Returning Pitchers: Wang, Pettitte, and Chamberlain

Chien-Ming Wang looked like the rotation’s ace last year until he was sidelined with an injury and the early-struggling Mussina rose up into the limelight. Thankfully the injury didn’t involve his arm or shoulder and he should return to form again this year. The published projections for Wang aren’t that hopeful. Both sources (the Bill James Handbook and Baseball Prospectus) are counting on Wang to make 30 appearances, but while Bill James predicts 200 innings, the Baseball Prospectus guesses 126, suggesting another setback might be on the way. BJ predicts an ERA of 3.70 while BP predicts 4.39. Obviously here one is looking for a solid season from Wang while the other is forecasting a big slide. Personally I think Wang will be back on his game and will produce numbers similar to his 2007 season. If he doesn’t, the injury prone and depleted rotation could be in big trouble.

Andy Pettitte was last season’s workhorse, the guy who would eat up innings and deliver stuff that was good enough to keep the team in the game. He had his off days and he had good days but in the end the innings went by and the team was still in a position to win. BP suggests a dropoff in Andy’s innings, games played and wins, but also a drop in ERA. BJ predicts a full workload of games and innings, a drop in wins and also an improvement in ERA. Pettitte’s deal with the Yankees took a while to iron out, but hopefully he stayed on top of his offseason conditioning. I’m looking for Andy to be Andy. Not the pitcher he once was, but still a reliable guy to go out there every five days. The media attention about his past PED use has all but disappeared and hopefully he can concentrate fully on the season ahead and deliver the goods.

Joba Chamberlain was impressive in everything he did last year. For the most part, people seem to be accepting the argument that  his talents are best used in the rotation rather than the bullpen. The big concern is his durability. The Yankees need to enforce a strict pitch count and innings limit for him from day one and need to be able to rest him every so often, skipping his start (by using him as the 5th man or having a 6th starter ready).  The only projections available are from Baseball Prospectus which seem to think his status is up in the air, making a bunch of starts but also getting some bullpen work while seeing 126 innings total. His ERA is predicted to be a mere 3.09, up from last year but still impressive. I personally don’t have a strong feeling about what’s going to happen with Joba. Starting him is the right thing to do, but he’s going to need rest, and he might not be able to hack it. If anything does happen, he’ll quickly be back in the bullpen where he’ll spend the rest of his career as a set up man and closer.

The Rest of the starters, well, there really aren’t any. I don’t have faith or hope for Kennedy or Hughes. The two of them need an entire year in the minors before I’d want them back. They will see time in the majors, however, because it’s inevitable that someone on this rotation is going to have at least a minor injury that will require a spot starter. Traditionally, a long reliever on the roster can fill in in these instances, but despite Girardi saying he wants a long reliever on the team, I don’t see it happening. I’d be willing to give Giese a shot and we should get a look at him in spring training.

Bad News for Wang

The bottom line is that Chein Ming Wang will likely be out until September and could possibly be done for the season. This one has been all over the news and a plethora of solutions have been tossed about.

For now, the safe bet is that someone like Dan Geise gets the start. The Yanks have a few days off every now and then, and they could get by with just four starting pitchers at times. Other names that could fill in include Jeff Karstens, who is back after an injury, and prospects like Horne, Marquez and McCutchen.

I think Karstens is the guy to get called up, not because I think he's the best talent, but he's the guy with the most major league experience, and that's the way Girardi seems to think.

Lots of names have been mentioned in trade talks, but the most often mentioned is CC Sabathia. That is a tough deal to make, given the fact that he's going to be a free agent soon and that he hasn't pitched terribly well. I have a feeling that Cleveland is going to want a lot and the Bombers will be hard pressed to pull the trigger. Rich Harden is probably still on the radar as well, but his injury history worries me.

Couple of Big Wins for Yanks

Sometimes playing a really bad team can work wonders for your morale. The Pinstripers put together two quality wins over the hapless Houston Astros, including an absolute drubbing today.

Yankee starters Mussina and Wang both looked good in their starts, but Wang could have a serious injury to his right foot, initially being diagnosed as a sprain with more tests to come soon. It will be interesting to see what will happen if Wang has to miss a start.

The bullpen only gave up one hit in four innings on Sunday and Ross Ohlendorf bounced back nicely today after a bit of a shaky outing on Saturday. Edwar Ramirez continues to pitch well and Dan Giese remains impressive with his relief appearances.

In case you missed the obvious: Johnny Damon is having an all-star year. Melky Cabrera has been up and down, with a solid hitting day on Saturday followed up by going 0 for 5 on Sunday.

Alberto Gonzalez is back and getting some time off the bench. Hopefully his hitting will improve with a little practice, but his defensive skills still make him a valuable asset. Shelley Duncan wasn't producing much results either offensively and defensively and will likely stay in Scranton for a while.

This weekend has been hectic with a lot of travel and very little sleep, but hopefully things will be back to normal on Monday. Let's see how long the third place Yanks can keep this win streak going for.

Wang, Rivera Back on Track

Chien Ming Wang once again looked like a reliable starter and Mariano Rivera returned to form. The good part about having an up and down season like the Yankees are going through is that almost every bad loss is quickly followed by a quality win.

Joe Girardi continues to dumbfound me, DHing Giambi and sitting Matsui so that he can play Wilson Betemit, who went 0 for 4 and had a fielding error. Joe's constant lineup shuffles are getting a bit tiresome at this point, especially when he sits a star for a defensive liability who can't hit.

Jose Veras finished out the 8th inning but had 2 walks on his way to getting 2 outs, which isn't particularly reassuring. Mariano Rivera gave up a hit but no runs and thankfully doesn't look like the last game bothered him too much.

Morgan Ensberg has been designated. I'm not sure if someone else will pick him up, he's a decent replacement player but not a guy you want starting every day.

The play of the day from last night's game had to be Jason Giambi's baserunning clinic. On a ball hit deep to right, Giambi tagged up at first and made it to second easily. If you haven't watched Giambi run full out, it's a spectacle to behold. If you watched the game you know exactly what I'm talking about, but if you didn't it's hard to explain other than to say it was hilarious. After the play the YES camera crew panned over to the stands where some of Jason's family was watching the game and even they were getting in on the fun, mimicking his running style.

On a serious note, that simple play showed that Jason had his head in the game and was willing to hustle a bit when needed, which is always a good thing.

Giambi is Clutch

Bottom of the ninth inning, two outs, two strikes and two men on, Jason Giambi hits a game winning, three-run home run. After a horrible start to the season, Giambi has had one of the hottest bats lately, and came through today when the team needed him most. Molina was due up in the lineup, but Joe Girardi put Giambi in to pinch hit and it paid off. Michael Kay was quick to dub this game the biggest game of the year for the Yanks.

Chien Ming Wang got away with one. He had a horrible outing, giving up seven runs (six earned) and was looking like he was going to end up the losing pitcher. The Yankees relievers held fast, not giving up a run until Farnsworth came on in the ninth to give up three hits and a run. The Yankees offense had several chances, including a bases loaded situation in the eighth.

This was an important win for the Yankees, especially after blowing the bases loaded situation in the eighth. Hopefully this will provide a boost to clubhouse morale.

Kyle Farnsworth did get the win, despite his rocky ninth inning performance. Wang dodged the bullet of another loss. Hopefully Wang will get his groove back soon, but a win is a win.

Phew.

Back Above .500

It took extra innings, but the Yankees toughed out an exciting win last night. The winning pitcher? Ross Ohlendorf. Joe Girardi brought Ross to pitch the 10th and 11th innings and the struggling reliever walked 2, gave up 2 hits, and struck out 4 all the while allowing no runs. Granted Joe didn't have a lot of other options, but it looks like he's still got faith in the young pitcher.

Notably absent in both Friday and Saturday's games was LaTroy Hawkins, who looks to be in the doghouse and won't be called on in close spots. Kyle Farnsworth, on the other hand, has been brought in two nights in a row. The YES announcers commented on how Torre never used to use Kyle two days in a row and were hesitant as to how he'd perform. On Friday he gave up a quick run to close a 2-run lead to a 1-run lead. Last night he quickly got all three batters out.

Veras and Ramirez both continue to look good and are the heart of the Yankees middle relief right now. I'd take either of them over Farnsworth in the set-up role, but Girardi has been a longtime Farnsworth fan and that doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon.

Neither of the starters looked particularly sharp, but both Wang and Mussina managed to get through the bulk of the innings with the score close, and sometimes, that's all you can ask.

Bobby Abreu has been the offensive star the last two games, going 2 for 5 and then 3 for 4.

There has been a bit of sloppy play lately, and errors and bad plays that could be scored as errors are starting to creep into the mix more and more. Alex Rodriguez got picked off of second base after stealing it, and a similar thing happened to Derek Jeter a few days back. Last night's game had an errant throw by Jeter that cost the team a run and the night before Shelley Duncan had an error.

Shelley Duncan is a fun guy to watch. He brings a great deal of enthusiasm to the game and is good for bench morale. Unfortunately, he really hasn't improved his game much over the last year. He's hitting .161 and is playing average defense at best. He really hasn't turned out to be much of an improvement defensively over the lumbering Giambi and hasn't come close to the offensive production, despite the fact that Giambi was in a huge slump.

I like Shelly and would like to see him stick around, but he's got work to do. He might last a bit longer than Ensberg, but he's going to have to start bringing something more to the table if he wants to be successful in the big leagues.

Clutch hitting by Yankees

The Yankees were down 5-2 to start the bottom of the 8th inning.  Jeter walks, Abreu drives in a run with a double. A-Rod walks, Giambi strikes out and Matsui comes in to pinch hit for Duncan. With a weak hit to the pitcher, Matsui hustles down the first base line and the throw to first is off the mark, allowing Abreu to score. Robbie Cano hits a sac fly to score A-Rod and then Molina hits a double to score Matsui, putting the Yankees up 6-5.

With a little help from the errant throw, the Yankees put together a solid inning of offense when they needed it. While Matsui could have been thrown out, give him credit for hustling to first to force the off-target throw. The Yankees got the hits when they needed and put the game in the win column despite an off day for Wang. If they can continue to play like this, the rest of the season could be interesting. Wang will have better days but it's nice to see the team pull out a victory even when the pitching staff is off their game.

Edwar Ramirez pitched 1.2 innings and hasn't allowed a run all year. Mariano Rivera came in to pitch the 9th and struck out two, retiring the side in order for the save. Things looked iffy for a second there as Kyle Farnsworth was warming up in the 8th, but after the Yankees took the lead Mo was the go-to guy. The idea of bringing in the Farns in a close game is a little scary, as he hasn't shown he can be reliable in tight situations. Ramirez looks sharp and could also be a candidate for the setup job later in the season.

Wang's First Loss

Chien-Ming Wang wasn't pitching his best, but still managed a decent performance, only allowing 3 runs in 7 innings of work. Kyle Farnsworth, pitching for the second straight night, came on in the eighth and allowed a hit but no runs. In the ninth inning, Albaladejo got into some serious trouble, loading the bases, but worked out of the jam with some defensive help from Molina.

Jose Molina brought his A game, making some nice throws during the game to get runners out and had a 2-3 double play in the ninth to bail out Albaladejo. Molina fielded a short bunt, touched home for the force out and then made the throw to first for the other out.

The story of the game was Cliff Lee's dominance of the Yankee hitters, allowing 6 hits but no runs. Six hits is a little misleading, as watching the game you really got the sense the Yanks were overmatching by Lee's pitching.

Yankee fans are used to the team scoring a lot more runs than they have been. Losing a game 3-0 is not typical Yankee style. Hopefully A-Rod will be back soon and contributing more, and some of the other slumping bats will come to life.

Solid Pitching Wins the Day

Rock solid pitching for 9 innings propelled the Yankees to a much needed win. Chien-Ming Wang continues to surpass expectations and has blossomed into a true ace. Wang's 6 inning, 1 run performance was a beauty, earning him his sixth win of the season.

Kyle Farnsworth entered the game to a chorus of boos but received a decent ovation on his exit after retiring the side in order. Chamberlain and Rivera were sharp as well with Joba allowing one hit and Mo knocking them out in order.

The Yankees offense put together some hits and drove in enough runs to maintain a comfortable lead, highlighted by Melky Cabrera's 2 run double. Matsui had an RBI single and was the only player in the lineup currently hitting over .300.

Jorge Posada's shoulder appears to be a case of rotator cuff tendonitis and might require surgery, but no until the off season. Team officials expect him to be out up to 5 weeks. The immediate plan is to give him 10 days off then try a 2 week rehab and see how things are.

Phil Hughes saw an eye doctor who told him he was nearsighted and needs glasses. Hopefully that will help with some of the vision complaints Hughesy has been having.

RHP Jose Veras was called up to the bullpen to fill an empty roster spot after Hughes went on the DL.

Yankees Win 1-0

Chien-Ming Wang was on top of his game today pitching 7.0 innings of 4 hit, scoreless ball. CC Sabathia was almost as good for Cleveland but gave up a solo dinger to Melky Cabrera for the only run of the game. Wang racked up 9 strikeouts and only walked 2.

Joba and Mo were perfect in relief, retiring all 6 batters in order in the eight and ninth innings. Chamberlain was throwing 98 mph heat and looks healthy.

Shelley Duncan hasn't produced at the plate and went 0 for 4 today.

Jorge Posada was scratched at the last minute although the Yankees refused to comment on the reason. The New York Times is reporting that he has a shoulder tear and might need surgery. We'll see if we get any definitive information after the game from the media-shifty Girardi. If Jorge can't catch the Yanks will have to bring back Moeller if he clears wavers, or else find another catcher. Chris Stewart might come up from AAA if they need a replacement before Moeller is available again. If no surgery is needed but Posada has to lay off throwing, there's a chance he could still DH or possibly play 1st base (although Jorge won't like that idea).

If another catcher has to be brought in (or up) I don't expect Shelley Duncan to stick around. Alberto Gonzalez is tremendously useful with his defensive skills and Ensberg can play first and third. Outfielders the Yanks have aplenty.

We'll have to wait and see what happens as there is no immediate report yet.

Abreu Grand Slam Propels Yanks to Win

Chien-Ming Wang was getting hit frequently Tuesday night in Chicago, but Bobby Abreu came through with a 2 out grand slam home run.

Wang gave up 10 hits in 6 innings and allowed 3 runs. Many of Wang's pitches that were put into play went deep and were caught on the warning track. In a different ballpark the results could have been much uglier for the Yankees. Chien-Ming's win was the 50th of his career, reached in only 85 games. Dwight Gooden and Ron Guidry reached the 50 mark after 82 games.

The Bullpen was less than stellar today. Billy Traber was only allowed to face one batter, which he walked. Brian Bruney came on and proceeded to load the bases while only getting one out. Finally the Yanks called in Joba Chamberlain to get out of the bases loaded, one out jam. Struck out one batter, walked in a run, and then got the final out on a pop fly fielded by Posada.

To keep things interesting, New York manager Joe Girardi gave every fan watching a scare by brining in Kyle Farnsworth to close out the game. With the Yankees up 5 in the the bottom of the ninth, Farney walked one, gave up a hit, and allowed a run to score before getting the third out of the inning and ending the game.

Bobby Abreu had the biggest clutch hit of the night and put the Yankees on top in the seventh inning. Johnny Damon went 3 for 5 with a home run of his own. Jason Giambi was removed from the game with a swollen thumb after a horrible defensive play at first that should have been scored an error. While Giambi did hit a solo home run, his offensive production is still poor and he remains a huge defensive liability.

Surprisingly there were no stolen bases with Posada behind the plate, and no runners were caught stealing. Yankee pitchers did a good job of keeping runners close to first, but the one or two times runners went early, balls were put into play. I'm surprised that there weren't more attempts to steal, given the vulnerable arm that Jorge has.

The team LOB tonight was 6, a respectable number. If the Yankee bats can get on base and drive runners home like they did tonight, they'll be able to overcome their problems with pitching. Up until now it's mostly been starting pitching, but tonight the bullpen looked particularly vulnerable.

Congratulations to Alex Rodriguez and his wife on the birth of their second daughter.

Competition Notes: The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-6, and are showing no signs of letting up. This is troubling to Yankee fans because the Sox ace Josh Beckett was scratched from the game. Instead, David Pauley was called up from the minors for the start. Pauley was shelled, giving up 7 hits and 5 runs in 4.1 innings of work. The Boston bullpen held strong, and even Mike Timlin got a batter out as they waited for the offense to come alive in later innings and secure the win. Even with their best starter out, this team finds a way to win. The Yanks will have to wait another day to try and close the gap.

Wang Dominant in Game 1

Chien-Ming Wang was in complete control the whole game, shutting down the Boston hitters allowing only 2 hits over 9 innings. Wang struck out 3 batters and didn't issue a single walk. He threw an economical 93 pitches, 61 of which were strikes.

One of those hits he did allow was a home run that just barely squeaked over the right field wall into the Boston bullpen and should have been caught by Bobby Abreu, who mistimed his jump. The other hit was a bunt in the 9th inning by Coco Crisp that Wang didn't quite field in time.

Clay Buchholz looked strong in his starting role, ultimately allowing 1 run on 4 hits over 6 innings. Clay walked 3 and struck out 3. His performance wasn't quite as economical as Wang. At the end of 6 Buchholz had thrown 98 pitches (58 strikes).

Boston's problems arose when Timlin came in in the 7th inning. Making his first major league appearance after being on the DL, Timlin gave up a home run, stand up double and a sacrifice bunt to the only three batters he faced.

David Cone, working the broadcast booth for YES, quipped one of his baseball maxims "When in doubt, hit it to the pitcher." This adequately summed up Timlin's handling of the sacrifice bunt. There was plenty of time to turn and throw out the runner advancing to 3rd, but Timlin instead threw to 1st for the easy out. When Okajima came a sacrifice fly easily scored the runner on third, a very preventable run.

Okajima finished off the 7th and Lopez got two outs in the 8th. David Aardsma finished off the last 1.1 innings of the game and gave up an additional run on 2 hits.

Bobby Abreu tried to make up for dropping the home run ball by hustling out a ground ball single and driving in a run. Too many players jog down the first base line and it's nice to see a good hustle pay off.

Jason Giambi hit a 3-2 pitch deep for his first home run of the season.  Molina, Matsui and Giambi all hit doubles and seven different Yankees got hits in the game. There were 9 runners left on base and the Yanks need to work on driving in more runners.

This game was all about Chien -Ming Wang. He pitched superbly, going the distance and giving the bullpen a night off. The Yanks will now have all of their relievers fresh for tomorrows game. While Buchholz pitched well, he went deep in too many counts and had to come out after 6 innings. Boston made a crucial mistake in going to the rusty Timlin too soon in a close game. Lopez and Aardsma were respectable but the damage was done.

Josh Beckett is starting for Boston in the next game, and the Sox need him to go at least 6 or 7 innings. If Beckett gets tired early, like he did in his first start Boston will have to rely on a tired bullpen. Who knows which Mussina will show up to pitch but having a rested bullpen gives the Bombers the advantage in game 2.

Yankees - Red Sox Preview

For the first time in the 2008 regular season, the Yankees and the Red Sox are set to play. The game will take place at 7:05 ET at Fenway park where it is currently overcast. Both teams are 5-5 and have had their ups and downs early on.

Here's the Yankees lineup for tonight:

Melky Cabrera, CF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Bobby Abreu, RF
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Hideki Matsui, LF
Jorge Posada, DH
Jason Giambi, 1B
Jose Molina, C
Alberto Gonzalez, SS

Joe Girardi is mixing things up once again. Melky Cabrera is moving up to the leadoff position. Abreu is back in right and Matsui is back in left. Jeter will likely be out for the whole series and Alberto Gonzalez will continue to fill in. I like Posada in the DH slot. Giambi is back in at first and Ensberg is back on the bench.

The Red Sox lineup looks like this:

Coco Crisp, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, LF
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
J.D. Drew, RF
Jason Varitek, C
Sean Casey, 1B
Julio Lugo, SS

Third baseman Mike Lowell is on the 15 day DL. Sean Casey moves in at first and Youkilis shifts to third.

Chien Ming Wang gets the start vs. Clay Buchholz. Buchholz threw a no-hitter last year but had some problems in his first start this year. Wang has showed he is the Yankees ace in his first two starts. The Yankees have the advantage in starting pitching tonight and if Wang can get 7 innings the Bronx Bombers will be in good shape.

Chamberlain and Rivera worked last night's game and so that leaves Bruney, Traber, Ohlendorf, Hawkins and Farnsworth. Hawkins and Farnsworth are huge liabilities. It will be interesting to see what happens and who Girardi goes to if the game is close.

The Red Sox used Delcarmen, Okajima, Tavarez and Papelbon last night, leaving Aardsma and Corey with fresh arms.

The pitching advantage right now goes to NY with Wang at the top of his game and the Yankees having more options in the bullpen  (unless Hawkins or Farnsworth comes in). Boston has been hitting well but the Yankees started coming to life offensively last night. I give the Yanks the nod for game 1.

Tomorrow's game should have Mussina pitching against Beckett. Mussina looked better in his last outing than Beckett, but Josh is Boston's ace. If he's got his stuff back Beckett should get the win, but Moose can still throw some dominating games. The final game of the series features Phil "the Franchise" Hughes against Daisuke "Dice-K" Matsuzaka. Dice-K has been pitching better than Hughes but both of these guys are unpredictable. This one will come down to bullpen pitching and I give the Yanks the edge here.

It should be a great series!

Textbook Win For Yankees Pitching

Chien Ming Wang showed that he is definitely the Bombers' ace this season. He pitched 6 solid innings, not allowing a hit until the 5th. Wang started the 7th but gave up 2 hits and Joba Chamberlain came in in relief. Chamberlain threw 2 innings, getting 6 outs facing 5 batters. Rivera was perfect in the 9th.

The Yanks offense didn't put too many runs on the board, but the two they had were enough. Despite 9 hits, they only scored on a Rodriguez double followed by a Matsui home run.

This is exactly the type of game you'd like to see more of from Yankees pitching. Eventually Joba will be in the starting rotation and hopefully he'll be responsible for some solid outings in the starting role later on.

Update: Joba threw several fastballs in the high nineties and one pitch topped out at over 100 mph!