Cashman: One more in minors for Wang
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 12, 2009 
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Via Chad Jennings, here is what Brian Cashman had to say about Chien-Ming Wang after watching him pitch:
“The urgency is to make sure we get Wang to where he needs to be, so this whole episode becomes a distant memory and he can be taking the ball every five days in New York and doing what he does best, which is running out 200-plus innings and 18 wins a year. The urgency is that we do right by him, and if we do that, then he’ll do right by us.”
“A lot of times you don’t see veterans getting much out of that to a certain extent. Hitters are swinging at everything, so it’s a little difficult to get a read off of all that stuff. The adrenaline’s not there, so getting him up in an environment like this where you’re playing in a stadium at Triple-A and getting to face significantly better hitters. The hitters will tell you how he’s doing and I don’t think anyone hit him all that hard outside of that one off the ankle, so those are all good signs.”
“I think everybody should assume that we’ll keep going down here unless we decide otherwise, so if you want to look for an assumption, that’s the way to go.”
“He’s definitely heading in the right direction. He’s much better. He had great mound presence, showed some great tempo. Threw strikes. I thought his slider was terrific. He did a great job. I was concerned when he got hit by that line drive on the meat of the calf. I know he took a pretty good shot there, but I was able to talk to our staff in game. I came out of the stands and we just watched him inning-by-inning after that. As long as his mechanics were good and it wasn’t going to affect him we were going to keep going with him. He got his work in, which was great. Today was a good day.”
Wang was hit by a line drive in the fourth inning but struck out to complete his work.
i dont understand why everyone is getting all worked up about todays loss.
I thought it was an expected loss since halladay has been excellent so far, i know every loss is frustrating but there is no need to get all doom and gloom after this one.
we just took 2 out of 3 from the orioles and hopefully we will do the same with the jays.
See ya soon Wang
we take 2 of three we’re what 4.5 out?
We really need to take the next 2. This was the series we needed (playing the first place team) to really make up some lost ground.
Quietly, Joba has the best ERA on the team.
He has also been the best “battler” on the team. Shuts teams down after the 1st inning and even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he toughs it out (like in Boston)
CC is the only big FA earning his money
carl,
well its better than being 8.5 out.
CC has earned nothing so far. CC has been a c-, tex has been a F -, and AJ is D.. if you grade on acurve CC has done well, but he has been avg. at best…..
Hey, we lost to Halliday – now we need to make a statement and win the series. It all comes down to winning series after series. Be better than your opponent 2 out of 3 – that establishes confidence that you can dominate.
Wang getting healthy is the news to take from today if your glass is half full.
If we only win 1 of the next 3, we would have gone 3-3 on the trip. Basically, wee wouldn’t have made make any ground after losing 5 in a row.
Minnesota is a 4 game series and it is hard to win 4 game series, so we might be looking at another split.
Have to start winning some series here and push our way over .500. But who knows if/when all 5 starters and the offense will start clicking. It may be like last year when it never did (or didn’t until we were out of the race and won some meaningless September series).
Teix looks like Giambi did in 05
Would he accept an assignment to the minors? He is KILLING us right now?
That Phillies-Cleveland-Texas stretch we have coming up after Memorial Day is going to be brutal on our pitchers
Pretty soon – it won’t matter if Wang gets back or not – lets start a fire sale in they are out by 10 at month’s end – a bad ballpark for a bad team
“Would he accept an assignment to the minors? He is KILLING us right now?”
The guy is making 23 million, I doubt that would ever work. I’m just hoping the fact that he is a slow starter is to blame and not because he is hurt.
Dating back to the Cleveland series on the 16th of April, our streaks have been:
Win 1 (Tampa game)
Lose 1
Win 1
Lose 1
Win 3
Lose 4
Win 4
Lose 5
Win 1
Lose 1
Win 1
Lose 1
Joba lowest ERA, biggest EGO.
Maybe we should have gotten Derek Lowe
Doesn’t have AJ’s raw ability but is a warrior, big game pitcher, and much more durable/consistent. Will also age much better then AJ and required 1 less yr and $22 less million.
i would never trust burnett in a big game… his propensity to blow up (a trend he has had his entire career) and not stop the bleeding is so frustrating
I’m just frustrated with this team. Mark is extremely frustrated with himself. He’ll bounce back no doubt, but our pitchers really need to sharpen up already.
I know it is Doc, but still this Yankee team looks dreadful, they swing at way too many balls. I also don’t know why there so afraid of taking a pitch on 2 and 1 counts.
not hanging up the cleats just yet.
How many headcase pitchers do the Yankees have????
AJ.. Check!
Joba… Check!
Wang… Check!
Pettitte… Check! (you say no about Pettitte? Think how he reacts to an error)
Until Burnett uses his change-up more and becomes a ‘pitcher’, this is what he is. 3.87 career ERA, tendency to blow up on the mound and suddenly lose his control, no recourse at all when his curve isin’t biting (which happens quite often)
Pettitte isin’t a headcase, he is just washed up. He is getting by with guile right now and is basically our Livan Hernandez— gives up runs but eats innings.
Problem is with this offense, anything more than 3 runs is insurmountable. He is being asked to be more than he is capable of. He is not a #2 or #3. He is barely a #5.
I can’t believe people are eating Burnett alive. We were never gonna beat Halladay unless AJ threw a shutout. Halladay had a CG on 103 pitches the guy cruised.
You think AJ is bad now? Wait until a couple years from now when his FB velocity lessens, then he is really toast without a changeup.
Al from BK May 12th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
I can’t believe people are eating Burnett alive. We were never gonna beat Halladay unless AJ threw a shutout. Halladay had a CG on 103 pitches the guy cruised.
Someone understands.
Al,
It really is funny. AJ has a 3.85 career ERA and was signed to be our #3 starter behind CC and Wang. Match him up with any other #3 and he wins the battle most nights (not the case so far because of the offense but still).
But some people expected him to pitch up to his nasty stuff and become an “ace” and are now disappointed that he still the mediocre pitcher he always was.
As a #3 starter, I’ll take him any day of the week. The problem is that people tried to make him more than that.
“Maybe we should have gotten Derek Lowe
Doesn’t have AJ’s raw ability but is a warrior, big game pitcher, and much more durable/consistent. Will also age much better then AJ and required 1 less yr and $22 less million.”
Lowe has already aged. He’s almost 4 years older than Burnett and signed to a 4 year deal instead of a 5 year deal. I wasn’t a big fan of signing Burnett, but getting Lowe would have been a mistake long term.
Neither Burnett or Lowe was the answer.
We should have developed some young pitching, not overpaid for proven mediocrity.
The Yankees will be 8.5 out by Friday
All of the AJ hate is funny and pretty stupid. Is every Yankee pitcher supposed to throw a shut out every night because the team can’t hit??! I would take 7 innings and 3 runs every time out. That inning that he gave up the runs was bad with the walks and all but he isn’t going to be perfect. If the Yankees actually had a bullpen then he never would of or should of started the 8th inning. I think the blame ONCE again should be on this murders row terrible lineup. This is the same lineup who had 1 hit threw 4 innings against Eaton. Should the list go on of the pathetic pitchers that they didn’t touch this year? Oh yeah CY Young Sonnanstine was light up for seven runs over two innings today. You know the same guy they didn’t touch.
can’t believe people are eating Burnett alive. We were never gonna beat Halladay unless AJ threw a shutout. Halladay had a CG on 103 pitches the guy cruised.
============================================
Somebody is scoring runs on Halladay – he had a 3.25 ERa coming in.
Sonnanstine was light up for seven runs over two innings today. You know the same guy they didn’t touch.
______________________________________________________
Oh yea – another embarassing night for the Yankees. Sonnenstein stinks.
AJ’s “transformation” might help him stay off the DL, but it isin’t doing anything for his performance.
A 2 pitch pitcher isin’t going to suddenly learn how to limit damage and big innings. That requires not being so predictable and having a plan B. We had the same complaints about Wang, when his sinker isin’t sinking he is dead. Same thing with AJ and his curve.
“As a #3 starter, I’ll take him any day of the week. The problem is that people tried to make him more than that.”
I agree if Wang were pitching like Wang this wouldn’t be a big issue.
How many injuries will the Yankees rack up by the end of the week?
Rachel, the thing is – AJ only had 90 or so pitches going into the 8th. That’s not a lot. I think he showed a lot by pitching as well as he did given the fact that the fans really were on his case from every pitch…….However, giving up the two runs in the 8th? It’s just not good – he did the same thing against Tampa last time. AJ is most certainly not the reason the Yankees lost, but 5 runs in 7 plus innings is not a good performance.
“Somebody is scoring runs on Halladay – he had a 3.25 ERa coming in.”
Whichever team that was likely had a better line-up than ours which at the moment isn’t hard to do.
“Somebody is scoring runs on Halladay – he had a 3.25 ERa coming in.”
And?
He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Morons like you think 6 starts tells you who’s better than who? I’d take Halladay over Greinke any day of the week DESPITE who’s pitches better SO FAR THIS SEASON.
Halladay will end the year with better numbers.
What the heck… I go out for dinner and Al from BK becomes the voice of reason?
Has the world gone topsy-turvy???
“Oh yea – another embarassing night for the Yankees. Sonnenstein stinks.”
Another embarrassing for you, idiot.
I grew up in NY and have loved the Yankees for better and for worse. The Yankee fan-club is turning into what I call “The Excuse Machine!”
By this I mean we are accepting poor performances with excuses like “I expected the loss to Toronto today because their pitcher has been doing well!” With that payroll, and the All-Star’s on that team we should be able to score more than 2 runs on a nightly basis, regardless of the man on the mound. I think the Yankees need to set the bar higher for the current skipper! I am not belly-aching over Torre’s departure, but I am stating that the club needs a better manager. One that can motivate these pansies to play harder.
The team is in place, however the motivation is lacking!!!!! The East has become more competitive the last few years, and we can’t just expect teams to rollover for us anymore! Maybe Phil Jackson could help us as he knows how to work with egos.
“Quietly, Joba has the best ERA on the team.
He has also been the best “battler” on the team. Shuts teams down after the 1st inning and even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he toughs it out (like in Boston)”
Maybe I’m watching different ball games.. He averages less than 6 innings a game.. I wouldn’t call that a “battler”.. possibly long relief..
“AJ is most certainly not the reason the Yankees lost, but 5 runs in 7 plus innings is not a good performance.”
Betsy- We only scored one, we were toast when AJ gave up the first 3 runs. The fact that he gave up 5 is irrelevant as we were facing the best pitcher in the AL.
“I grew up in NY and have loved the Yankees for better and for worse. The Yankee fan-club is turning into what I call “The Excuse Machine!”
By this I mean we are accepting poor performances with excuses like “I expected the loss to Toronto today because their pitcher has been doing well!” With that payroll, and the All-Star’s on that team we should be able to score more than 2 runs on a nightly basis, regardless of the man on the mound. I think the Yankees need to set the bar higher for the current skipper! I am not belly-aching over Torre’s departure, but I am stating that the club needs a better manager. One that can motivate these pansies to play harder.
The team is in place, however the motivation is lacking!!!!! The East has become more competitive the last few years, and we can’t just expect teams to rollover for us anymore! Maybe Phil Jackson could help us as he knows how to work with egos.”
No, the Yankee fan base has become a bunch of whining crybabies because their team won’t win 162 games each by the score of 20-0.
Oh, yeah, it’s because they’re not TRYING hard enough. That’s the answer. Yeah… of course. They need to be motivated!!
Wow, I don’t think another baseball team has dumber fans. Not even the Red Sox.
AJ just can’t seem to bear down and keep that key run from scoring. And when we did give him leads, he blew them (Tampa when he had the no-no, Boston, Angels). We ended up coming back and winning the Tampa/Angels games but he still blew leads.
He isin’t the problem though. It’s this listless offense. That just wait around for someone to hit a HR.
“Has the world gone topsy-turvy???”
Of course. It’s Pavano bizzaro world.
This angst is to be expected. AJ lost a game. His first loss of the season. He’s a bum. Send him to Scranton. He gets paid 16 million bucks a year and he has the nerve to lose a game.
Ok, maybe I’m over-reacting. But if AJ loses another game this year – that will be two losses. That just can’t happen.
He better buckle down and go 19-1.
“Maybe I’m watching different ball games.. He averages less than 6 innings a game.. I wouldn’t call that a “battler”.. possibly long relief..”
Good one.
the offense is like 7th or less in baseball the pitching is 29th or 30th but it is the offense that is the problem!!!!
who taught you mathematics????
AJ is a tease, all the talent but a slightly better then avg. pitcher who some nights looks like a stud but overall a few games over 500, that is the bottom line….
Again, keep talking up the pitcher!! That is very sound reasoning. I guess in ’96 the Yankees should have given up before the series started as the Braves had a much better pitching staff by the numbers.
Is it ok to lose just because a pitcher is doing well? Are you saying that we shouldn’t expect top hitting performances by our lineup? We should just expect to lose against good pitchers all the time?
I believe they try, but I also believe with all the talent it is easy to pass the stress to the next batter! Think about that comment before articulating useless logic! Teams can become too complacent, and not strive for excellence when necessary.
The comments listed in response to my earlier post just prove my point: “We have turned into excuse makers, and we now accept poor excuses!”
For 5 years, I’ve listened to people complain about Alex swinging for the fences and popping up or striking out instead of just putting the ball in play.
Were you happy with the single tonight to score Damon or would you have preferred a 2 run bomb?
“The team is in place, however the motivation is lacking!!!!!”
I noticed this too. Girardi needs to motivate guys to get off the DL faster.
Maybe we need to call Dr. Bombay.
Sorry I don’t speak Cashman. How can you infer anything from the gobbledygook he says? Does anyone understand what the hell he actually meant to say?
“AJ is a tease, all the talent but a slightly better then avg. pitcher who some nights looks like a stud but overall a few games over 500, that is the bottom line….”
correct, if only the children would understand this….
Dr. Bombay?
Bewitched???
Calling Dr. Bombay. Emergency. Come Right Away.
Betsy, I am not saying that it was a great performance but the lineup has to help out. It was still only 3-1 going into the 8th. I would think it is hard to pitch every inning knowing that you can’t give up a run because the lineup is so poor. It is very rare that they put up 3 or 4 runs in an inning to take some pressure off of the pitcher and give them some breathing room. Halladay and Verlander were tough so I will give them a break especially with this lineup but there is no excuse for not hitting all of the garbage pitchers that they have faced this season.
Maybe if I wiggle my nose, the Yankees will become the really good team they were meant to be, lol
Hey pete, remember when you couldn’t stop talking about how terrible the jays were going to be this season during spring training? Good call there, champ! You sure know your baseball!
Rachel, I definitely agree with you. I’m just frustrated with this team. For 7 innings, AJ was just fine – he handled a bad crowd situation very nicely…..I’m not really worried about him – he’s kept the team in almost all of the games he’s pitched. Lets’ see if the team can bounce back and take the next two games……
As usual, people thought Spring Training results would carry over into the regular season.
The fun ends once we leave Tampa. Every year, renewed optimism that this is a different year, then bam, less than a month in, the same results manifest themselves. Injuries, under performance, new guys not adjusting, no clutch hitting etc.
Richmond and Tallet are no slouches the next 2 days. Pettitte isin’t exactly lock down.
We all were very confident because we had a killer rotation— well, so do our competitors. We’re going to be chasing 4 teams this summer, all who can throw a quality starter out every night.
Dr. Bombay?
Bewitched???
Either Bewitched or Del The Funky…. take your pick.
Swisher is hitting .232 since the Cleveland series
I don’t understand something if Gaston takes all of the credit for the Jays playing so good then what blame does Girardi take for this mess? Jays have a decent lineup playing over there heads, they have had a lot of pitching injuries but got people from the minors to step up. I am not saying that Girardi should be fired but if this team is still playing this way at the all star break is it at least something to consider? If someone can take the credit then does someone else take the blame?
Until Posada comes back and Teix starts hitting, the offense it what it is. A-Rod also needs to get his timing back, but he gets a pass for the next couple of weeks considering he probably shouldn’t even be in the lineup right now.
Hard to win when your #3-4 hitters are hitting below .200. Jeter is also hovering around .270, Swisher has been ice cold since the Angels series, getting nothing from catcher etc.
Girardi has the entire season to do whatever he’s going to do – sink or swim.
Besides, firing the manager is not a solution.
The Yanks did all of their winning during the Steinbrenner reign when they had the most stability in the dugout.
They didn’t win a single division title or make one single playoff appearance during the 80s and 90s when Steinbrenner changed managers as often as he changed his underwear.
They need to be more creative in fixing the real issues instead of using Girardi/Eiland/Long as the scapegoats and hope things get better when they are gone.
Be patient. The starters are turning things around. Everything else will fall into place once the rotation does what it’s supposed to do.
No doubt, if Girardi is sputtering around the ASB, he is gone.
They didn’t spend $423 million to sit at home again in October.
why dont we stop blaming Girardi for Cashman’s incomptence to build a strong organization.
THE FIRST GUYS TO GO SHOULD BE CASHMAN, LEVINE, AND TROST. It has to start from the top.
Girardi doesn’t have his #2 starter, righty setup man, lefty setup man, right fielder, catcher, backup catcher and he just got back his cleanup hitter after 35 games. Now the SS is banged up, Damon is playing on one shoulder, Teix is hitting .190 etc.
Not really fair to fire him until he plays with a full roster for a while. The team was unable to step up and overcome injuries, but that isin’t the manager’s fault.
THE FIRST GUYS TO GO SHOULD BE CASHMAN, LEVINE, AND TROST. It has to start from the top.
——–
Yeah, that makes sense. Just fire everyone.
Maybe Hal and Hank will get fired too?
No doubt, if Girardi is sputtering around the ASB, he is gone.
They didn’t spend $423 million to sit at home again in October.
———
I tend to doubt it. Girardi has the full season.
George doesn’t run this team anymore and Hal is not George. Not by a long shot.
Bring me the head of Bob Lemon!
Firing Girardi will not help the situation.
the team is rotten from the core with so many aging players, terrible pitching acquisitions, and the entire stadium situation is a mess.
When it comes down to it, you want to fix the Yankees? Put the blame where it should be, it’s not Girardi.
Peckinpaugh? GREAT movie!
Cue Angels bullpen implosion in 5,4,3,2…
Even our anemic offense was able to hit the Angels pen… no doubt the Sux red-hot offense will
Great .. Now we get to hear all of the joba to the bullpen crap again for the next 10 days or so. Just what i wanted to talk about too. I think hughes really has to prove he deserves to stay up here this time in his next start. If he puts up another stinker or even another mediocre performance, there is no doubt in my mind that it is Hughes that will be shown the door once again. So no joba to the pen talks yet. Lets see how hughes does in his next start first and see if anyone even really has to put thought into this decision. Hughes stinks and he is gone Im sure. if he puts up an amazing performance like when he was first brought up this time, then, there might be a decision to make. I am going to go out on a limb and say I am 85 percent sure wang will take hughes spot in the rotation. I love hughes and still think he can be a great starter up here but the yanks arent in any sort of position to let him battle it out in the majors right now with us sucking horribly and all.
Who in their right mind would talk about Joba to the pen?
He has the best ERA of all of the starters.
I’d move AJ to the pen before Joba.
Who in their right mind would talk about Joba to the pen?
He has the best ERA of all of the starters.
I’d move AJ to the pen before Joba.
==========================
It can also be said Joba has had a lot of lucky breaks as well though…..such as the massive amount of double play balls in the boston series.
Amazing how we cant get a hit off of Scot Shields, even in the later stage of his carrer, and against the Red Sox he allways either blows the game or gives up the lead.
yeah get rid of lon trost since he is the cfo?? Why would they get rid of trost morn? He has nothing to do with any player development, he is a bean counter clown……….
they are losing because there stars are playing like crap, injuries are bulls-it.
tex has been pathetic, aj has been bad, cc bad, swisher off to a torrid start is striking out all over the place lately.
the only guys who have played to potential or exceeded it are; melky, damon, and pena… who else???veras, joba, hughes, wang, cano(slowing down big time), so the bottom line is 22 players have underachieved but blame it on the manager not motivating them!!!! really baffoons where do yo uthink this crap up?????
the only #3 hitter playing worse then Tex may be big Papi and that is it………you can’t make this train wreck up……………
yeah tallent is a good pitcher!!!!look up his stats one day, he is a better mark hendrickson…………..
The Angels play fundamental baseball against us and they seem to crumble evry time they face the Red Sox. The Sox own the Halos. In the good old days the Yankees used to own certain teams too. The times have changed; now we dont own anybody anymore. We have lost our aura and our mystique. Hopefully the good days will return and we’ll be dominant once more. For now we have to suffer through mediocrity.
Papelbon is just so good. You always root for him to blow the game and he never does. I guess this is how it must have felt watching Mo dominate for the past decade in a half.
We’ve all seen Papelbon blow games. He is good, though. Sigh. I suspect we’ll see him blow a few this year.
now i have to hear harold reynolds say “the yankees just aren’t a good team”
The Yankees AREN’T a good team.
They are loaded with problems. Injuries, aging, and a lack of intensity. The pitching has been the worst in recent memory, and Melky Cabrera is leading the team in batting average. You could count on the fingers of one hand the players who are having good seasons, thus far: Damon, Melky, Cano, Coke, Pena.
Yikes.
Unless names like Mo, A-Rod, Tex, Posada, Jeter, CC, AJ, Joba, Wang, and Pettitte get added to the list, the team won’t get better, either.
I didn’t see the gamne because it’s at 1 AM over here.But how did burnett look?I know he gave up 5 runs but he get’s deep into games.
But does anyone know when bruney and marte will be back?I know marte didn’t pitch well in april but I still think he can be our 7th/8th inn guy
it is the middle of may and tex is completely lost at the plate…..if it weren’t for a few homeruns and a load of walks this guy would be toast……what happens to these guys when they put on the yankee uniform…..boston trades for people and they get usefulness out of those trades….the yankees get good and better players and it seems their careers go right down the tubes
I know a lot of commenters like to blame Cashman for this mess, but I for one actually feel bad for the guy. He put together a super roster, but the players are injured or underperforming. Cash is not to blame for Wang’s thighs, A-Rod’s hip, Jorgie’s hamstring, Nady & Bruney’s arms, Tex’s sub-.200 average or A.J.’s 5+ ERA. The team is losing because crucial players are hurt and the ones who aren’t have failed to play to potential. Cashman did his job, but the players – and maybe the conditioning staff – aren’t doing theirs.
Don’t Blame Cash:
You are 100% correct, it is not this man’s fault yet the blame has to be placed on someone. The only thing I think Cash could’ve done better was to go out and get one arm in the bullpen to add some depth with the mix and matching that was bound to happen with our prospects.
There is NO WAY JJ Putz agrees to go to the Mets as the 8th inning man if we are in the negotiations, simply no way. If the organization was hell bent on keeping Joba as a starter, this should have been addressed. That is an aspect that Cashman certainly overlooked.
Dr. Cox — I wrote many times in this space about Juan Cruz who was an available and affordable RHP for the pen, but the Yankees remain enamored of Veras, Ramirez, Robertson and the like.
I’m not too worried yet… but if they aren’t healthier and playing better by the end of the homestand I might join the panic attack choir.
Another pathetic loser of a pitcher giving up 5 runs
- – what happens to these guys when they put on the yankee uniform…..boston trades for people and they get usefulness out of those trades….the yankees get good and better players and it seems their careers go right down the tubes- –
Rick: great point. Very frustrating and not easy to understand why.
The Yankees might better be known as “Somebody Else’s All- Stars”
One of our major problems is our insane willingness to both overpay in dollars and years.
There should be no long term contracts beyond 4 years. Long term security brings out the lazy in players. Compare Milton Bradley last year to Milton Bradley this year. which version had game.
The new stadium caused management to panic when A roid opted out.
a ten year contract from a team that was bidding against itself???????? Boy did he score.
project forward five years to a Yankee team featuring a third basement using a walker, a first basement still having a “slow Start” and our star pitcher appearing as a contestant on “the Biggest Loser”
The hitters will tell you how he’s doing and I don’t think anyone hit him all that hard outside of that one off the ankle, so those are all good signs.”
“outside of that one off the ankle”? hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
… I thought his slider was terrific? ( he was a mediocre triple pitcher when he threw a slider)
hahahahahahhahhahahahahha
“Today was a good day” ? ( maybe if you are a red sox fan)
hahhahahhahhahhahahhahahha
not a word about the sinker that wang ‘s career depends on.
from other reports he’s 89-91mph and touching 92 a few times.
so his velocity is the same as he went down for rehab. still missing 3-4 mph.
6 strike outs in 6 innings.
yup, that sounds like wang at his best.
though he did have 7 ground balls.
that is the only good sign ,i have read about wang’s start.
someone needs to tell tell cashman that wang is a sinkerball pitcher.
that cashman is a riot. hahahhahhahhahahhahhahahhahahaha
Burnett has a 5.26 ERA. That is like a full point higher than any YEAR he has had. Hopefully that will come down. Otherwise, it’s just another guy that I can’t understand why people perform SO MUCH WORSE when they are in NY.
The problem with charting his ERA is its blown up over the bad start in Boston.
Its not just about stats. Watch the games.
He didn’t pitch badly last night.
On most nights, he’s out after 7 and gave up 3 runs. Girardi, because he has no confidence in his bullpen, tried to squeeze another inning out of him and that didn’t work.
Unfortunately, when you face Roy Halliday, its not good enough.
Overall though, if AJ Burnett gives up 3 runs in 7 innings of work through most of his starts, you take it.
Randy,
I talked to a scout who was at Wang’s start last night. He said he sat 90-93 most of the night on his gun.
The sinker was better but not vintage Wang yet.
Said he was “night and day” better than he has been.
Thought he would need another start or two at AAA though.
“Better but, not there yet”, were his words to me”.
TFIW.
“what happens to these guys when they put on the yankee uniform”
They feel the pressure of a fanbase and media that thinks they are busts 30 games into a season instead of playing loose and relaxed?
As I detailed yesterday, Russ – AJ’s ERA is bloated because of Boston……..Prior to yesterday, without the Boston game, AJ’s ERA was 3.86.
I was out, so I missed most of the game, but I was very pleased with how he handled the crowd (who was apparently just brutal to him on every pitch)……in fact, I was surprised. 3 runs in 7 innings? I don’t care how he gave up the 3 runs – that’s a real quality start. The problem was those last 2 runs…..I don’t understand how he could be gassed, going into the 8th at only 90 or so pitches. If he wasn’t gassed, then I don’t know what the problem was
Thanks for the update, SJ………. However much time Wang needs, give it to him. He’s making progress, and that’s what’s really important.
People assume a lot of things about AJ – just look at the comment Pete made yesterday about how no one knows if he’s going to give up 5 runs or 1. It’s the furthest thing from the truth. If anything, aside from Boston, AJ has been consistently solid – we just haven’t seen him dominate, except for one game.
Right now this is not a fundamentally good team. The roster is out of balance, and the pitching gets no run support when needed. The bullpen is iffy at best. The team can’t mount come-from-behind wins by stranding runners when oppotunity presents itself.
They are what they are courtesy of many decisions made by the GM and field manager.
Good point SJ. Though he wasn’t Wang-Rocked in Boston.
AJ has been ok, not great. He can be better. It would also help if they had a bullpen so they can manage his starts better. He seems to go one inning too long and that gets him into trouble. Then again, he would have had to pitch a shutout last night to beat Halliday, who was great.
Having a fit over losing to Roy Halliday is frankly, idiotic.
He’s a great pitcher and he was able to dominate a lineup littered with AAA players. That’s the way it goes.
This team has bigger problems than getting beat by Roy Halliday.
There are too many injuries all at the same time, coupled with poor performances from most of the pitching staff and Teixeira, to overcome and be real competitive right now.
Fact is, at least at the present time, this is a not a very good ballclub.
Now, some of you can release your inner 80′s Steinbrenners and “demand” everyone be fired.
Aside from thinking that makes you sound smart, what’s the point of that right now?
Will that make Francisco Cervelli or Kevin Cash play like Jorge Posada?
Will that make Derek Jeter 25 again?
Will that make Mark Teixeira relax and play up to his capabilities?
Will that give good health and performances to Arod, Swisher, Nady, Marte and Bruney?
Will that give Wang back his confidence and sinker?
Will that make Brett Gardner a functional major league baseball player?
Will that make the bullpen throw strikes and have the starters pitch to their capabilities?
The answers to all of the above questions are “no”.
All they can do is continue to grind, try and win some games, stay close in the race, and look to get some people healthy and back into the lineup.
There are no magic trades or any AAA heros that are going to save them right now.
Nobody is going to feel sorry, nor should they, for the New York Yankees.
They will just have to find a way to dig themselves out of this morass. If they do, they will be competitive all season.
I talked to a scout who was at Wang’s start last night. He said he sat 90-93 most of the night on his gun.
The sinker was better but not vintage Wang yet.
Said he was “night and day” better than he has been.
Thought he would need another start or two at AAA though.
“Better but, not there yet”, were his words to me”.
sj-
thanks for the scouts view of wang. now that’s language i can understand. his sinker was better as you’d expect from the 6 ground balls. his mph is still down so he’s still not back at full strength.so he’s made some progress, but is still not quite there.
now contrast that with cashman’s appraisal. “good slider” and calls a day when wang gets drilled hard off an ankle a good day. the man is delusional which may be why the yankees seem to be snakebit with injuries and with the ability to have players play less than the back of their baseball cards.
i wouldn’t bring wang back until he’s 92-95 and is throwing his good sinker. and screw the slider. the slider is not the point.
Youkilis was put on the DL last night with a strained oblique.
Let’s hope Jeter’s outcome is better.
100% correct Vince. What is most frustrating is that opposing pitchers seem to get better with men on base. Our pitchers choke it up with men on base.
“Youkilis was put on the DL last night with a strained oblique.
Let’s hope Jeter’s outcome is better.”
NO! He’s on my fantasy team =( I don’t have any more DL spots!
Can’t get on AJ for last night. Both he and Sabathia have paid an ERA penalty for Girardi’s understandable unwillingness to go to his bullpen when these guys are obviously tiring. They have battled hard for us (I like the poster above who says Joba is the only battler on the staff so far…come back to me when he pitches a complete game shutout, and not a Joba Complete Game, which is 7 innings).
Teixeira, on the other hand, is worth getting angry about. What’s he hitting, .190? He is choking on the pressure and it has become embarrassing.
ndy
ahttp://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2009/05/12/a_dizzying_turn/
randy- I thought you might be interested in this story about a catcher. Was hit with a bat by Offerman.
injuries, and other negatatives aside the Yankees roster is still better than a team two games under 500. With all the injuries the team still should be doing better. There are too many players playing well below their potential and the manager and his staff have to go. While Cash gets some of the blame for sure he still put together and gave Joe a roster stronger than Toronto, Baltimore and enough to compete with Boston and Tampa. The team wins one loses one. He needs to go.
Teixeira is an example of the internal pressure athletes put on themselves because there has been very little external pressure put on him so far.
randy
The fact that he was hit hard in the ankle and not the head sounds like his sinker worked on that pitch.
What makes you think they are better than they are right now? Just because they are the “Yankees” doesn’t mean, “they are better than what they have shown”.
That’s sports radio BS that drives me nuts.
How can anyone say, the injuries haven’t played a role?
Its a HUGE issue.
Wang falling off the map. That not only messed up the bullpen, that messed up the rotation.
Arod missing 2 months? You don’t think that impacts the entire lineup?
The pitching, which was supposed to be the backbone of the team, hasn’t been able to get going. That has a trickle down effect on the entire team.
Add to it the injuries and you are where you are at the pressent time.
The good news is, the division is so competitive, nobody is going to run away with it.
That’s why they have to stay within fighting distance. If they do, they will be in the race all year.
It’s just very frustrating to see a team with such potential not live up to it.
Someone NEEDs to talk to Texeria. Get Reggie on him, get someone on him because he is staring at pitches that are going right down the middle. And just because you stare at the sky and slam your helmet in disgust with yourself, doesn’t mean we are going to sympathize.
He needs to buckle down, relax and START HITTING. If he doesnt hit, guess what…we might as well pack it in right now.
“The fact that he was hit hard in the ankle and not the head sounds like his sinker worked on that pitch. ”
good point pat.
that must have been what cashman was thinking
Halladay always beats the Yanks. Look at last year. They lose even with their best line-up in there.
Yanks cannot win with a bad bullpen.
In other news the socialist in chief says “You don’t need banks and bondholders to make cars”
Oh really where does the money come from the air?
Now he wants to tell everyone working in the financial services industry what they can be paid.
I was at the Wang game last night (sat about 20′ from Cashman).
He was very good. Most of balls put in play were on the ground. Even base hits weren’t hit hard.
Off speed stuff got lots of swing and misses. I think because he was throwing so hard, people were trying to gear up and got way out in front.
That said, they should let him pitch another in the minors. Once they bring him up, they lose the DL option. It won’t hurt to make another start in AA or AAA.
The moment of the night was when he got hit. Cashman’s face turned apple red and he was on the phone within 30 seconds. But Wang bounced back, finished that inning and pitched another.
Potential doesn’t mean much.
Tex is pressing bigtime. Its funny that people say, “How can he be this bad”?
Well, when you have a fanbase, some of whom have already decided he’s a “bust”, 30+ games into his career, what do you expect?
The guy wants to get the 100 points back on his BA in one day. That leads to problems.
He’s guessing too much at the plate and that’s why he is striking out looking so much.
The toughest thing to do for new players in NY is “relax”.
The fans, if you can call them fans, are already booing him after every AB at home.
Tell me how that’s supposed to make a guy “relax”?
The solution? Just gotta toughen up and play through it.
There is no other way to do it.
A sports writer who was creative enough to get a couple of quotes from Alex after he said, “Sorry, not today” about being interviewed.
http://www.buffalonews.com/spo.....69612.html
Randy I. –
Just wondering why you think Cashman was sincerely pleased with Wang’s outing. When I read his comments, it seemed to me like he was stretching for something nice to say, to prop Wang up a little.
Considering that a significant part of Wang’s problem has been in his head, don’t you think what Cashman said is better than if he had come out and been blunter? I don’t see the point in him going to the media and saying the velocity isn’t there, the sinker isn’t there, and Wang is lucky he didn’t get hurt on that shot up the middle.
Seems like most of what Cashman says to the public is just spin anyway, so why not take it for what it is rather than thinking it represents his true thoughts?
Matty,
Its a baseball blog, not a political blog.
Go to rushlimbaugh.com to air your nonsenical political comments.
Keep your nonsensical baseball comments on this blog.
That makes it work for everybody.
Looking at the current rosters:
Yankees have a better infield (offensively) than Toronto, Boston, and Tampa Bay, but thats strictly on PAPER. The DH spot of all four teams are close on PAPER. In the outfield (offensively) Yanks are probably 4th but its close. Starting pitching on paper Tampa looks like top dog, with Yanks and Red Sox close followed by Toronto. This is all on PAPER in my opinion. The Yanks didnt make the playoffs last year and again this season are not playing up to their potential.
We’re injury prone because we’re old. Antiques, actually. Lots of overpriced ones at that. At least one of which we are committed to for the next nine years.
maine yankee-
man, that’s a sad story. it adds to the bad luck that it happened in independent baseball so he doesn’t have mlb insurance.
offerman has a full pension coming from mlb baseball with full insurance. i would say that this kid should get at least half of offerman’s pension for life if this condition stays the way it is.
i got a little dizzy reading that story when the catcher described the feelings he had after getting hit in the head. i was in the hospital for a week at age 9 from a major concussion and then a year later in bed for a week with another concussion after getting hit in the forehead from a recess backswing when i was catching too close without a mask. the nausea and dizziness that catcher described is exactly what happens.
they didn’t know much about concussions in those days when i was a kid. doctors now know that any concussion leaves permanent brain damage which is why so many athletes retire now rather than risk continuing brian damage when they get a series of concussions.
Send Gardner back to AAA. forget the hitting, did anyone see his throw home? right into the ground and it rolled from second to the catcher. melky is far and away better than gardner. is anyone left on the ggbg bandwagon?
_ _ _ Youkilis was put on the DL last night with a strained oblique. _ _ _
Doesn’t seem like his absence has hurt them at all. They just keep finding ways to win.
I agree that 5 runs in 7 plus can’t be considered a great outing, but what would you say to 3 runs over 7 innings? Against anyone other than Hallady that is a good start (isn’t the definition of “quality start” 6 innings and 3 runs or less?)…someone mentioned he did the same thing in the 8th against Tampa…maybe he shouldn’t have pitched the 8th?
Based on the lineup and the guys given rest in the game plus trying not to use up the pen, it almost seems to me that Girardi expected to lose this game and didn’t want to waste too much talent trying to win it…I can understand the thought process a little bit, but I still hope it’s not the case…I wouldn’t want a manager going into a game expecting to lose
The Yankees aren’t worth talking about so I mentioned something that was relevant
SJ…losing to Halladay should be no suprise to anyone and we should all thank Mo for refining Doc’s cutter.
As for this team…it will be hard to put together any type of run if their offense can’t score at least 3-4 runs a game.
The starting staff is doing well considering the offense and bullpen, but it is very hard to pitch knowing that if you give up 1-2 runs that might be it for the night.
I hope Cash was also looking at some of the other players in AAA last night, because this bench is shot.
Win the next two and they take the series, that’s all they should be thinking about at this point…win series.
Its been said time and time again by Pete to keep political comments off this blog.
Especially ones that make little or no sense.
so much for the theory that Boston would start to feel a drag if they were to lose Youkilis and Pedroia.
They’re showing all the hallmarks of a great team: big hits coming from all over the lineup, lockdown bullpen, depth in the rotation.
Unless pitchers stop leaving belt-high fastballs for Bay, and the league develops an effective book on some of the arms in the pen, they are going to be bear. Being this far down already is a bad omen.
I still believe in the Yanks’ rotation, and Teixeira will eventually hit. However, where’s the rescue plan for the bullpen? Close or tied games late have become mine fields, with way too many casualties.
With so much time lost, Nady will be lucky to draw a few nibbles in this year’s free agent market even with Scott Boras as his agent.
Saw in today’s NY Post that Phil Coke was unavailable last night with a stiff back. I hope that doesn’t develop into anything long term. He is the only reliable arm out of the bullpen right now besides Mo.
I say fire Pete…its his fault. Shake things up. Try to turn this thing around.
Vader,
True but, the starters haven’t had one or two go’rounds where you have seen quality throughout the rotation.
Its been more start and stop. When you add the toxic bullpen to the mix, the pitching just hasn’t been there so far this year.
Unfortunately, this team was built around what was supposed to be a dominant starting staff. We haven’t seen it so far this year.
The offense? For two years, I’ve maintained its overrated and not very good. Its either all hot at the same time or all cold at the same time. There is no consistency.
Add to it the fact they are as poor as anybody in baseball hitting with RISP, it makes it hard to see the offense carrying this team at any point this year.
They will rise and fall on pitching. If the pitching continues to rank last or near last place in every pitching catagory, the train ain’t leavin’ the building for this season.
They are going to have to pitch their way out of this and, given how poor its performed so far, that may be too much to ask.
Their saving grace, the only real one is, the division is so tough this year, everybody is going to beat everybody.
That will keep them close at least for a WC berth.
‘Seems like most of what Cashman says to the public is just spin anyway, so why not take it for what it is rather than thinking it represents his true thoughts?”
then there’s the possibility that the only thing cashman knows about professional pitching is that he couldn’t hit it.
the man says things that make it sound like he doesn’t know as much about pitching as his bullpen catcher.
you do realize that the longer cashman has been in control the worse that pitching has become.
at some point, with no pitching improvement despite major free agent signings and a huge amount of money spent on draft picks, cashman himself must come under scrutiny for the pitching “bad luck”.
cashman can spin everything he wants , but it’s a fact that the pitching has not gotten any better with him in full control for almost three years. if this trend continues, at some point it has to be on him.
if and when the pitching under his full control improves, i’ll get off his case. as of now, three years into him being in full control, the pitching sucks. that’s a fact.
Boston has the worse ERA for starters in MLB. Look it up. I know they’ve beat our butt but they’re not all that. Ortiz and Pedroia have zero HR’s combined since opening day. And now Youkilis is on the DL. Now If someone could just test Jason Bay’s urine…
Toronto will come down to earth (except when Doc pitches). And Tampa Bay’s pitching is just not as strong as last year. I’m not giving up hope at all. The Yanks are 1 hot streak from getting right back in the mix.
Morning.
Hopefully the Yankees can take these next two games
true, true, true, but every day carries another excuse for a loss. it’s getting late fast.
Pat, if arod did every interview like that this season, would you think yankee fans would be happy with that? Serious question.
The Red Sox are a better team than the Yankees right now. Its not even close.
They have as many injuries as the Yankees, find ways to win every night, and are 5-0 against the Yankees so far this year. Beating them every way a team can be beaten.
When the Yankees show that, talking smack about the Red Sox sounds foolish.
You may not think the Red Sox are “all that” but they are MUCH MORE than the Yankees at the present time.
_ _ _ Boston has the worse ERA for starters in MLB. Look it up. I know they’ve beat our butt but they’re not all that. Ortiz and Pedroia have zero HR’s combined since opening day. And now Youkilis is on the DL. _ _ _
Irrelevant. Bottom line is winning. They do. We don’t.
In fact, it’s to their great credit that with all that may be wrong with their team, they still win.
“Until the Yankees show that, not “When”. Sorry for the typo.
Sorry that my comments were too intellectual for you to understand
steven J
May 13th, 2009 at 9:45 am
“Boston has the worse ERA for starters in MLB.”
I took your advice and looked it up. I don’t know about the ERA for just the starters but for the overall ERA the Yankees are last with an ERA of 5.78 and the Red Sox have an ERA of 4.80.
My point is no team has ever won diddly squat while leading the league in starter ERA. If that trend were to continue for Boston they would not be able to sustain their current winning pace.
Now, of course, the Yankees would have to improve considerably to take advantage. I get that.
But that statistic shows the Red Sox have experienced a great deal of luck in winning some of the games they have. So, I see no reason to hand them a trophy just yet.
Read here to verify Boston has worse starting ERA in A.L.
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/swe.....plus-.html
Link failed…so here’s quote from Buster Olney of ESPN…
“The best bet for the Sox may be to just hoard this depth in the event of an injury. Even though most expect Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and Penny to pitch much better from here on out, the fact is that Boston’s rotation ranks dead last in the AL with a collective 5.81 ERA. They’re 20-12 despite that stat.”
SJ,
I agree with everything you said about the Red Sox minus the injury comment.
Looking at the rosters for the big 4 in the AL East
5 starters and the closers average age
Boston 29
Toronto 29
Tampa 30
Yanks 30
8 positional starters and DH
Tampa 28
Toronto 29
Yanks 31
Boston 31
not a huge difference so lets stop saying its age. Its guys not producing
I guess Wang is done, hopefully I am wrong.
Joekuh
Can’t speak for all Yankee fans, just me.
I’ll take the earbud wearing, non-media talking Alex of 2007 anyday.
He’s not a wordsmith but is a great baseball player so he should play to his strengths and leave the clubhouse banter for someone better suited for that.
Matty thinks he’s intellectual. Thanks for the laugh, limbot.
Whatever.. you must be an elementary school drop out
_ _ _ But that statistic shows the Red Sox have experienced a great deal of luck in winning some of the games they have. So, I see no reason to hand them a trophy just yet. _ _ _
Whoa! I watch many of their games. It’s not luck. Just like it wasn’t a ‘curse’ for 86 years. What they do: timely hitting and good enough pitching when it matters most. As well as a can’t lose attitude.
It’s utterly juvenile but it never gets old — I couldn’t help snickering when I read Cashman praise Wang’s “mound presence.”