and win there.

And how about this for the bullpen tonight: Phil Hughes for one, Phil Coke for one, and Mariano Rivera for a perfect one (his second after his hiccup on Saturday night).

Did not agree with Joe Girardi's decision to take out Phil Hughes after one inning, but it worked and it probably keeps Hughes available if they need him in Boston for a long relief appearance.

Does this start the "Hughes should be a reliever" debate? Hopefully not. Though guys do jack it up when they are out there. Hughes, who is usually in the low 90s was at 95-96 with his fastball.

Bring on the Red Sox!

Today's Matchup in New York

A battle of two big, hard-throwing righties today in the Bronx. Let's see how the opposition has faired against them in the past:

                    PA  AB  H  2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG   **OPS**   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP G_miss YR_miss
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
Nick Swisher        5   4   2  1  0  1   1   1   1  .500  .600 1.500   2.100     0   0   0   0   0               
 Alex Rodriguez      9   6   2  0  0  1   2   2   0  .333  .444  .833   1.277     0   1   0   0   0               
 Jorge Posada        7   5   2  0  0  0   2   1   1  .400  .429  .400    .829     0   1   0   0   0               
 Robinson Cano      14  14   5  1  0  0   2   0   1  .357  .357  .429    .786     0   0   0   0   0               
 Derek Jeter        16  14   5  0  0  0   1   1   1  .357  .400  .357    .757     1   0   0   0   0               
 Brett Gardner       6   5   1  0  0  0   1   1   3  .200  .333  .200    .533     0   0   0   0   0               
 Johnny Damon       10  10   1  0  1  0   1   0   1  .100  .100  .300    .400     0   0   0   0   0               
 Melky Cabrera       6   6   1  0  0  0   0   0   0  .167  .167  .167    .334     0   0   0   0   1               
 Ramiro Pena         3   2   0  0  0  0   0   1   1  .000  .333  .000    .333     0   0   0   0   0               
 Mark Teixeira       7   5   0  0  0  0   1   2   2  .000  .286  .000    .286     0   0   0   0   0               
 Hideki Matsui       5   4   0  0  0  0   0   1   2  .000  .200  .000    .200     0   0   0   0   0               
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
Total              88  75  19  2  1  2  11  10  13  .253  .333  .387    .720     1   2   0   0   1               

It's a mixed bag, with some with great success (Swisher, Posada, Cano, A-Rod, and Jeter) and some without any success (Damon, Melky, Pena, Tex or Matsui). It's a small sample size, however.

And for Joba vs. the Rays:

                    PA  AB  H  2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG   **OPS**   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP G_miss YR_miss
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
Evan Longoria       1   1   1  0  0  0   0   0   0 1.000 1.000 1.000   2.000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Carlos Pena         4   2   0  0  0  0   0   1   0  .000  .500  .000    .500     0   0   0   1   0               
 Willy Aybar         3   3   0  0  0  0   0   0   1  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 B.J. Upton          3   3   0  0  0  0   0   0   2  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Carl Crawford       2   2   0  0  0  0   0   0   1  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Gabe Gross          1   1   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Matthew Joyce       1   1   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Dioner Navarro      1   1   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
 Ben Zobrist         1   1   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0               
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
Total              17  15   1  0  0  0   0   1   4  .067  .176  .067    .243     0   0   0   1   0               

It's a very small sample size, but only Longoria has been able to get a hit off of Joba and he's not even going to be in the lineup. Let's hope Joba can build on his last start where he went 8 innings. Yankees baseball about to start from the Bronx

Tonight Proves Joba Belongs In the Bullpen

I was reading online some people that feel tonight was vindication that Joba Chamberlain should be in the starting rotation. I think it's the opposite. He should be in the bullpen. Tonight proved that and let me explain to you why.

First of all, he only pitched 3.2 perfect innings. 3.2?!?! What type of durability is that? David Cone pitched 9. David Wells pitched 9. Don Larsen pitched 9. Joba can't even go 4. Even Mike Mussina went 8.2 perfect innings one time. But he never won a World Series (sensing a theme??). Joba is 23 and should have proven himself by now more than this! If he's not a dominant front-line starter now, when is he ever going to be?

Listen, I don't care what you say about "starting pitching winning championships", Mike Francesa and I agree that the most important thing a team can have is a dominant middle reliever. In 1996, the Yankees won the World Series and Mariano Rivera was the set-up man. What's more scary? A dominant frontline starter or knowing that Joba is sitting in the bullpen.

We can move him off of starter because we have other options. Even if Hughes or Wang suck, we have Kei Igawa. I think he was the minor league pitcher of the year last year. And we have Cassey Fossum. He was once traded for Curt Schilling and Curt Schilling is a great playoff pitcher. But Joba can't be Curt Schilling as a starter. Curt Schilling would have gone at least 9 innings today. Only 8 for Joba? What type of front-line starter is that?!

So here's how it would go: Hughes for 5 (or "UZE" as I like to pronounce it), Joba (or "Jobber") for the 6th, 7th, and 8th, and The Great Mariano for the 9th. Joba could pitch 3 innings every day. So you're claim that he's more valuable pitching 200 innings as a starter is bogus. Pitching 3 innings every day, he would throw 486 innings. Now tell me what's more valuable? Pitching 200 innings or 486 innings?

Also, if he was in the bullpen, he'd be pitching less innings a game which would give him less chance to give fistbumps. And who wants to see that unprofessional display of emotion on the mound? I rather a guy not care about pitching than do that crap. That's not the Yankee way. Plus he's too emotional to be a starter. What if he cries on the mound? What will happen then? THERE IS NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!

Where was I? Oh back to Joba in the 'pen. Listen, now Sweeny Murti agrees with me. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Mike talks his ear off every day about it. It's about being logical. Mariano Rivera is 39 years old. Let me repeat that: 39 years old. He's FINISHED! Who is going to replace him when he's done later this year? And what about Boston? If Joba is in the bullpen we can use him against Boston because we can't have a reliever near 100 out there against the Sox. He gave up the game in April. APRIL! What is he going to do in October if he can't seal the deal in April? We need a ready replacement.

What you don't understand is that it's not about the statistics; I don't care about stupid facts! What I care about is intangibles! That's why Derek Jeter is such a great player! Do you see those jump throws he makes? Imagine now that we not only have Jetes' jump throws but Joba scaring people in the bullpen. I don't care that Jobber has an ERA of 3.20 since he's become a starter. What does that prove? It's only statistic! Oh...and what does Nick Swisher know about the "Joba-meter definitely leaning towards starter"? The guy has a mohawk!

But here's why tonight proved it to me. I don't care that he hasn't been throwing hard in the first innings and that may be important as a reliever (he'll be able to turn the switch...he's done it before!!!!!), but just look at his 8th inning tonight. Joe Girardi is grooming him for the 8th inning by pitching him there tonight. Joba looked great as a set up man tonight, pitching a beautiful 8th inning, 1-2-3, and hitting 98 on the radar gun. All that counts is the 8th inning! And tomorrow he should be there and end this travesty! Now get me a Diet Coke so I can tell you why Mike Francesa and I don't like the New Yankee Stadium.


(if you didn't realize already, I'm totally kididng)

Let the Celebrating Begin

18 straight games without an error, a new major league record. And some great leather tonight all around. I honestly can't believe that more wasn't made of this record. It's pretty cool for a team that was supposed to be so bad defensively.

But by far, the best play today was this one in very grainy YouTube style as Joba Chamberlain dove (read: belly flopped) for a huge double play. Fist pump and all...

"I felt the ground shake all the way from right field" - Nick Swisher



(H/T Twitterer @Bronx_Bombers)

Cervelli's Infield Single Key To Game

"How many times in recent history have we seen a Yankee catcher leg out an infield single?" That's what my dad asked me right after Francisco Cervelli legged out a huge infield single in the 7th inning with two out. He knew that he was fighting to stay on this team after a poor job with Phil Hughes last night and busted his ass down the line and was called safe. Two batters later, Damon put the ball in the stands, the Yankees led 5-3 and they never looked back. But who knows what would have happened had Cervelli not raced down the baseline to avoid that third out?

There is something to be said about guys who have been here a while--like Damon and Matsui-- contributing. But I often feel like you need to light a fire under some guys' asses to get them going. Robinson Cano was the subject of offseason trade rumors and has come back with a purpose. Melky Cabrera lost his starting job and has been playing great so far this year (on offense at least). Nick Swisher came in as a bench player and played himself into the starting lineup before Xavier Nady got hurt. Phil Coke started out the year roughly but has battled his way back to be the go-to-set-up guy. And game winning rallies have been centered around hustle singles by guys like Brett Gardner and Ramiro Pena.

Part of my problem with the Yankees the past 6 years or so is that they never seem hungry. They are made up of a bunch of guys who have already gotten their payday. Most of these guys won't be here by the end of the year (if/when people get healthy and replace them), but maybe their hunger will rub off on the rest of the Yankees and this team can play with a little more heart than in recent years.