One Mini-Mound At A Time
Flash to September 1st, 2007: Ian Kennedy makes his major league debut. He shuts down the Rays: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R (only 1 earned), 2 BB, 6 K. In his first major league game, he gets the win. September continued to be good to him, on the month in 3 starts: 19 IP, 4 ER, 15 K, 1.89 ERA. The tag team of him, Joba and Phil Hughes, later deemed “the three amigos” looked forceful, strong, determined and valuable. It was for this reason that the Yankees passed on Johan Santana in the offseason, these “three amigos” were going to be the heart of the pitching staff.
Move Over Lance, There’s A New Cyclist In Town
The Yankees got a well needed win Sunday afternoon, not only to protect themselves getting swept in a 4 game set against the White Sox, but to protect their real estate atop the AL East, which they hold today by half a game. And with a little help from latest Tour De France participant, Melky Cabrera lifted the Yankees 8-5
I Might Not Be Able To Keep This Blog Yankee Themed, I’ve Just Been Traded To The Pirates
I apologize for not blogging about the past two White Sox games, although I’m sure Yankee fans won’t mind. For those having to experience it, I’m pretty confident they wouldn’t mind not reading about it. But I feel since I’ve missed two games, the least I can do is at least sum it up:
OK ENOUGH OF THAT, TIME TO MOVE ON TO THE REAL NEWS
The trade deadline transported more people than a 747. If I tried to cover every person moving this way and that way, I’d be here until the trade deadline next summer. In the spirit of wanting to finish this and salvage my summer at the same time, I’m going to cover the 7, count ‘em 7, teams that made the biggest impact in the market.
Wait Up, Let Me Just Catch My Breath…Part Two
Yankee fans, here’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. No, we didn’t find out that game 7 of the 2004 ALCS was rigged, I’m talking about the other moment we’ve all been waiting for: Joba is finally turning into the starter of our dreams.
In his last three starts: 21.2 IP, 8 H, 2 ER. These stats don’t belong to Lincecum or Buerhle or Haren, they belong to Joba Chamberlain. Let me give that a minute to sink in. I’m not going to question what happened in that trip back home to Nebraska, but whatever it was has turned Joba into the exact starter everyone imagined he’d one day be when the Yankees initially took him out of the pen. His start on wednesday night only continued the trend.
In the first 4 innings he pitched, Joba allowed only one baserunner, Jason Bartlett, who didn’t advance past first because of the caught stealing. In the 5th he gave up two walks, but got out of the inning without any further damage. He gave up two singles after that until he was taken out going into the 9th inning after 101 pitches. A total of 5 baserunners, and only one of them ever made it into scoring position.
He not only relied on his power fastball, but did a great job mixing in extremely effective sliders and curveballs. He got 2 Ks with the fastball and 3 with the slider, including a Pat Burrell AB in which he struck him out on 3 pitches, all sliders.
Teammates, as well as managers took notice.
- “It’s the best performance we’ve ever seen from him. The pace of game was great, and that’s what we like to see. If we can see that all the time, you’ve got another guy like Roger Clemens out there.”-Johnny Damon
- Our starters have been outstanding, and Joba seems to get better and better every time out, I think today was, in my opinion, the best he’s been all year. He was working quick, throwing strikes and wasn’t wasting too many pitches. It was easy to play behind him.” -Derek Jeter
- “He’s throwing the ball so well, and he’s throwing so many strikes, his stuff is crisp. I think that’s the biggest difference.” -Joe Girardi
- “In my eyes, that’s probably the best I’ve seen him.”-Joe Madden
Sorry, I had to.
But the evening wasn’t just about Joba, the offense showed up as well. The Yankees scored 6 runs on 12 hits, including homeruns by Cano, Cabrera and Teixeira. Jeter and Matsui got extra base hits, a triple and double, respectively. Every single Yankee (except for Cody Ransom who pinch-hit) reached base.
The Yankees finished taking 2 out of 3 from the Rays, are 11 for their last 13 and, most importantly, gained a game on the sox putting them ahead 3 1/2. Oh and I almost forgot, the Yankees are now tied with the Dodgers for the best record in baseball.
What a fine evening, don’t you think?
Signing off for now
-Inside the Thought Bubble
Wait Up, Let Me Just Catch My Breath…
The Phillies are absolutely stacked *pant* My Roy Halladay GPS tracking device hasn’t shown any recent signs of movement *pant* Chien Ming Wang is broken *pant* Yankees acquire pitcher Jason Hirsh from the Rockies for some mystery SWB player (boy do I love surprises!) *pant* and Joba deserves his own star on Hollywood Boulevard the way he pitched *pant*
Wheph, Ok, let me just catch my breath here…
Let’s just start from the beginning: Trade Deadline
Can I get a drumroll please?
First on my list is the Phillies. Philadelphia is now home to (drumroll again please, thanks.) Roy— whoop, gotcha! Cliff Lee!! The 2008 Cy Young winner (7-9, 3.14 ERA), along with outfielder Ben Francisco (.250, 10 HR, 33 RBI) were traded this afternoon from the Cleveland Indians to the Philadelphia Phillies. Carlos Carrasco, Jason Knapp, Lou Marson and Jason Donald (all from the farm system) were sent to the Indians in return. Lets break it down
5 Reasons This Trade Was Superb for the Phillies
- Between 2008-2009 in 8 starts against the National Leauge, (obvoiusly the teams he’s going to be facing the most during his time with the Phillies) Lee averages a 3.00 ERA. Not too shabby.
- Courtesy of ESPN.com, Lee has an average 3.4 Fly Ball/Home Run percentage, meaning that only 3.4% of the time, the fly ball Lee allows turns into a Home Run. This is very good news, considering Citizens Bank is a hitters paradise. Side Note: The percentage is the second lowest in baseball to Tim Lincecum ( _____ is only second to Tim Lincecum, now how many times have you heard that one before?)
- Cliff Lee is 8th in the American League in lowest run support, which is why he is a perfect fit for the Phillies–the best offensive team in the National Leauge. Just to give you a sample…1st in NL in runs, total bases, RBI, HR. Its as simple as this: the phillies give Lee offensive production and he gives them the win.
- The main setback in the Roy Halladay shanannagan was that the Phillies were reluctant to give up their young talent in J.A Happ, Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown, Drabek and Brown being their number one prospects in pitching and position playing, respectively. To see their stats Click Here. In this deal for Lee, they didn’t have to give up any of their most prized talent, making the trade very comfortable for them.
- Although the bullpen has improved, its still not at a point where it is one of the teams strengths. Cliff Lee leads the majors in innings pitched with 152, and pitching more innings means Manuel won’t have to go to his bullpen as often.
- Bonus Reason: I almost forgot to talk about Ben Francisco! For a team dominated by leftys offensively, they now have a very decent righty off of the bench (that and the fact that if its every righty vs leftys in a gang war, the rightys will now have further support)
Moving on: time to talk about my favorite pitcher of them all
With the deadline drawing closer and closer, it seems that Halladay is simply set to stay put in Toronto. While other teams remain interested including the Yankees, Sox, Angels, Rays, Dodgers, Rangers etc. (and come on, who wouldn’t be?) the Jays have not found that “wow” factor they’re looking for. The Yankees had reportedly renewed interest, but aren’t willing to give up what the Jays are asking for, being Joba and Phil Hughes. “All the teams we’ve been talking to, we’ve looked at them as potential matches,” Ricciardi said. “But, once again, we said from the beginning that we’d have to be moved to move the player. At this point, we haven’t been moved.” Halladay himself doesn’t believe any trade is going to happen. But, no matter where Halladay pitches, he is sure to continue to have a substantial impact on the teams success.
Alright done with the trade deadline…for now. For everyone who stuck around this long to read up to here so far, lets take a 5 minute bathroom and/or snack break.
Next on the agenda: we broke Chien Ming Wang
The Yankees starter who recently went on the 15 day DL had season-ending surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday. Wang was on the DL several times this season, ineffective throughout the year. To fill his space for now is Surgio Mitre, although Cashman has expressed need for additional pitching depth. Acquired Wednesday from the Rockies was pitcher Jason Hirsh. Career numbers in the majors 8-11, 5.32 ERA. The player which the Yankees traded him for is yet to be unveiled. As long as its not Ian Kennedy, Shelly Duncan or Francisco Cervelli I’m sort of impartial to the situation.
The more Ian Kennedy the better, that’s what I always say…
I know I included Joba’s MAD EPIC start in my opening paragraph and I promise it will not be overlooked but I’m calling it quits for tonight/Thursday morning, check back during the day Thursday for a summary of Wednesdays game, it’ll be coming I promise!
Signing off for now
-Inside the Thought Bubble
Captivating Curves
Not much to talk about in a positive light in the game against the Rays this evening. Sloppy defense, a great outing by Kazmir, earning his first win since may 9th and pitching a season high 7+ innings (why he had to pick tonight to have arguably his best outing of the year just stiffles me) and lack of offense left the Yankees on the unfamiliar losing end. 6-2 was the final.
On a much more eventful note was White Sox pitcher Mark Buehlre making his first start since his perfect game against the Rays. Remarkably, he remained perfect through 5 and I was honestly beginning to believe that I was going to witness (via espn gamecast) the unthinkable: two perfect games in a row. Unfortunately it never got to that: he gave up a walk, followed by the single two outs into the 6th. But he still has something to cheer about, setting the all time major league record by retiring 45 straight batters. Many congratulations to Buehlre, you’re still a god in my eyes even without the two perfect games. Also, I bet a lot more people can now finally spell your name, so thats pretty nice, huh?
In the spirit of dominant pitching, I figured I’d blog tonight about an article that I came across a few weeks ago analyzing the curveball.
It is identified that when the batters initially see the pitch, it looks like its going straight, but then as it gets closer it looks like it changes direction, the deception making it hard to hit. Psychologist Andrew Shapiro offers insight into why that is. According to him and an animation he created, when you look at a ball head on with spin on it thats moving straight down, it appears to do just that. But to those viewing the ball from the corner of the eye, the ball appears to be moving downards at an angle. The conclusion can be made that when we use our peripheral vision the overall direction as well as motion of the spin are taken into account, causing the ball to appear to be spinning downwards towards one side. While the ball starts out in the center of the batters eye when first released from the pitchers hand, it moves into our peripheral system as it approaches the batter, causing the allusion of the ball moving to one side.
I know thats a handful to grasp, but this animation will clear things up and be more comprehensible than my explanation, I promise.
Click Here for the Full Article
Signing off for now
-Inside the Thought Bubble
Why Wasn’t I Invited to the Party?
The Yankees celebrated the 34th birthday of Alex Rodriguez with a surpise party of offense and pitching Monday night at the Trop, or rather, the way that they’ve been playing lately, the win probably didn’t come as a surprise after all. The Yankees beat the Rays 11-4, the win being the Yankees 10th in 11 games since the all star break, making them hotter than Tom Brady on a summer day (now thats hard to do).
Offensively the Yankees surged, with each players getting at least 1 hit and only Rodriguez and Teixeira not scoring a run. Cano went 2-3, getting a triple and a homerun, the homerun improved Robbie to 15 on the season, passing his 2008 total of 14. To follow up Cano’s homerun came a bomb from Swisher, the back to back homeruns in the 6th making the score 5-0. Between another Swisher homerun, an Alex Rodriguez double and Johhny Damon’s 200th homerun of his career and 17th of the season, which tied his 2008 season total, the Yankees scored 11 runs on 15 hits. Tying and Passing 2008 season offensive marks this early on can only mean one thing: the Yankees are simply on pace for a better offensive season.
To compliment that dominant offense is the starting pitching. Since the All Star Break, the Yankees pitching staff in the American leauge is tied for 1st place in wins, 2nd lowest in ERA, tied for 2nd least ER allowed, 3rd lowest in BAA and 3rd in strikeouts. Only continuing the trend of success was AJ Burnett, who has improved to 10-4 on the season, and is 6-1 with a 1.84 ERA in his last 8 starts. He held the rays to 2 hits and 1 run (which was unearned) over 7 innings, along the way racking up 5 Ks. Although he didnt have very good control of his breaking pitches, he had good movement on the fastball. He retired the leadoff man in every inning and when the count got to 2 strikes, he retired 81% of batters faced. Only Upton and Crawford got hits off of Burnett, the run scoring with a Longoria DP ball.
Finally, the highlight of my night: Ken Singleton with his 50 cent tribute: “it’s your birthday, we’re going to party like it’s your birthday.” Needless to say, he didn’t finish the rest of the song.
Signing off for now
-Inside The Thought Bubble
Attention All Philadelphia Metropolitan Area Hospitals: Help Is On The Way (?)
After surviving a crippling two weeks without technology such as a TV, cell phone, ipod, computer or any other mode by which I could follow baseball and keep up on my blogging, I figured I’d make my return into modern civilization by writing about a man very close and dear to my heart— Roy “Doc” Halladay.
- T-1st in wins in the AL with 11
- 4th in the AL with ERA at 2.62
- 2nd in the majors in complete games with 4
- 1st in K/BB ratio in AL with 6.15
- Same opposing batting average as Zach Greinke, Chad Billingsley at .243
- Lowest WHIP in the AL with 1.05
To see more stats reference my earliest blog call me crazy by clicking here
- J.A Happ: 7-1, 2.97 ERA, 1.81 WHIP
- *Kyle Drabek: 10-2, 2.80 ERA, 1.16 WHIP
- *Dominic Brown: .304, 41 RBI, 9 HR, 230 AB
- Michael Taylor: .328, 70 RBI, 17 HR, 354 AB
- Carlos Carrasco: 6-9, 5.18 ERA, 1.36 WHIP
- Jason Donald: .235, 17 RBI, 1 HR, 226 AB
Identity Theft: Starter or Reliever
Whenever I hear the phrase “Identity Theft”, the first thing that comes to mind is one of the best Jim vs Dwight moments in the office ever.
But I am not here to talk about Jim or Dwight. I was thinking more along the lines of another beloved character, Joba Chamberlain. His start last night, was, honestly, less than pretty, a trend that seems to be developing with Joba. John Flaherty, while doing the Yankees broadcast yesterday evening/morning (gotta love west coast games? not.) brought up an interesting point about Joba. The whole “growing pains” and “oh he’s just young he’ll get it together” attitudes are seemingly becoming somewhat of a tired act. In 17 games and 89 IP, he’s given up 97 hits, 52 runs (10 of them unearned), 78:42 K/BB ratio (1.85) and a .282 BA against. Put that all together for a 4-2 record, 4.25 ERA. Among starting pitchers, Joba is 103rd in BAA and 68th in K/BB ratio (keep in mind, throughout his relief days, Joba had been catergorized as a strikeout pitcher). Despite starting all of his games this season, he ranks 86th in innings pitched. Perhaps the biggest knock of all: you don’t need glasses to see that his velocity has drastically decreased. The allusion of him pitching 96-97 like he did as a reliever was heavenly, but now velocity has dropped to around the low 90s mark.
Now, I’m not suggesting anything drastic here. With all that the Yankees have invested in Joba, it would be unfair to not let him finish the year. And it’s only half way through the season, leaving Joba plenty of time to improve. While the question may seem a little premature, we’re just speaking hypothetically here. The quesiton I must ask readers is this: for arguments sake, lets say Joba doesn’t show that much improvement by the end of the season and stays pretty much on this same path. Do you keep him in the rotation or assign him to the bullpen?
All Those In Favor of The Bullpen Option Say “I”
- His velocity would probably get back up to the high 90 range that we’re so used to seeing, the aspect of his pitching that makes him incredibly dominant
- Use Phil Hughes as a model: starting he wasn’t all that great, but going back to the bullpen transformed him and now he’s really turned into the centerpiece for the Yankees’ pen (obviously, excluding Rivera). Now, theres obvioiusly no guarentee it would work out the same way for Joba, but Hughes is putting up numbers similar to the numbers Joba used to have in the bullpen.
- The Phil:Everybody else’s name ratio would decrease
I’m no mind reader, but you are all probably thinking this “Well, that would leave us one starter short of a rotation now wouldn’t it?” Claps for 1st grade math! Among options for the 5th man could be
- Andrew Brackman (Yankees top pick in 07): Fastball that reaches 99, good changeup, also features knuckle curve like AJ. Yankees #3rd ranked prospect.
- Kei Igawa: Now, we all remember how Igawa’s ERA soared to Chein Ming Wang potential, but in SWB he’s posted 7-3, 3.65 ERA. Not to shabby
- Ian Kennedy: Remember him? He’s out right now recovering from an aneuresm surgery, but will be back in time to finish the SWB season I believe. I love this guy like Winnie the Pooh loves honey. Tons and tons of potential, just some control problems that need to be worked out. Would love to see him as part of the lineup next year. SWB numbers this year: 1-0, 1.59 ERA
- TRADE TRADE TRADE! Roy Halladay would look gorgeous in pinstripes…
Now, Those In Favor of The Starter Option Say “I”
- While Joba’s been a good sport about the whole thing and has said that he’ll do whatever his team needs from him, he preferably likes the starting position better and it’s always good to have your players performing where they are most comfortable and happy
- It’s pretty hard to find a 5th starter, and the Yankees bullpen would survive without Joba
- It could be a little damaging to his self esteem and confidence to take him out after only one season
- Maybe one season isn’t even enough time for a full evaluation?
Either way, don’t count on the Yankees making a permanent decision anytime soon. The season is only halfway over, and who knows, maybe the second half is Joba Time. There is still plenty of time left for evaluation and improvement. But I would love to hear everyones thoughts on the subject, since this has been a very persistant argument throughout the Yankee organization over the past couple of years. Feel free to comment any thoughts, reactions on the subject.
Signing off for now
-Inside the thought bubble
The Curious Case of the Missing Hits
The Yankees played their last game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis this afternoon, as they will now play the rest of their games in stadiums where a pop up is visible. Cheers! The result was a 6-4 victory, leading the Yankees not only to a sweep of the series, but a sweep of all regular season games against the Twins.
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