Yankees Pitching Implodes (Again) In 14-8 Loss To Angels

Today's game pretty much went the same as yesterday's. A great start and then all of the sudden, KABLAMO! So if you're interested in reading my thoughts on the game, scroll down to my last post and replace the names Joba Chamberlain, Mark Melancon, and Brian Bruney with Andy Pettitte, David Robertson, Brett Tomko, and Phil Coke. The guys sucked yesterday. The guys sucked today. Same story, just different names. I'd sprinkle in something about all the Yankee homers (5) today, but why bother? They were all for nothing.

Boston is up 6-0 in the 3rd. Consider the Yankees 2 games back.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Pitching Implodes In 10-6 Loss To Angels

Because the game started late last night, I only made it to the 7th inning stretch before I fell asleep with the game on. The Yanks were down 7-6 and I remember thinking that they could easily come back and win the game, assuming the pitching held up. I woke up a few hours later and the replay was on. I rolled over to the laptop to check the score. 10-6 Angels. Ugh. I was half asleep but was still awake enough to skim the box score. The pitching did them in and it all started with Joba Chamberlain.

To be frank, Joba sucks right now. Simply put, he sucks and he's not getting the job done. He's been absolutely awful in his last 2 starts, throwing a total of 8 innings, allowing 18 hits and 13 runs, albeit only 7 of them were earned. Joba needs to pick the team up after a defensive miscue, not melt down. The downfall yesterday happened after A-Rod booted a ball in the 5th. A-Rod makes an error and the next batter goes yard. The next batter then doubles and Joba's night was over. In his last outing against the Jays, he gave up a double, a single, a homer, and a single after a fielding error. To his credit, he did get a guy out before that all happened. If Joba wants to keep his spot in the rotation, he needs to step up his game. I'm not really high on Joba right now. I was in Toys R Us today looking for the Lou Gehrig McFarlane figure that came out. They didn't have it. But they did have the new Joba figure. I picked it up and put it down. That says a lot because I pretty much have every Yankee McFarlane figure that's been released in the past several years. I really had no interest in buying it. I'm just not a Joba guy.

I'm also not a Mark Melancon guy either. I have yet to see in him what everyone else sees. I know it's really early in his career but I'm not, and haven't been, impressed with him. Maybe someday I'll see it. I hope so.

I'm becoming less and less of a Brian Bruney guy. Talk about a total 180. Earlier this season he was lights out. Now he's the new Jose Veras. His last 4 outings have been God-awful. 4 IP, 8 hits, 4 walks, and 5 earned runs. Congrats Bru. You're the new mop up guy. What the heck happened to you?

Andy Pettitte pitches today and I hope he fares better than the guys yesterday. Andy has pitched much better on the road this season. He's 4-1 with an ERA of 2.79 on the road. Opponents are hitting only .228 against him. If the "Pettitte Pattern" holds true, he'll win today. His last 8 starts have gone like this: win, loss, win, loss, win, no-decision but got shelled, win, loss. Notice the pattern? Hopefully it rings true today and he can break the pattern after the ASB.

Congrats to Jonathan Sanchez on the year's first no-no.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Things That Make Me Sick

The following things makes me instantly want to hurl:

1. Jonathan Albaladejo
2. Mark Melancon (they're called strikes Mark. Try throwing some!)
3. Joe Girardi's management of the Yankee bullpen
4. The inconsistency of the Yankee bullpen
5. Drew Barrymore
6. Mark Teixeira hitting below 200 (he struck out 23 times in 193 ABs with the Angels, he's struck out 17 times in 86 ABs with the Yankees)
7. Selena Roberts
8. Losing to the Red Sox (again and again and again)

Aargh!!

J-Boogie

Yanks Win Is A Little Undeserved, But I'll Take It

I have mixed emotions right now. I am totally stoked that the Yankees pulled off a great come from behind victory tonight, battering the Angels bullpen for 6 runs on 7 hits over the final 2 innings. It was great to see them win that game, but had they played any other team, they probably would have lost. The Angels have the worst bullpen in all of baseball, entering tonight's game with a league worst bullpen ERA of 7.07. After tonight's debacle, it's up to 7.70. The Yanks definitely should have lost this game tonight. But they didn't, and that's all that matters. The winning streak is now at 4 games, which coincidentally is the exact # of days my newborn son Griffin has been home.

The offense came through again tonight. As a team they went 6-10 with RISP. That's 4 straight games where they've come through when they needed to. I love the fact that they're not doing it with the longball. The 8th inning saw a double, a walk, and 3 singles. The 9th inning saw a walk and 3 singles. I hope they're seeing what's happening out there. Keep the line moving with singles and doubles and the runs will pile up. I like what I'm seeing. I hope they keep it up.

The game tonight was definitely won by the bottom of the order. Hitters 1-4 went 2-for-16. Hitters 5-9 went 10-19 w/ 8 RBI. Robbie Cano is on absolute fire, going 3-5 tonight and raising that average to .378. Cano has really surprised me this year. He's locked in. I wish I could say the same for Mark Teixeira. Sorry Tex, but it's now May, the .189 average doesn't cut it. The game tonight was definitely won by the bottom of the order. Ramiro Pena has been a pleasant surprise. Since becoming the everyday third baseman, he's gone 8-for-17 with 4 RBI, 4 clutch RBI if you will. Suck on that Cody Ransom. Your days in pinstripes may be done.

I thought the Yankees' pitching staff was supposed to be leaps and bounds better than it has been in previous years. I thought the Yankees' pitching staff was supposed to be the team's biggest strength. They've shown brilliance at times but for the most part, they've been awful, especially the bullpen. It's absolutely atrocious. Unless your name is Brian Bruney, Mariano Rivera, and maybe Phil Coke, I don't trust you and I expect that you're going to tank more often than you won't. The pitching staff needs to be better. A lot better.

Andy Pettitte did not have it today. He pretty much struggled from the get go. I'm kind of surprised he only allowed runs in one inning. He allowed 2 baserunners to reach in the 1st, getting out of the inning on a classic Andy Pettitte pickoff. He allowed a baserunner in the 2nd and got out of the inning on a DP. He allowed 2 baserunners in the 3rd, another in the 4th, and another in the 5th. He pretty much grinded his way through the first 5 innings. He wasn't good but he got the job done. Then the wheels fell off and he imploded in the 6th. Overall, it wasn't a good day for AP. He struggled with his control, walking 4 and throwing only 61 of his 108 pitches for strikes. It was his first poor outing of the season and I'll let it slide. A pitcher isn't going to be lights out every time he starts. As long as it doesn't become a habit, I'm cool with it.

Today's relievers that crapped the bed were Jose Veras and Mark Melancon. Melancon came on in a big spot in the 6th. It was his 1st real test at the big league level and he failed miserably, allowing a 3-run triple. I like what I've seen from Melancon, but then again, every other reliever has looked good at one point. Jose Veras sucked tonight, but has looked good about half the time. This was his 10th appearance and for my money he's done alright in 5 of them. Thankfully for the Yanks, Edwar Ramirez and Jonathan Albaladejo didn't suck tonight. Albie pitched well, but is coming off 2 really bad outings. Same goes for Edwar. My point is you never know what you're going to get with these guys. The bullpen ERA is now 6.66, which is the 29th worst bullpen ERA in all of MLB. Like I said above, unless your last name is Rivera or Bruney, and maybe Coke, I don't trust you. I'm scared every time I see everyone else warming up, and that's not good.

The Yanks look to keep things rolling tomorrow afternoon when CC Sabathia makes start #6. CC, like the rest of the pitching staff, has been inconsistent this year as well. I really don't have any idea what to expect. Good things I hope. I'll make sure Griffin is around to try and keep the streak going.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

The Week That Was In The Yankees Universe

I spent a good portion of my vacation last week in Toronto for the WBC. I didn't get much of a chance to follow the Yankees at all. I did my best but Toronto isn't exactly a haven for Yankee news. I picked up some info on XM Radio, but the radio is so old that the battery dies pretty quickly. I spent the last few days catching up on the week that just went by. I had all of last week off from work and I spent what free time I had with the fam so I'm just not getting to it. I'm a little under the gun for time tonight but I wanted to get this out. So here are a few quickies about last week's happenings:

• As I was driving to Toronto on Saturday the news broke about A-Rod's surgery. As they explained it, the Yankees and A-Rod are taking a "hybrid" approach of surgery and rehab. This approach should get Alex back in the lineup in about 9 weeks, which will put him back on the field sometime around in mid-May, about 40 games into the season, give or take. So Alex is gone for a quarter of the season. It could have been much worse. I think Cody Ransom is the way to go. The Yanks should be able to get by with Cody. The only way I'd go after a 3rd baseman via trade is if they can deal Melky Cabrera, which brings me to point #2.
• I think Brett Gardner is going to be the Yankees Opening Day CF. Coming into today's game, Gardner is hitting .375, 116 points higher than Melky Cabrera at .259. Gardner has hitting the cover off the ball also, slugging a team high 3 HRs. Melky just isn't measuring up. Melky is also out of options so his only hope is that the Yankees keep him on as a 5th OF behind Damon, Swisher, Nady, and Gardner. Melky is the perfect candidate to be dealt. Maybe package Melky and a SP for somebody. Not sure who is out there. Haeven't looked. Any suggestions?
• On the injury front, Robbie Cano and Damaso Marte came back from the WBC with minor injuries. Cano was diagnosed with right shoulder bursitis. Marte was diagnosed with left shoulder inflammation. Neither are expected to miss much time. Cano should be back in the lineup on Friday. Marte is slated to throw a bullpen tomorrow and according to Pete Abraham, he needs 2 off those before he'll be game ready. Both will be ready in plenty of time for Opening Day. No harm no foul. I know a lot of people out there think participating in the WBC is to blame, but that's ridiculous. These injuries would have likely happened had they skipped the WBC. I don't buy into that whole school of thought that the WBC is bad because guys can get hurt playing in a meaningless exhibition. Same thing can happen in regular old spring training. I like the WBC and really wish more of the bigger names would have participated.
• Mark Melancon was sent to the minor league camp which all but assures he won't be on the Opening Day roster, which is what I predicted at the end of February. A lot of people are high on Melancon, myself included. He's definitely going to be an important part of the Yankees' future. I do think he needs a little more seasoning.
• Mariano Rivera is scheduled to make his spring training debut tomorrow. He's already thrown 2 bullpens (I think) and so far all seems well with the greatest closer of all-time. Mo typically needs about 10 innings or so of work in spring training so there's plenty of time for him to be ready to hit the ground running come Opening Day.
• Jorge Posada made his first appearance behind the plate the other day. According to Pete Abe's blog, Posada said his shoulder felt strong. That's good news. Jorge is an extremely important part of the Yankee lineup. If the lineup is going to be as strong as it can be, Jorge needs to be behind the plate, allowing Matsui to DH. I'm very encouraged by where Jorge is at this point in the spring.
• I haven't seen/heard any of the games since CC, A.J., Wang, Andy, and the Wanger started pitching, so I don't have any first-hand knowledge of how they've done. I see in looking at the spring stats and box scores that they've all been doing fairly well. Joba has settled down nicely in his last 2 starts. Wang looks like he's keeping the ball up, giving up 3 HRs in his 3 starts. I'm not sure what he's working on but giving up so many longballs is very un-Wang-like. Andy's numbers look good. CC's pitching line looks pretty bad. Hopefully, that's a by-product of it being early. A.J. Burnett is the most impressive of the bunch, pitching 6 innings and only allowing 1 hit. I really hope A.J. stays healthy. The Yankees rotation for my money is one of the best in the league. I'll go to battle with those guys any day.

I'm sure I'm missing something. I tend to do that after long periods away from the Yanks, which doesn't happen often. It's been a little more than a week since I've seen them play and I'm jonesing to see some action. Thankfully tomorrow night they're on TV against the Pirates. It'll be my first look at CC Sabathia. Can't wait!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Prediction For Opening Day Roster

In the comments of my last post, regular reader Dino offered up a sort-of prediction of who he expected/wanted in the Yankee bullpen. That got me to thinking about who'd comprise the Opening Day roster and I figured why not give a crack at predicting who will make the squad. So here's what I think/prefer, assuming of course that they all remain healthy.

The offensive givens: Jorge Posada, Jose Molina, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Hideki Matsui, Nick Swisher

The pitching givens: CC Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain, Mariano Rivera, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte

For those too lazy to count the names, it's 18 and that leaves 7 spots. One of those is the CF position, which is a battle between Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner. I honestly don't have a preference to one over the other. I think both are 4th OFs at best. Since it looks like one is definitely making the team, barring a trade, I'm going with Gardner as the winner. I don't think the Yankees are high on Melky anymore. His time has come and gone. Even though his OBP was horrible last season, I think the Yankees like what Gardner brings to the table, namely he's quick. His upside is also probably a little higher than Melky's. I think he has more potential to help the team. So I'm pegging Gardner to be our Opening Day center fielder.

One of the spots is going to a back-up infielder. There aren't many guys to choose from. I think it's a 3-horse race between Cody Ransom, Juan Miranda, and Angel Berroa. Berroa is a chump and lets face it, he ain't making the team. I think Miranda is one-dimensional, being best suited as a first-baseman. Ransom is versatile and can play pretty much anywhere in the infield. He logged time at each position last year. It helps to have a guy that can fill in anywhere. Cody Ransom will make the Opening Day Roster.

So that leaves 5 open spots, all of which are going to relief pitchers. One of those guys is going to be a swing-man, someone who can start or relieve. The options for that role as I see it are Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, Brett Tomko, Ian Kennedy, Humberto Sanchez, Kei Igawa and Dan Giese. in my opinion, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Alfredo Aceves, need to start and that won't be happening in the majors. They're ticketed for Scranton. Sanchez is still a year or so away and is coming off an injury. I don't even know why Igawa is on the list as he blows. He's an option and not a good one. See you in Scranton. That leaves Tomko and Giese. Tomko was horrible last season and I don't see him performing well enough to earn that spot. Dan Giese had a pretty solid campaign in 2008 (3.53 ERA in 43.1 IPs, 1.22 WHIP, .232 average against) and I think he's the best man for the job. He can start (3 starts in 2008) and can relieve (17 relief appearances). And of all the names above, he's the last one I would think needs to get in a healthy amount of innings. Giese is my pick for the swing man. It's his job to lose.

And then their were 4. 4 spots for by my estimation 6 guys: Phil Coke, Edwar Ramirez, David Robertson, Jose Veras, Mark Melancon, and Jonathan Albaladejo. This is probably the most difficult of all the choices because all of them are more than capable of pitching at the major league level. There's only room at the inn for 4 so 2 have to go. A lot of this could come down to who shines this spring and who falters. I think Coke and Edwar are locks as they pitched well enough last year to earn the spots. Coke so far has been the man. He's in for sure. Edwar at times can be inconsistent, but for the most part, he gets the job done. Like Giese, it's their jobs to lose. Veras probably pitched well enough to earn a spot, which leaves one opening for Robertson, Melancon, and Albaladejo. I think Albaladejo goes to AAA. Like Humberto Sanchez, he's coming off an injury and he's probably best suited to start the season in Scranton. I think Robertson probably had the job heading into the spring but I don't think he's going to have a better spring than Melancon. It's a toss up and I can go either way. I think Melancon is going to have a better spring so he's my call for the last spot.

So after all of that, I realized that that would be 12 hitters and 13 pitchers which probably isn't the right balance. I don't see the Yanks carrying 13 pitchers. It's possible since they'll have a lot of versatility on the bench. Swisher can play 1B/OF/DH. Matsui can play OF/DH. Ransom can play anywhere in the infield. I can see the team wanting to maybe carry another middle infielder. I don't see anybody really filling that role except for Angel Berroa or a dark horse candidate that comes out of nowhere. For lack of a better option, I'm going with Berroa. Unfortunately, that means I'm sending Mark Melancon back to the minors. He has to absolutely blow everyone else away to pick up one of the spots, and that's certainly possible.

The offense: Jorge Posada, Jose Molina, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Hideki Matsui, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, Cody Ransom, Angel Berroa

The pitching: CC Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain, Mariano Rivera, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte, Dan Giese, Jose Veras, Phil Coke, Edwar Ramirez.

So there you have it. That's who I think will comprise the Yankees Opening Day roster, based on everyone making it through the spring without ending up on the DL. So what do you guys think? What do you disagree with and why? There are definitely some question marks and I'm curious what everyone else thinks.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie