Joba Nibbles Way to Loss

Nationals are Wet Blankets

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: Craig Stammen • Derek Jeter • hideki matsui • Interleague Play • joba chamberlain • Mike MacDougal • nick swisher • Robinson Cano • Yankees 6/18 recap • Yankees vs. Nationals

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Washington	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0		3	8	0
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	7	0

WP - Stammen (1-2) SV - MacDougal (2) LP - Chamberlain (3-2)

Imagine waiting through a 5 hour rain delay to then come out and completely fall flat on your face. That’s what the Yankees did tonight in a lackluster 3-0 loss to the lowly Washington Nationals. The least of the NL East came into the series with only 16 wins, but took 2 of 3 from the Yankees, who have suddenly lost 6 of 9.

For the second straight night, the Yankees struggled against a pitcher they had never seen before. Wednesday night John Lannan limited the Yankees to 2 runs in 8 1-3 innings. Tonight rookie Craig Stammen picked up his first major league win with 6 1-3 scoreless innings. On the losing side of the ledger, Joba Chamberlain’s 6 innings will look pretty good on paper, but he again nibbled his way to a loss.

Chamberlain has a lively fastball, but continues to throw off speed pitches when he’s ahead in the count. The result more often than not is a full count and a quickly escalating pitch count. Down 1-0 in the 4th, he loaded the bases with a hit and a pair of walks, then walked light hitting Wil Nieves to force in a run.

His teammates didn’t help him any either. Nick Swisher started the 5th with a line drive off the base of the wall in right, and despite being down three runs, tried to stretch it into a double. Austin Kearns‘ throw arrived well ahead of Swisher for an easy out. The mistake became even more significant when Hideki Matsui followed with a base hit of his own.

The Yankees had their best chance to score in the 7th inning when Robinson Cano reached on a one out single and Swisher followed with a double. Ron Villone came on and struck out Matsui on a 3-2 pitch, that would have been ball four, for the second out before walking pinch-hitter Jorge Posada to load the bases. Nats manager Manny Acta sent for right-hander Julian Tavarez when Derek Jeter was announced as a pinch-hitter for Ramiro Pena. Jeter, who probably would have started had the grounds not been in such bad shape, bounced into a force out to end the threat.

The Yankees had the lead off man on in each of the final two innings, but came away with nothing. Mike McDougal picked up the save, for the second straight game, with the help of a double play ball in the 9th.

Game Notes

Alex Rodriguez has not missed a game since returning from hip surgery. Perhaps Joe Girardi would like to rethink that status. A-Rod has gone into a 4-37 slide.

Brett Gardner made a fine running catch in the 8th inning, but crashed hard into the wall and had to leave the game. He had a headache afterwards, but otherwise felt fine.

The smattering of fans who remained for the game were all allowed to sit down in the lower deck. Those who had tickets will also be able to get tickets to another non-premium game.

The Daily Yankeeland

Ron Villone has signed a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. Villone is hoping to pitch in his 14th major league season. Bubba Crosby signed a minor league deal with the Mariners, but was not invited to the major league camp.

We've been hearing from Hank Steinbrenner since last October, but now Hal Steinbrenner has some things to say. He sat down for an interview with GQ Magazine entitled, "The Godfather, Part II". Here are a couple of excerpts:

Was there a distinct moment at which you and Hank took control of the Yankees?
No. I obviously became considerably more involved at a somewhat dramatic pace when Steve, my sister’s ex-husband, left [in February of 2007]. A couple months after that, I think Hank realized I could use some help.

Various sources say you “hate” and “avidly disdain” the media.
No truth to that. That was Bill Madden [of the New York Daily News]. Look, first of all, I don’t hate anybody. It’s a useless emotion. It accomplishes nothing. He even said I hate the players, which is certainly not true. We’ve all had issues with the media, okay, but at the same time, I understand, Hank understands, they’re in business just like we’re in business.

Am I comfortable dealing with the media? Probably not as comfortable as Hank is. Definitely not as comfortable as my dad was. Have I had disagreements with them in the past, disagreed with things they’ve written and the reasons they wrote them? Yes, of course. But again, I understand what the deal is.

The Yankees' position players report today. It will be interesting to see what kind of shape Jason Giambi, who has reportedly lost a lot of weight, and Johnny Damon, who admitted he was out of shape last year when he reported, are in.

Hank Steinbrenner took yesterday's Pettitte press conference as an opportunity to take a shot at Congress and the NFL. Prince Hank feels baseball has been singled out and the NFL has gotten away with much more P.E.D. use than baseball. There's definitely some truth to what he says.

Hank also talked about how confident he feels about this year's Yankees team.

"I think we're a legitimate World Series threat this year," Steinbrenner said. "I think we're one of the four or five teams in the American League that can win it. I don't want to trash the National League, but the American League is very strong and everyone knows it.

"We're one of, I'd say, four teams that has a chance to win it, in my opinion. Starting next year or the year after, we may be the favorite."

According to the Sports Business Journal, the Yankees are seeking about $20 million a year for the top sponsorship package once they move into the new Stadium.

After 2 years away from the game, former Yankees pitcher and pitching coach Mel Stottelmyre is back at work as pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners.

The Daily Yankeeland

Ron Villone has signed a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. Villone is hoping to pitch in his 14th major league season. Bubba Crosby signed a minor league deal with the Mariners, but was not invited to the major league camp.

We've been hearing from Hank Steinbrenner since last October, but now Hal Steinbrenner has some things to say. He sat down for an interview with GQ Magazine entitled, "The Godfather, Part II". Here are a couple of excerpts:

Was there a distinct moment at which you and Hank took control of the Yankees?
No. I obviously became considerably more involved at a somewhat dramatic pace when Steve, my sister’s ex-husband, left [in February of 2007]. A couple months after that, I think Hank realized I could use some help.

Various sources say you “hate” and “avidly disdain” the media.
No truth to that. That was Bill Madden [of the New York Daily News]. Look, first of all, I don’t hate anybody. It’s a useless emotion. It accomplishes nothing. He even said I hate the players, which is certainly not true. We’ve all had issues with the media, okay, but at the same time, I understand, Hank understands, they’re in business just like we’re in business.

Am I comfortable dealing with the media? Probably not as comfortable as Hank is. Definitely not as comfortable as my dad was. Have I had disagreements with them in the past, disagreed with things they’ve written and the reasons they wrote them? Yes, of course. But again, I understand what the deal is.

The Yankees' position players report today. It will be interesting to see what kind of shape Jason Giambi, who has reportedly lost a lot of weight, and Johnny Damon, who admitted he was out of shape last year when he reported, are in.

Hank Steinbrenner took yesterday's Pettitte press conference as an opportunity to take a shot at Congress and the NFL. Prince Hank feels baseball has been singled out and the NFL has gotten away with much more P.E.D. use than baseball. There's definitely some truth to what he says.

Hank also talked about how confident he feels about this year's Yankees team.

"I think we're a legitimate World Series threat this year," Steinbrenner said. "I think we're one of the four or five teams in the American League that can win it. I don't want to trash the National League, but the American League is very strong and everyone knows it.

"We're one of, I'd say, four teams that has a chance to win it, in my opinion. Starting next year or the year after, we may be the favorite."

According to the Sports Business Journal, the Yankees are seeking about $20 million a year for the top sponsorship package once they move into the new Stadium.

After 2 years away from the game, former Yankees pitcher and pitching coach Mel Stottelmyre is back at work as pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners.

Villone Back on Board

According to Peter Abraham, Roger Clemens has been deactivated from the playoff roster and Ron Villone will be taking his place. With a new rule in place this season, a player can be substituted for, but that player must sit out the next round. If Clemens were ever to pitch again this season, the Yankes would have to make it to the World Series.

Villone Back on Board

According to Peter Abraham, Roger Clemens has been deactivated from the playoff roster and Ron Villone will be taking his place. With a new rule in place this season, a player can be substituted for, but that player must sit out the next round. If Clemens were ever to pitch again this season, the Yankes would have to make it to the World Series.

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

One pitcher took a step closer today to re-joining the Yankees, while another is getting nearer to possibly leaving.

Roger Clemens threw 71 pitches off a mound in Tampa and is on schedule to throw for the Tampa Yankees on Friday night. "He was on the money," said Yankees minor leaguer James LaSala, who did the catching. "Great stuff. Great command."

Ron Villone's days with the organization may be drawing to a close. After not making the team out of Spring Training, Villone signed a minor league deal to play at Scranton. The deal included a clause that allows Villone to become a free agent if not called up by the Yankees by May 15.

Tonight's game is in doubt due to the weather. There's a 60-80% chance of showers between 6 and 8 pm, and then a 30% chance of T-storms the rest of the evening.

Update - Ron Villone was recalled from Scranton for tonight's game. To make room on the roster, Sean Henn was optioned down.

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

One pitcher took a step closer today to re-joining the Yankees, while another is getting nearer to possibly leaving.

Roger Clemens threw 71 pitches off a mound in Tampa and is on schedule to throw for the Tampa Yankees on Friday night. "He was on the money," said Yankees minor leaguer James LaSala, who did the catching. "Great stuff. Great command."

Ron Villone's days with the organization may be drawing to a close. After not making the team out of Spring Training, Villone signed a minor league deal to play at Scranton. The deal included a clause that allows Villone to become a free agent if not called up by the Yankees by May 15.

Tonight's game is in doubt due to the weather. There's a 60-80% chance of showers between 6 and 8 pm, and then a 30% chance of T-storms the rest of the evening.

Update - Ron Villone was recalled from Scranton for tonight's game. To make room on the roster, Sean Henn was optioned down.

Villone Back in the Fold

Ron Villone passed on the Yankees arbitration offer, in hopes of getting a 2-year deal somewhere. That didn't work out so well, so today Villone signed a minor league contract to return to the Bombers. With Mike Myers as the only established lefty reliever in camps, the Yankees need Villone more than he needs them.