That's fine. It might just light another fire under this team. I think Girardi purposely overdid that argument last night. The whole Billy Martin/Lou Pinella bit was a great touch. I think he did it to make sure the team knew it was time to get down to business. Sure, it was a terrible call, and who the hell lets a player make the call on the play, but Girardi acted like the sky had just fallen on the Bronx. Great stuff, and it seemed to have worked. Now let's keep pushing along! Tough matchups: Bedard vs. Pettitte King Felix vs. Moose Silva vs. Wang Hopefully we get the good Andy, and the Moose of mid-May.
Okay, cool. He's young enough to have time to grow in the minors. It's going to be tough to replace Mo though. Joba-lite. Not bad at all. How many pitches does he have? I assume he's got a lot of movement on his fastball? -------------- It's so weird. These days you hear someone had Tommy John surgery, and you're like "Ah, okay. No biggie. Does he throw harder now?" Modern medicine is amazing, especially sports-medicine.
Felix is scratched, according to Peter Abraham. Bedard vs. Pettitte Silva vs. Moose (Joba) Washburn vs. Wang
You know, this is one complaint I have about Girardi. Every day he's got a different lineup. Are we ever going to come anything close to a standard? Moeller plays too much. Let Molina play Joe! He'll get plenty of rest when Posada comes back.
Interesting. Is he hurt? Why'd you put Joba? He'll probably only pitch the 7th and 8th. I'm hoping Moose gets through the 6th.
I disagree completely. Until last game, Molina had been a black hole at the plate ever since the first 2 weeks of the season. Molina is a backup catcher. It's who he is. Don't kill the golden goose by playing him too much, and besides, Moeller had been hitting better without question. Molina had a good game yesterday, but Moeller has actually been the better player so far this season.
Because Joba will pitch that game. Moose starting with a day less of rest; I expect him to go 5 innings, 6 max. Joba will pitch 2-3 innings that game, unless Mussina is cruising or some other circumstances take place.
Above all else, the scouts love his attitude. He's a competitor, he goes after the hitter, and he's never rattled. That's why he translates so well to closer. His two best pitches are his two-seam fastball and curveball. The two-seam sits low 90's with fantastic movement, he really commands it well (Austin Romine, a top Yankee catching prospect compared it to a power curveball from a lefty). He has a power curve that some have compared to being as nasty and dominant as Joba's slider. He also has a four-seam fastball that sits 93-94. Good movement, good command, but a distant third because his two other pitches are so good. He's very deceptive, he hides the ball better than anybody. So in addition to his nasty stuff, he can really fool the hitter before he even throws the pitch. One scout said "The reason people want Joba Chamberlain to stay in the 8th inning is because they never heard the name Mark Melancon."
Actually, the reason is because he has been so successful with the job. What would Melancon have to do to be better? Chances are no way he is even as good. I wonder who these scouts scout for.
Well, the actual reason is some people are too stupid to realize a pitcher who was great as a starter, drafted as a starter, dominated and flew through the system as a starter, would benefit the Yankees most as a starter. It's why Josh Beckett, Johan Santana, Jake Peavy, etc. are starters. Melancon may not be as good in that role, but that's because Joba is built to throw four pitches and pitch 6-7 innings. When he's limited to 1-2 IP with his two best pitches, chances are he's going to be better than almost anyone. Guys like Beckett and Santana would post sub-1.00 ERA every year if they were set-up men or closers. But that would be a waste. And those scouts scout for the Yankees. But I'm sure you think they suck, too.
It's good to see Duncan finally hit a HR. He's been lining balls foul for a while, now he's straightening them. And all of a sudden Pettitte's become a strike out pitcher. 8 Ks in 5 IP, he had 7 in 6 last start (5 in the first 2 innings).
Austin Jackson hit a HR for Trenton. He's beginning to get comfy in AA. Hopefully Tabata soon follows.
Molina's only had a couple bad weeks IMO. Offensively he's not going to blow the doors off the building, but with the rest of the Yankee lineup, he shouldn't need to. I don't have anything against Moeller, I'd just like to see more of Molina until Posada returns. Okay, so we really pretty much agree there. I understood you as counting on a 4+ inning Joba appearance. Damn, another guy with starter stuff? Boy, Cashman has really been doing a shitty job keeping all that talent in house huh? Chances are that he isn't even as good? Why would he even need to be better than Chamberlain? If he's 3/4 as good, he'll still be elite. Stop making sense, it's not fair to the argument. Not just Pettitte. Wang too. Moose has been much better too. Amazing what a real pitching coach can do! So we can finally stop seeing Matsui and Damon hacking up the outfield sometime soon? Cano is hitting "right". He's keeping his eyes squarely on the ball, which he wasn't doing earlier in the season. When his eyes are locked on the ball, he's a very, very good hitter. It's hard not to be when a bat is really nothing more than an oversized toothpick in your hands.
Maybe early 2009, if we're lucky. Don't want to rush Jackson, he's still a little raw. Gardner's the guy who could make it up here soon if there's an injury. Great speed, good defense. Average bat (great batting eye, decent average hitter, below average power).
