Postgame notes: “He was exactly what we needed”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on Apr 29, 2012 
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It’s easy to look at CC Sabathia’s past three starts and believe that he’s been the exception to the rule. The rest of the rotation might have struggled, but surely not the Yankees ace. Not the guy who just beat the Rangers and Tigers in back-to-back starts and has pitched into the eighth inning three times in a row.
But slow starts are nothing new to Sabathia, and his first few outings this year weren’t particularly ace-like. What makes Sabathia an exception to the rule is that there’s never any doubt he’ll get it turned around and get on this kind of roll.
“I think we’ve seen him do it time and time again,” manager Joe Girardi said. “When we signed him, in spring training, we talked about that this is a guy who has notoriously got off to slow starts, let’s not evaluate him the first month of the season. And if I remember, that start was a little bit slow. You talk about a guy that you signed for a long time and expect good things, but that’s kind of his history. So that gives me confidence that he does get off to a slow start that things are going to turn around, because I’ve seen it time and time again.”
Sabathia’s ERA has dropped with each start. He was better than the numbers showed in Texas, but today was a legitimately dominant performance. Prince Fielder took him deep, and Miguel Cabrera hit an RBI double, but Sabahtia allowed only two other hits and struck out eight.
“You always feel confident that you can go out and hold a team down,” Sabathia said. “I felt pretty good today. Moved the ball around and made some pitches. … (Fastball command) has been getting better in the bullpens and in the games. I’ve been able to command it. I think that really makes my offspeed stuff that much better. When I can do that, I feel pretty good.”
On a day the Yankees took a proactive step to try to improve the back of their rotation, the best thing they could do to sort out the top of the rotation was to leave Sabathia exactly where he is.
“He’s a guy that we’ve come to rely on, going out there and battling and keeping us in games,” Derek Jeter said. “He’s a guy that doesn’t want to come out, and especially when we’ve been using out bullpen a lot lately, he was exactly what we needed.”
• Girardi confirmed after today’s game that David Phelps will take Garcia’s spot in the rotation on Thursday in Kansas City. That’s about four hours from Phelps’ family home in St. Louis. “They were coming out regardless,” Phelps said. “But they were going to come Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Now I’m sure they’ll come on Thursday. It’s nice for the family too, to know exactly which day I’m going to pitch.”
• Although Girardi says it’s not a personal catcher situation, Chris Stewart has caught Sabathia’s past three starts, and Sabathia said he hasn’t shook once in the past two starts. “It feels good,” Sabathia said. “To believe in what he’s calling, he’s been calling great games, catching great games. I’m just excited about being able to work with him for however long it works out.”
• Stewart has at least one hit in each of those past three starts, and today’s single led to a run on a close play at the plate in the seventh inning. “We talk about it with all our catchers, your first job is defense,” Girardi said. “You talk about saving runs. I know that doesn’t go on the back of a bubblegum card, but it’s really really important, and he does a tremendous job doing it. I tell our catchers, offense is second. Save runs for me. And they understand that.”
• Dave Robertson picked up right where Sabathia left off today, striking out two in a dominant ninth inning. Through 10 innings this season, Robertson has allowed seven hits and struck out 15. He’s the last Yankees pitcher — except D.J. Mitchell, I guess — who has yet to be charged with a run.
• Alex Rodriguez drove in two runs today and moved ahead of Willie Mays for sole possession of eighth place on baseball’s all-time RBIs list. He has 1,904.
• Just a little bit behind Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson picked up his 500th career RBI today.
• Granderson said he had to watch a replay to realize how close Austin Jackson came to catching Granderson’s fourth-inning home run to center field. “I didn’t see what happened right away,” Granderson said. “When I heard the crowd make the noise that they did, I knew something good happened, I just didn’t know on which side. Then the umpire told me it went over the fence.”
• Jeter snapped an 0-for-9 with a 2-for-3. He now has 36 hits, his most ever for the season’s first month. He leads the team with 12 multi-hit games this season.
• Andruw Jones was hitless in his past 19 at-bats but went 2-for-2 with a home run after replacing Nick Swisher, who left with a hamstring injury.
• The Yankees drew a season-high nine walks and scored their first run on a bases-loaded walk. Tigers starter Max Scherzer had seven of those walks. “We’re not supposed to do that,” Jim Leyland said. “Major League pitchers are not supposed to do that, walk that many.”
• The Triple-A rotation has lost D.J. Mitchell, but it’s getting Manny Banuelos back from the disabled list on Wednesday.
Associated Press photo
I guess Joe reads the blog.
manny is coming off the dl wednesday.
Nice.
CC-Kuroda-Hughes-Nova–Balt.
Phelps-CC-Kuroda-Hughes @ KC
Off-Nova-Phelps-CC–TB
Kuroda-ANDY-Nova—Sea.
“. Not the guy who just beat the Rangers and Tigers in back-to-back starts and has pitched into the eighth inning three times in a row.”
The CC not being an ace stuff amazes me….the guy is money in the bank year after year….nobody has been more durable…..more consistent in baseball over the last 6ish years….sure there are guys in the take that can have better days….be more dominant….but if you look across baseball pre season and ask who are the surest things ….who you can count on….CC has to be on that short list of the top guys ….he remains the best money Cashman ever spent….
They should let Mitchell make Phil’s start on Tuesday and send him down to figure things out…..I just hope they give Phelps an actual multi start chance to stick…..I think if given an opportunity he can get it done and be solid……he’s been good at every level and the stuff looks like it can play in the bit leagues to me now.
Again , what did Girardi say that raised the hackles of the fan base here? “The catcher’s first job is to save runs”. Umm, yahah.
You say he’s got some offense, great.
“Again , what did Girardi say that raised the hackles of the fan base here? “The catcher’s first job is to save runs”. Umm, yahah.”
I think the quote was something like….”it doesn’t matter if the catcher hits 24 homers and drives in 100″……I understand they are pushing the importance of catcher defense….and it is important……but that’s a dumb comment
Basically that’s like saying you wouldn’t trade Russ Martin for Jorge Posada in his prime….which is crazy
maybe phelps is the new nova
every yankee pitching prospect to do well in the majors increases the trade value of the others. just don’t hype the guys and they’ll be fine….
can keep giving the ball to phil hughes, gotta let him figure it out somewhere else, like aaa. give mitchell the ball and watch him turn into the second coming of chein-ming wang
I think its just Joe backing his players though really more than anyhing else with that quote….
they need dj mitchell as the long man as long as Phil starts
Phil could be the long man here , I wouldn’t be surprised.
“they need dj mitchell as the long man as long as Phil starts”
Unfortunately this is true…..you can’t have freddy shadowing him….Mitchell should really start Tuesday but they’ll give Hughes another try
I think the quote was something like….”it doesn’t matter if the catcher hits 24 homers and drives in 100?……
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Is that what they were projecting for Montero?
Mitchell should really start Tuesday but they’ll give Hughes another try
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Phelps and Hughes have 2 starts each for the 5th starter job.
blake April 29th, 2012 at 7:12 pm
I think its just Joe backing his players though really more than anyhing else with that quote….
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See but no one took a swipe or downplayed Stewart. He could have said him hitting is a plus and he’s helping the team in many.
Girardi was such a poor hitter that he just can’t deal with catchers who hit (and especially those who can hit and took his job). That’s why he tested Jorge so poorly. That’s why Montero is gone. That’s why we’re stuck with Martin and Stewart. Joe pretends to favor defense, but Marrin is average defensively, at best.
I still think Hughes could be really good as a short reliever with what he has now…..his fastball would play up and he wouldn’t need his secondary pithes as much only going through the order once at most……if they put him in the pen he’s probably their 3rd best reliever out there immediately IMO…..
“See but no one took a swipe or downplayed Stewart. He could have said him hitting is a plus and he’s helping the team in many.”
No….but I think he was just defending the role of BUC really….
“but Marrin is average defensively, at best.”
Nah…when healthy he’s a pretty darn good defender.
I still think Hughes could be really good as a short reliever with what he has now…..his fastball would play up and he wouldn’t need his secondary pithes as much only going through the order once at most……if they put him in the pen he’s probably their 3rd best reliever out there immediately IMO…..
===================
If they did that it would be perceived as a demotion plus they don’t need him for middle releif. Logan is better.
Let him be the long man/6th starter then trade him.
The Yanks schedule lightens up significantly now and really through May…..time to get on a roll and make some hay.
DJ Mitchell should be in AAA getting his innings in and prolly will when Andy gets back.
Either Freddy or Hughes can mop up.
The only way too fix the pitching is too yank garcia,in favor of phelps,wich is done,and give hughes one more start,if he gets bombed,give mitchell his spot.
It is usually the less touted prospects that have the biggest impact.
Joba,hughes,betances,banuelos,and on & on,and it was nova,robertson who are the best ones.
Give phelps,and mitchell a shot.
I would stash hughes in AAA,and forget about him til he can develop his curve,and change.
Hughes has no future here.
There are way too many prospects looking to take their spots in the rotation.
“Let him be the long man/6th starter then trade him.”
No trade value
Mark Teixeira 2011 Highlights
If you watch this video you’ll see that every single Tex HR the yankees are winning and blowing out the other team. Only 1 HR when there was a 2 to 2 tie game against the mets. This is just more evidence the Tex cannot take the pressure in NY.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
P.S. Tex does try real hard, I give him that but he can’t make it here. 90% of his HR’s are just padding his stats, he doesn’t help the team much at all. He also has the most at bats with RISP and the least hits. I’d give anything for the Tex that was before the Yankees signed him, but it’s been 3 years now. Personally, I think if a no-trade is in a contract it should be voided if a player sucks for N number of years. Sadly we went from Giambi bad contract to text bad contract, at least GIambi could be clutch.
This offense is in just as bad of shape as our pitching. I’ve more faith we can work the pitching out before we can offense.
J. Pufrock has been saying Cano is sick since last year .. lol.
“This offense is in just as bad of shape as our pitching. I’ve more faith we can work the pitching out before we can offense.”
Come on. Give me a break. We’re one of the top offenses in baseball. Top 2-3. That statement is ridiculous. Our offense is missing Gardner right now and Cano seems to be figuring things out day by day. Jeter is playing like a god. Granderson and Swisher are playing well and I think the notoriously slow starter Tex is on his way. Alex will hit — we know that.
This statement is just crazy and I can’t do anything but label it as that, sorry Hebrew Hammer.
KC is a great team for Phelps to make his first MLB start against.
Here’s to Phelps being in the rotation for the entire season and Hughes knocking Kuroda out of it for Sabathia / Nova / Pettitte / Phelps / Hughes.
Phelps needs a nickname – how about “DP” ???
Phelps’ second start should be 5/11 against the Mariners so he avoids facing the Rays and because the Mariners can’t hit their way out of a paper bag. The Yanks could skip Phelps with the off-day on 5/7 to arrange for him to start vs. the Ms.
His starts for May could be:
5/3 @ Royals
5/11 vs. Mariners
5/16 @ Blue Jays
5/21 vs. Royals again
5/27 @ As
That’s four starts against weak-hitting and/or bad teams.
HebrewHammer April 29th, 2012 at 7:46 pm
Mark Teixeira 2011 Highlights
If you watch this video you’ll see that every single Tex HR the yankees are winning and blowing out the other team. Only 1 HR when there was a 2 to 2 tie game against the mets. This is just more evidence the Tex cannot take the pressure in NY.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..re=related
P.S. Tex does try real hard, I give him that but he can’t make it here. 90% of his HR’s are just padding his stats, he doesn’t help the team much at all. He also has the most at bats with RISP and the least hits. I’d give anything for the Tex that was before the Yankees signed him, but it’s been 3 years now. Personally, I think if a no-trade is in a contract it should be voided if a player sucks for N number of years. Sadly we went from Giambi bad contract to text bad contract, at least GIambi could be clutch.
———
That seems like a very accurate way to examine Tex’s HR.
Personally, I prefer pulling up his splits and seeing that 21 of Tex’s 39 HRs last year were when the Yankees were behind or tied.
Hard to deny the problems with this team. Starting pitching is a mess. Arod looks like he’s headed for year 5 of declining numbers. Tex looks like a number accumulator, big spot zero, and cano will get it together but isn’t looking so good right now.
Bright side, 12-9 after a tough schedule and all the aforementioned suck. Pettitte coming soon. CC rounding into form. Garcia demoted and with every day that passes Hughes gets closer and closer to AAA (a + for the ML club). Pen is awesome. Granderson picking up where he left off. Jeter picking up where he left off in 1999. Swisher hitting with RISP.
I think there is a clause in the mlbpa manual that says “no trade clauses are invalid if said player sucks as defined by bloggers”.
Its actually amazing that the Yanks are 12-9 right now with the schedule they have played and with the starting pitching they’ve gotten…..its a testament to how good their bullpen is and also just their pedigree as a winning club…..now is the time to start making progress without the schedule softening and hopefully the pitching improving.
As poor as I feel about this teams play, 12-9 is solid. Feels like a mirage at this point right now given what I am seeing on the field.
Mirage? They could probably be 14-7 just as easily as they could be 10-11. The flukish/unusual results go both ways.
Rondo
Rondo may have just lost the series for Boston.
Finished perusing the posts, well really kind of speed-reading them, so of course I missed some context I’m sure. But on some of the topics that were discussed, I’d like to add my two cents, FWTW – and I’m sure there would be some (many?) who’d say not much! But that’s never deterred me before.
1. If I had to have either defense OR offense in my catcher, I’d take defense 7 days of the week. If I could have both, well then that’s awesome. If one has to take the back seat to the other, offense will always be the one to take the back seat. I liked reading someone say that they felt Stewart was a good choice, that he was better defensively than Cervelli and also added some offense. That works for me. Give me the better D all the time.
2. I’m starting to think more and more that muwarriors is an iteration of that Sux fan who’s had 100 different identities – and probably finally figured out that the fastest way to get ushered off here is to act the way he acts AND have a Sux screenname. I think he was once ER but then went to Ruby Red Sux and a variety of other names. Remember that multiple’s modus operandi is to every once-in-a while throw a pretend bouquet at a Yankee player but then follow it up with reams and reams of trashing. Take a bow “muwarriors”.
3. You know Hebrew Hammer’s an “old soul” definitely of the West Coast Sux Fan genre. Pretty quick read to think to send Chad posts to try to get someone banned. Geeze I had to hang here a good long while before I knew that people even did that kind of thing. Also though, you have to be really dim to goad a person and then try to send off their posts as bannable. Welcome back (well not really) West Coast Sux Fan. Hope your stay is good and short!
4. If your pitcher gives up 2 runs, you need how many to win the game? (Hint: the answer is 3). Don’t get all twisted if there are ducks left on the pond, especially after your offense has been singlehandedly handing you win after win after win. When your offense is near the top of the heap in offense in the majors, be gracious on the days when they show they’re actually – yes, you’ve got it – men, not machines.
Happy that the Yanks made the moves they did. Hoping that Phil doesn’t get another start, but if he does and screws up, hope that Joe has a quick hook and puts it one of our new acquisitions – and then does something about Phil, be it a trip to AAA, Tampa – or different pastures.
The offense sucks. It’s only scored five runs or more fifteen or sixteen times. UNACCEPTABLE.
Moron.
“The offense sucks. It’s only scored five runs or more fifteen or sixteen times. UNACCEPTABLE.
Moron.”
Exactly what I’m talking about waka. How do you pound sense into that kind of thinking? I fear the answer is – you don’t.
Its actually amazing that the Yanks are 12-9 right now with the schedule they have played and with the starting pitching they’ve gotten…..its a testament to how good their bullpen is and also just their pedigree as a winning club…..now is the time to start making progress without the schedule softening and hopefully the pitching improving.
——————————-
Joe has done a good job managing this team. Don’t give me pedigree as a winning club, we’re not talking horses here. Girardi, Pena and Rothschild put the BP together including Rapada, Eppley and Phelps, they’ve been great. Robertson was behind, breaking ST and they built up his innings – today he was throwing mid nineties.
It’s Politically Incorrect to say Joe has done and continues to do a good job?
KEEP AN EYE ON…
Ryan Flannery, RHP, 6-4, 245
Carlstadt (Becton Regional High School, Fairleigh Dickinson University)
A 47th-round draft pick in 2008 ?has been a closer at the Rookie and Class-A levels, recording 19 saves last year for Tampa, but is in a setup role right now for Double-A Trenton. “Has an unusual arm angle,” said Yankee scout Gene Michael, “and that seems to make his ball a little harder to pick up.” One scout who requested anonymity said: “His weight (listed at 245) might be a problem, but he has a little bit of Joba Chamberlain in him. I could see him making it to the big leagues in the next year or two.”
http://www.nj.com/yankees/inde.....rts_l.html
LGY April 29th, 2012 at 9:29 pm
Rondo may have just lost the series for Boston.
——
Yup really dumb. You could see that really festering when Rondo didn’t agree with the previous out of bounds call.
First off it was stupid to get one Technical at all that late in the game but then to bump the ref and now get suspended for at least one game. Just dumb.