Pitching matchups for the Baltimore series
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- August
- 31
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Tonight: LHP Andy Pettitte (11-6, 4.18) vs. RHP Jeremy Guthrie (9-12, 5.26), 7:05, YES
Tuesday: RHP A.J. Burnett (10-8, 4.10) vs. RHP David Hernandez (4-6, 4.24), 7:05, YES
Wednesday: LHP CC Sabathia (15-7, 3.56) vs. RHP Jason Berken (4-11, 6.33), 7:05, YES
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on Monday, August 31st, 2009 at 9:00 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
We better sweep!
yes, please!
this sure does look appealing.
Assuming no let down due to perceived competition level, I smell a sweep. Shall see.
has the makings of another sweep.
1. Great time in Scranton last night. Every aspect of the trip, from light traffic on the interstate to the people at the ballpark, fellow bloggers and ballpark staff, to meeting Pete, Chad Jennings, Shelly, Cisco up close, everythng. (OK, so losing the first game wasn’t so hot.)
Ron deserves a lot of credit for putting it all together. Thanks.
2. Joba clearly has a lot of ability, but for whatever, probably multiple, reasons, he’s not putting it together consistently. I think he just needs to pitch, to get into his own groove, and to learn how to pitch, work out of trouble, adjust during a game, etc.
In another setting, he probably would just be put out there every 5th, and do just that. But because of his stage of development, and the Yankees pennant race, that’s not going to happen. So, everyone tries to adjust on the fly. So far, it’s not a major issue. It’s more of a challenge to get it right, with all the issues. But the payoff down the road, years ahead, is worth it.
How much are top of the line starters going for these days?
sweeps on the road are difficult but 2 out of 3 seems like a lock. All the Yankees need to do is keep playing good baseball and no one is going to catch them for either the AL East or home field advantage for the post season, has anyone noticed the Angels aren’t playing very well right now?
Joba doesn’t get sent down to the minors because despite all his struggles he is a league average or better pitcher. That is why he has such huge upside. Even in his worst, most struggling moments, he is around league average.
Hughes was getting blown out last year due to injury and spent much of the time on the disabled list. It is completely different.
They aren’t going to send Joba to the minors for being average just because of some fan perceived faults (”He doesn’t smile at the catchers!!! He shakes off too much!! HE doesn’t listen!!”) That is all conjecture.
Andy Pettitte is currently 67th all-time with 226 career victories. Anyone care to speculate on the over/under for what he will end up at? 230 at the end of this year? Maybe 245 by the end of the next? If he hangs around for a few years, he could end up knocking on the door of the Blyleven, John, Morris conversation.
A .600 team playing a .400 team 3 times has less than a 50% probability of a sweep – in addition we’re not necessarily playing to win every games – we want to preserve arms and legs as much as posible but still retain home field advantage.
Wish I lived closer and could have been to Scranton yesterday…
I was just looking at the league RBI stats. The Yankees have 8 of the top 50 in the league- Tex at 101, and then 7 others bunched together- (73, 72, 70 70, 68, 63, 60). The other top teams in the league- BOS has 5 in the top 50; TB, ANA, TEX, MIN all have 4 in the top 50.
3rd outing for AJ,hope he gets the W.CC just missed a chance to beat Adan Wainwright (Stl Cards pitcher,CY contender)for the first to get 16 games won in the season.He’s motivated
for sure.Andy has been great ans a work horse.
“Joba’s 4.38 ERA is a much more significant number than his innings count at this point.”
We’d probably take 4.38 from a #4:
1. CC 3.56
2. AJ 4.10
3. Andy 4.18
But Joba’s 4.38 is moving north of late…
My concern is Friday,Joba against Halladay….
Phil Coke morphing into Jose Veras,Kyl Farnsworth,and Ron Villone,by giving up at least 1 run when he comes in the game,all if a sudden.
I’m jealous that I could not attend the Scranton event, but hope to join in on something early next summer. What are the chances of doing one in either Charleston or Tampa?
Hopefully AJ can get his head strait this series
Sorry we missed everyone in Scranton. Had an AWESOME time last year at the event. Ron and Pete did an amazing job as hosts, and I’m sure the same was true again this year.
We’ll catch you next year!
peter,
this is great blog you do great job..
thanks..
coke has all good #’s except 1, HR’s allowed and that is killing him. Joba is 23, he will be fine, the yanks are managing his innings correctly so he does not become another edison volquez…
they are 34 games above 500, they are rolling…
Ghost, Joba is older than Hughes.
My concern is Friday,Joba against Halladay….
___
Really? Because the last 5 times Halladay has faced the Yankees and Red Sox, he has gotten beat on pretty badly. Halladay is not the same pitcher he was before his injury.
There are no locks in baseball…..nothing is guaranteed. The Yankees have been a bit hot and cold with their offense lately. Also, any mediocre pitcher can come up with a good game now and then and a good pitcher can throw a stinker. You’d expect the Yanks to take 2/3, but who knows? I’m certainly not going in with the mentality that anything less than a sweep is unacceptable. This team has played well for a long time – I think a bump or two in the road is not a big deal.
please dont say sweep u never know with guy we never face
and by friday, the bullpen has 3-5 more arms to get through the 6 innings after joba’s 3.
Yeah, AJ pitched a terrible game last time out,lol
please dont say sweep u never know with guy we never face
–
Sweep.
No one’s got the dirt on the Scranton trip?
85 attendees and nothing notable happened?
Who wore the proverbial “lampshade on their head”?
Who screamed when Cisco came over?
Who was stalking Pete?
Hook-ups, lunatics, loud-mouths, hotties ?
Joe Buck said on the air(fox sports)that The Wilpon family lost $700MM,in the Madoff ponzi scheme,and they will mostly have to sell the team next year.So,I thought he was being careless with Murdoch’s money in a upcoming future suit
http://neewsday.com addresses the same subject and expounds further. Looks like the Wilpon family is in trouble financially.
While a sweep of the O’s would be great, the Yanks just need to keep winning series.
So has JOBA.
Joba – Wait Till Next Year
Remember last year’s debate as to where in the world is Phil’s MPH. It takes quite some time to fully recover from any injury, let alone an arm (for a pitcher).
I think a combination of: not working out in the offseason, lingering arm issues, first full year as a starter, learning how to pitch have contributed to Joba’s lack of velocity.
I believe he comes back strong next year and we see the 97 and 98s. Hey – remember Verlander sucked last year and is now in consideration for Cy Young.
Joba is one that may amp it up for a playoff game.
Bronx Jeers says:
August 31, 2009 at 10:39 am
No one’s got the dirt on the Scranton trip?
85 attendees and nothing notable happened?
Who wore the proverbial “lampshade on their head”?
Who screamed when Cisco came over?
Who was stalking Pete?
Hook-ups, lunatics, loud-mouths, hotties ?
================
Well, I took the last passport holder from the give away table…
Pete and Chad were arguing most of the time. J/k
Hmmm, there were no “Hello my handle is…” stickers.
TLVP –
“…in addition we’re not necessarily playing to win every games…”
I’ve got to disagree with you on this part of your post. I don’t think the Yanks ever go out there and not play to Win every game. If they aren’t’ out there to win every game they may as well forfeit. I do think however, that we won’t see the Full “A” team out there every day in the last couple weeks I’m sure some guys will get an occasional day off
Five Iron From Fenway
Is right. It’s a combination of all of those things with Joba. Verlander lost his velocity on his fastball last year and came back this year throwing 97 mph +. Yankee fans need to realize that young pitching talent will struggle, some Yankee fans whine too much like spoiled children. This team is in good shape and Joba won’t be the main factor in the postseason anyway.
Regarding Wilpon and The Mets, its terrible that the family has lost so much money, but its absolutely mind boggling to have that much money tied up in 1 fund.
One word…DIVERSIFY.
Just have to keep matching Boston and LA. If Boston keeps winning the Yanks need to also. We want to make sure we keep our division lead at or above 4 games to maintain some sort of comfort zone with them.
And home field advantage vs. LA is an absolute must. Pete posted the Yanks record at LA and that speaks for itself.
Stop talking about sweeps and 2/3. One game at a time. Talk about tonight’s game. Girardi and the players go to the ballpark everyday playing for a W.
Our Game 3 postseason starter is starting tonight and I hope for a solid outing. Andy has been fantastic as of late and he gets a chance to keep it going against a very very bad Orioles team. (And anyone who starts talking up the Orioles cannot be taken seriously – they stink).
I’m just happy that we miss Tillman and Matusz. A sweep would be nice
I won’t talk up the Orioles, but I always say, “on any given day,” blah, blah, blah.
Probably just mind games with myself so I don’t build anything up too high and set up for disappointment. 
Sweeps are not so easy away from home. The other team does, really, want to win, even if they aren’t as capable.
“If Boston keeps winning the Yanks need to also. We want to make sure we keep our division lead at or above 4 games to maintain some sort of comfort zone with them.”
i agree. having a comfortable lead allows girardi to rest guys and try new people with the expanded roster.
i think wakefield is the key with the red sox. if he keeps having problems with his back and keeps missing starts it’s going to leave their rotation very thing and cause problems in the bullpen.
bottom line is the yankees need to kick through the finish line.
I am going up to Baltimore for the game tonight! Living in Western VA I don’t get a lot of chances to watch the Yankees play. Pettitte is my sentimental favorite pitcher. Sorry I am just excited. Thought I would share. Should be a great night to be at a game. I’ll wave at Pete.
>One word…DIVERSIFY.
GZA, my financial advisor from Wu-Tang Financial, preaches this.
Hurt,frustrated,angry and slightly bitter,according to Jeff Gordon,columnist at http://stltoday.com
has to say about Dave Duncan.
In an a write up called, “Can Duncan stop taking it personally?” It seems daddy Duncan is a n g r y with Stl,about how they treated his son Chris,who was traded for Lugo,and is now release by the Sawx.Could this be daddy Duncan’s last year in Stl?
Walt Jockety the former GM of the CARDS who was also railroaded out of town after he helped the Cards win in 2006.He’s currently with the Cinn Reds as GM.
La Russa and Duncan may bolt,at season’s end.
Card fans know if no La Russa,no dominating the NL Central,and Albert will bolt at contract’s end too.
Should be fun to watch how it plays out.
randy l.
The Red Sox can’t depend on Wakefield because he is done for the year. They are already talking about possible surgery, and if I guy can’t stand straight after pitching the next day then you know you can’t count on him.
And Dice- K looks done for the season as well.
They gave Wakefield a cortisone shot,he still may pitch,how good he will be is the question.
YankeesJTJ
i wasn’t saying that there are games where we don’t show up – i’m saying that we are consistently putting a slightly worse team in the field for the next 5 weeks so that we’ll have a better team in the post season. If we were in a play off hunt we would be playing teh best team every day beacause we’ll be trying to win all the games
I guess its a difference between not trying to win every game and not trying to win all the games
The Yankees haven’t clinched anything yet. They are playing to win every game. Girardi will probably continue to rotate his players as he’s been doing all season long. 6 games is a nice lead, but it is not a commanding lead and I doubt the Yankees are taking anything for granted right now. Once they clinch, that’s a different scenario.
Doreen – How was the Thunder last night?
randy I – agreed, on both counts. How Wakefield performs, if he does, if very important to the Red Sox. Imagine, Boston is dependent on a 42-year old with a bad back. So much for their plans and pitching depth. As you know, you can plan all day and night, but the players still have to perform.
I agree also about the division lead giving Joe the luxury of resting guys and trying new guys. People just have to realize that trying new things sometimes blows up, and if they happen to lose one, the Yanks still have a comfortable lead. Not a sure thing, just the luxury of not having to play each game like a playoff game.
I don’t think a cortisone shot is going to help. Wakefield is done and Dice-K is done. They are going into the postseason with Bucholz and Byrd (LOL). Should be enough to beat the Angels because they suck against the Sox, but will it be enough against the Yankees ?
IF YOU’RE GOING TO BALT-I-MORE, MAKE SURE TO WEAR A YANKEE HAT.
Living in DC, it’s great to see the Yanks in Charm City. The crowd will be 80-90% Yankee fans.
Best place to be: on the right field wall, when we do our imitation of Yankee Stadium fans and chant the names.
2nd Best: In the left outfield side, above the Yanks’ pen. Last year, my adult daughter (wearing her Yankee away jersey, of course), yelled down to Mo as he began his warm ups, “Go Get em Mo, we love you!” And he stopped his warm ups and waived to us crazy Yankee fans. What a moment.
And some years back, the Yanks swept a 4 game series (ending on Sunday) – I was there on Sunday with my broom. At first, the gate guard would not let me bring it it, until the guard next to him (wearing a YANKEE hat), said, “Let ‘em in” – and I was far from the only one with a broom.
Best food: Toss up between the Boog BBQ and the Phillips crab cakes.
Jerkface
August 31st, 2009 at 9:47 am
Joba doesn’t get sent down to the minors because despite all his struggles he is a league average or better pitcher. That is why he has such huge upside. Even in his worst, most struggling moments, he is around league average.
Hughes was getting blown out last year due to injury and spent much of the time on the disabled list. It is completely different.
They aren’t going to send Joba to the minors for being average just because of some fan perceived faults (”He doesn’t smile at the catchers!!! He shakes off too much!! HE doesn’t listen!!”) That is all conjecture.
=====
Agree.
& as he builds up, his FB will come around.
I have seen nearly all of Joba’s home starts live, and now that we have such a big cushion, it’s pretty easy to view these outings with a less linear goal.
I had great seats yesterday, & to me, yesterday was significant, in that Joba kept throwing his FB even though he knew is was hittable.
Because he did that, his change- which was a thing of beauty – was getting swinging strikes and he was far less slider-dependent.
Joba is grasping that his breaking pitches cannot succeed independent of his FB. He wasn’t clutching to his security blanket – the slider, which has gotten him into trouble this year.
But I don’t believe for a minute that he is, by nature, recalcitrant, or lacks aggressiveness by nature.
I think the slider dependence comes from him feeling somewhat deserted by his FB – and that desertion has been a symptom of not being built up, not on some desire on Joba’s part to turn a deaf ear to all cousel and to be obsinately “cute” with his pitches.
We just need to finally see that this IS ST for him – he did not have a proper one and he is behind. As long as he understands he can throw his FB and risk it getting hit, he is ahead of the game. The velo will come as he builds up his arm and stamina.
The shorter stints – and our whopping lead in the division – perhaps give him a greater freedom to “fail.” He needs that freedom, but more importantly, he needs to give himself permission to have that freedom. I think we saw that yesterday.
Joe from LI -
We had a nice, if shortened day, in Trenton yesterday. Highlight was seening them win the resumption of the suspended game from the night before because I got to see Humberto Sanchez in person and was quite impressed by both his size and his stuff.
The day was gorgeous – bright and sunny. But there are no shady places to sit and still see the game, though our seats were three rows up from the field, on the homeplate side of the visitor’s dugout. My parents went with us, and my mom was having a difficult time with the direct sun, so we left the scheduled game early – 5th inning. It was only going to be a 7-inning game anyway.
It sounds like you folks had a wonderful time up in SWB. Perhaps next season I can talk my husband into the trip. Although, to be fair, neither date this season worked out for us. He’s a little hesitant, I think, about the blog outing. He already thinks I spend too much time here (and I can’t say I disagree with him
). I’m thinking major (and willing) compromise. Less time on the game threads (when he’s home) would kill two birds with one stone; a happier husband and a less stressed-out me. 
If Joba can only pitch 3 innings,because of innings restrictions,shouldn’t he be used in the pen for the rest of the season,and post to save his arm?
Yankees magic number is 27,countdown time.
They’re playing for home field throughout the post season,not the division or wild card.
paul w
No, because they are going to increase his innings down the stretch, and they will need him for a possible ALCS start and World Series start. How many guys are you going to put in the bullpen ? It seems like some yankee fans just focus on the bullpen, you can’t win without starters !
They want to make sure that Joba has available innings for the postseason.
This sums up my feeling on the Joba rules:
http://thesportshernia.typepad.....pitch.html
Doreen – you would have had a blast in Scranton. Hope to see you next year.
On to the next post….
paul w
August 31st, 2009 at 12:07 pm
If Joba can only pitch 3 innings,because of innings restrictions,shouldn’t he be used in the pen for the rest of the season,and post to save his arm?
====
Not trying to “save” his arm, but trying to build his arm up gradually. Throwing him in the bullpen suspends any ability to build up his arm for starting next year, and would again put him on a slider/FB diet. THe guy has two other pitches he would rarely throw out of the BP.
Looking at these matchups, Yankees should be able to sweep.
Ok got it thank you. No Joba to the pen!
Paul W,
Another factor – we’ll be getting some nice arms up here shortly (Melancon and lefty Michael Dunn, for instance, once SWB AAA is through), as well as others.
Our BP will have even more depth.
If I said once, I said it a thousand times regarding Joba … the Yankees were way too hyper-focused on his innings. If they were going to restrict anything with Joba, it should have been his pitch count.
Whether Joba goes 5, 6, 7 innings in a start, the one thing he always does (and the Yankees continued to allow it) is throw at least 100 pitches.
That is where the wear and tear comes from in a pitching arm … not whether or not Joba sits down and gets back up to the mound 5 times in a game instead of 7 times.
If the Yankees restricted his pitch count to about 80 or so starting in August, they would have been able to keep him on normal rest and allowed him to pitch every 5th day.