Yankees Bow Down To The King

Won-Loss records in baseball aren't indicative for starting pitchers. Just look at Felix Hernandez. "The King" dominated the Yankee for a third time this season, yet has the same number of wins (9) as the bumbling, stumbling, inconsistent A.J. Burnett.

His royal pitchness has allowed one, I said one, earned run in 26 innings with 31 strikeouts against the supposedly potent Yankees lineup. The Yankees have hit just .176 (16 hits) in the three starts.

Burnett put the Yankees in an immediate hole last night when he gave up the first of two bombs to Russell Branyan to give the Mariners a 3-0 lead in the 1st. The audible groan from the crowd was expected since the King was toeing the rubber for the M's.

Just that quickly a team can lose it's good feeling. The Yankees just took 3 of 4 from the Tigers, but now after losing the opener to an inferior Mariners team, the Yankees are in danger of losing the three game series. You can't have much confidence, again, in Javier Vazquez these days. His loss of velocity has returned along with an associated lack of pinpoint control. This is a problem.

Vazquez's last four starts have regressed from 6.1 to 5.1 to 4.1 to 4 innings pitched. He's allowed 16 earned runs in those 20 innings. By the way, Vazquez also has the same number of wins as the King.

Jorge Vargas, wow..9 wins too, gets the start for the M's today. He limited the Yankees to a run over 7 innings in his previous start (no decision) against them this year. He's got a 4.15 ERA in three career appearances, two of which were starts.

There will be no Alex Rodriguez in the lineup tonight either. One at-bat is all A-Rod lasted last night after his calf prevented him from doing more than loping down to first base. Can't even imagine why he was in the lineup at all; his calf couldn't have felt that good beforehand. A DL trip is a definite possibility as well as a look at the waiver wire again. In case A-Rod is out for a substantial amount of time you really don't want Ramiro Pena's bat in the lineup on any consistent basis (esp. when Francisco Cervelli is in there too).

Is Edwin Nunez the Yankees heir apparent to the Captain? Who knows, but Nunez will get a look while Lance Berkman is on the DL with a sprained ankle.

Back with more later.

In the meantime, whose better than Eric Clapton and BB King?

Joba Robba Javy, Now What?

Joba Chamberlain burst on to the scene in 2007 as a fearless, fist pumping, triple digit throwing right-hander who took no prisoners. Boy, have things changed.

Last night's meltdown in Seattle cost the Yankees their seven game winning streak and made fans once again wonder what happened to the previous version of their cult hero. Javier Vazquez may be wondering too since he went toe to toe with Felix Hernandez and exited after seven innings with a 1-0 lead. But he could only helplessly watch as the Mariners pulled out a 4-1 victory due to another under performance by the "chosen one".

The Mariners loaded the bases in the 8th on a pair of hits and an intentional walk (after Chamberlain threw a wild pitch). Chamberlain quickly fell behind 2-0 to Jose Lopez and was forced to come in with a fastball. He got it up in the zone and Lopez launched it out for a game winning grand slam.

Joe Girardi said afterward that he would stand by his 8th inning guy, but you have to figure that Brian Cashman is working behind the scenes to possibly change the Yankees late inning scenario.

The 2007 version of Chamberlain is something the current version can't possibly live up to. An instant folk hero, the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera, and all of the other plaudits thrown out there by fans and the media. (One afternoon host in particular.)

You might not want to ponder the thought, but it's quite possible that Chamberlain isn't that good. That he's an average pitch, or even above average but not as good as the previous incarnation.

Of course it didn't help that the Yankees themselves messed with the kid's head last year, shuttling him between the pen and rotation. Limiting his innings so that even if things were going well he would be removed after three innings because of a pitch count. We all knew he would be better off throwing six innings every 5th day at Scranton, but the Yankees insisted he stay up with the big club. Not only did it mess with Chamberlain psyche and approach, but as a result it unnecessarily taxed the bullpen.

Chamberlain's 2010 season is a bit misleading though if you strictly go by his ERA (5.79). Prior to last night he had three straight scoreless appearances and has two other strings of five or more games without allowing a run. Though holds are not always a true reflection of a performance, Chamberlain has been scored upon only once while recording 18 holds. That figure is tied for the top mark in the American League with Kip Jensen and Daniel Bard.

But when he's bad, Chamberlain is as bad as you can get.

Last night's debacle was the fifth occurrence that Chamberlain has allowed three or more earned runs. Two of his four losses have come when he entered with a lead. I am no fan of Sabermetrics, but for those of you who are, WAR is a big stat. That's Wins Above Replacement. Per Baseball-Reference.com, a WAR of 8 is an MVP, 5+ is All-Star quality, 2+ is a starter, 0-2 is a reserve and less than 0 is less than a replacement player (literally someone from Triple-A or a bench player).

Chamberlain's WAR was 1.2 in 2007 and 3.2 in his full rookie season of 2008. But this year it has dipped all the way down to -0.8. By comparison, Chan Ho Park's is -0.5, and we know how horrible he has been.

So if you're Cashman what do you do?

You get someone else to throw into the 8th inning mix and ease back on the reins on Chamberlain. If you're Joe Girardi, you throw him in the 7th or 6th innings and look for more consistency and confidence. You get Chamberlain to stop chugging a Red Bull as he's exiting the bullpen. (That really can't help, ya know?) You mix and match as you would in other innings rather than rely on one guy.

Damaso Marte has quietly pitched very well over the last two months. With two aboard and one out in the 8th last night, it was a perfect opportunity to bring Marte in to face Russell Branyan, who strikes out against left-handers with alarming regularity. The Mariners have no right-handed hitter sitting on the bench who strikes fear in the hearts of opponents. Girardi could then have countered with David Robertson or whomever to face Lopez.

The reliance on one pitcher to handle a set up inning is absurd. But that's a story for another day.

Relievers to take a look at:

Scott Downs, Tor: The left-hander is much more than a lefty specialist and can close games when needed. Downs' teammates Jason Frasor and Shawn Camp would be lesser options.

Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson, SD: Neither is necessarily available especially with the Padres in the race in the NL West. But one may be if the Padres can acquire another piece to help their team in the stretch run (Hey, Jed Hoyer..Kei Igawa can be your's).

Brad Ziegler, Oak: A righty specialist.

Bobby Jenks, Chi: The White Sox closer is nuts, but still can be nasty most of the time. With Matt Thornton in the Chisox pen, Jenks may be available if Chicago falls out of the race by the trade deadline.

Who else do you think could help?

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is

Alex Rodriguez didn't know the inning, didn't know the day but he knew enough to hit a 2-run home run in the 8th inning Thursday to give the Yankees a 4-2 win.

A-Rod looked bewildered as he returned to the dugout after snapping a 2-2 tie with his 595th career home run. He had good reason to be. CC Sabathia revealed during the post-game that A-Rod thought it was the 9th inning and was wondering why he wasn't being greeted at home plate.

It gets even better though. YES' Kim Jones grabbed A-Rod for a quick on field interview as soon as the game ended. A-Rod talked about how the Yankees ran into great pitching on Friday and Saturday. Uh..that was Tuesday and Wednesday.

So while A-Rod's head might not have been in the game, his bat certainly was. The Mariners had tied the game in the top of the 8th. With two men aboard, Jorge Posada committed a costly passed ball that moved both runners into scoring position. CC Sabathia then allowed a 2-out, 2-run single to Russell Branyan to tie things up. Sabathia probably would not have had a chance for the win had Branyan not been caught between 1st and 2nd for the inning's final out.

Mark Teixeira singled off closer David Aardsma with one in the 8th to set up A-Rod's game winner, a smash to the opposite field. Mariano Rivera then came on to record his 18th save of the season.

Chicago back in the day.

Forget LeBron, Felix is King of New York

Today marks the start of the NBA free agent frenzy with LeBron "King" James as the grand prize. But it was "King" Felix Hernandez who was in the spotlight last night, blanking the Yankees on two hits in tossing a 7-0 complete game shutout.

The Mariners have struggled this year, but the Yankees had the misfortune of having to face two of the top pitchers in the game, Cliff Lee and Hernandez, in the first two games of a three game series. While the Yankees managed to put four runs on the board against the soon to be dealt Lee, they couldn't do anything last night.

Yankees starter Javier Vazquez scuffled for much of the night, but limited the M's to three runs over six innings. But Damaso Marte and Chad Gaudin gave up two runs each as Seattle blew the game open.

Michael Saunders entered the game with five home runs in 102 at-bats, but went deep twice to drive in three runs. Russell Branyan and Milton Bradley also homered to help the Mariners improve to 33-44.

Hernandez walked three, including Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez in the 1st inning. But he retired Robinson Cano on a fly out to end Yankees threat. Mark Teixeira led off the fourth with a double, but the King stranded him there. He struck out A-Rod, one of 11 K's on the night, got Cano to fly out again, and retired Jorge Posada on a ground out to keep it a 3-0 Mariners lead.

Notes

Gaudin, who gave up Bradley's 2-run shot in the 8th is the likely candidate to be designated for assignment today when Dustin Moseley is recalled from Scranton. Moseley's contract gave him the ability to opt out of his deal beginning today (7/1).

Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee became just the third teammates in the last 25 years to toss back-to-back complete games against the Yankees.

CC Sabathia faces Ryan Rowland-Smith in the series finale today at 1 p.m..

photo courtesy of NY Daily News

10-4 Does Not Mean Over and Out

Give me 10 runs and the ace of the pitching staff and I'll get a win 99 out of 100 times. Unfortunately for the Yankees, today was that one time when everything went from all good to all bad in a hurry. Leading 10-4, the Yankees bullpen imploded and the Cleveland Indians pulled out a 13-11 victory before a stunned Yankee Stadium crowd.

The crowd had already had already gone silent earlier in the game with Alex Rodriguez smoked a line drive off the left side of Indians pitcher David Huff's head. Huff lay motionless for several minutes before he was placed on a back board and carted off the field. He gave a thumbs to the YS crowd as they gave him a standing ovation. Huff apparently never loss consciousness and was taken to the hospital for an MRI. The results were good, but Huff was being kept for observation.

Yankees starting pitcher and ace CC Sabathia (6 IP, 5 ER) had his second rough outing in three starts, but departed the game with a 10-5 lead. That's when the wheels came off. Back muscles too. David Robertson replaced Sabathia to start the 7th and hit Trevor Crowe to start the inning. Three batters later and the lead cut to 10-6, Robertson threw ball one to Jhonny Peralta and grabbed his back. Enter the Joe Girardi merry-go-round.

Sergio Mitre came on and despite having as much warm up as needed, proceeded to walk Peralta. That was apparently enough for Girardi, who sent for Damaso Marte to face lefty pinch-hitter Russell Branyan. That was the only move that worked as Marte retired Branyan for the second out of the inning. Signal to Joba Chamberlain. Signal end of lead.

To put it mildly, Chamberlain was awful. He gave up an RBI single to Mark Grudzielanek, walked Matt LaPorta, surrendered back to back 2-run doubles to Lou Marson and Jason Donald, and a come full circle, RBI single to Crowe. Seven runs and 12-10 deficit.

Just to show he's consistent, Chad Gaudin gave up a long ball to Branyan in the 9th. It was the second home run in as many games for Go-away. I mean Gaudin.

Needless the Yankees fandom was furious. Yours truly included. And while Joe Girardi isn't the guy throwing the pitches, he is the guy mixing and matching too much.

Remember when relievers faced right and lefty hitters? When a guy wasn't the "7th inning guy" or the "8th inning guy". Other than the long man and the closer there is no reason for any reliever to have a specific inning assignment.

Twitter was atwitter with frustrated tweets galore during the debacle and after. I for one was upset that Girardi yanked Mitre after one batter. One follower said he's not used to pitching on consecutive days. If that's the case then why was he the one brought in? While no fan of Gaudin, he is used to pitch consecutive games, so Girardi could have opted for him first.

Chamberlain on the other hand, has some major issues going on. He's been scored upon in three of his last five games (5 IP 10 ER) and has been hit extremely hard. There is a genuine overreaction towards his outings, good or bad, based on his 2007 work. Some were saying he would better off working on things in the minors. While far from perfect, he had a 2.16 ERA prior to those five games. And while a reliever's ERA can be misleading, Chamberlain had been decent.

Brian Cashman needs to work the phones for sure though. This is much of the same pen that won a title last year, but that was because Phil Hughes was added and David Robertson emerged.

Chan Ho Park is garbage. I can't say that enough times. One good year in the NL does not make a solid AL reliever. Mitre and Gaudin are mediocre. Marte is downright scary. Even Mariano isn't as reliable these days, but I do believe that is a physical issue that is not completely healed. Mariano is the man and will still go out there whether his cutter is biting or not.

Throw it all away and come back tomorrow and win..especially since we will be there.

Notes

Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano continued their torrid streaks. Though Swisher, representing the tying run, struck out to the end the game, he had three more hits, a walk, a ribbie and two runs scored.

Cano was 3-4 with 3 RBI and a run scored as well. He's 10-16 over the last four games.

photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports

Cano Slams Door on Tribe

It used to be that Yankees fans would cringe whenever Robinson Cano came to the plate with runners in scoring position. The mantra, "don't hit into a double play" could be heard when the bases were loaded. But this is not your, well, your own Robinson Cano any more.

The red hot Cano had three hits, including a back breaking grand slam, as the Yankees opened their four game series with the Cleveland Indians with an 8-2 win. Phil Hughes struck out eight over seven innings to improve to 6-1.

With Alex Rodriguez getting a routine day off, Cano batted clean up for the first time in his career. Prior to this season, it's doubtful Joe Girardi or Joe Torre would have even considered putting Cano in the big hitter spot. But this is the new Robinson Cano, who has worked hard with hitting coach Kevin Long to be more selective in his hitting approach.

After hitting .207 with runners in scoring position (RISP) and .204 with RISP and 2 outs last season, Cano has boosted those numbers to .327 and .259 this season.

Cano was aboard when Nick Swisher put the Yankees ahead 2-0 in the 2nd inning with a home run high off the foul pole in right field. Cano's second single of the game helped loaded the bases against Indians' starter Fausto Carmona in the 6th.

Juan Miranda drew a bases loaded walk to force in a run before Cano came home on a Brett Gardner sacrifice fly for a 4-1 Yankees lead.

Hughes bounced back from two straight rough outings with an impressive performance. He struck out the side in the first inning and limited the Tribe to five hits. He allowed an RBI double to Jhonny Peralta to cut the Yankees lead to 2-1 in the 3rd, but struck out Luis Valbuena with two on and two out to escape further trouble. A Russell Branyan solo home run was the only other run Hughes allowed.

Left-hander Tony Sipp replaced Carmona in the 7th with the Indians down 4-2. Derek Jeter reached on an infield single and Curtis Granderson doubled in the gap in right-center. Mark Teixeira drew his second walk of the game before Cano drilled a pitch into the right field seats for his 10th home run of the season.

Just another good at-bat with runners in scoring position for the new and improved Robinson Cano.

photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports

M’s KO CC

Filed Under: Yankees

Tags: al aceves • cc sabathia • hideki matsui • Ichiro Suzuki • Mark Teixeira • New York Yankees • Robinson Cano • Russell Branyan • Seattle Mariners • Yankees 7/2 recap • Yankees vs. Mariners

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WP - Batista (5-2) LP - Sabathia (7-5)

The Seattle Mariners couldn’t come up with clutch hits in the first two games of their first series at the new Yankee Stadium, but last night they smacked CC Sabathia around en route to an 8-4 win over the Yankees. The loss snapped the Bombers’ 7 game winning streak and dropped them 3 games behind idle Boston in the AL East.

Although he allowed a lead off, frozen rope double to Ichiro Suzuki to start the ball game, Sabathia looked dominant in the 1st inning. But a mid-90s fastball, up in the zone with no movement can get you in trouble fast and that’s what happened to the Yankee ace. Franklin Gutierrez belted a solo home run off Sabathia in the 2nd inning for a 2-0 M’s lead. Back-to-back singles by Kenji Johjima and Ryan Langerhans followed and Chris Woodward came through with a run-scoring sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead after two.

....Read the rest of my recap at Baseball Digest Online.