Upon Things Learned from a Weekend in Boston

1. Joba Chamberlain is the real deal. He pitched 7 shut-out innings, allowed only 3 hits, and struck out 9. He outdueled Josh Beckett, the Red Sox ace, and made a rare 1-0 game stand up at Fenway. Joba got up around 100 pitches before turning the ball over to Farnsworth and Rivera. This is exactly the kind of series-opening start that a contending team needs to have.
2. The Yankee bullpen is also the real deal. In a loss yesterday, Dan Giese allowed the only two runs of the weekend from the ‘pen, and that was in mop-up duty. The Yankees have good arms in reserve, and Girardi seems to be avoiding the overuse problem that Torre was often guilty of. He is mixing and matching and doing his best to keep all his pitchers fresh. The trust he showed in Farnsworth in turning a brilliant 1-0 game from Joba over to Kyle was a shrewd managerial move that payed off. Confidence has always been key for Farnsworth, and strong outings can only help in that department. The only piece which the Yankee pen had been missing was a lefty, which brings us to the next point…
3. The Yankees made a good trade. In summary:

The Pittsburgh Pirates trade OF Xavier Nady and LH reliever Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees for OF Jose Tabata and RHPs Dan McCutchen, Jeff Karstens and Ross Ohlendorf.

          The Yankees were in need of a right-handed bat, and also a productive hitter to play the corner outfield spot. They found both in Xavier Nady. Nady is batting .327 with good power, and he also features good speed and a strong arm in left. Damason Marte is the lefty specialist that the Yankees were after, and has thus far perfromed well in that role, striking out David Ortiz in Satruday’s game. Sure, Ortiz is coming back off injury and probably does not have all of his mechanics back. However, seeing him hit a ”Fenway bandbox HR” that scrapes the tiny little wall in right would not have been the debut most Yankee fans were hoping for from Marte. The reality was much more pleasant.

Karstens and Ohlendorf were decent pitchers, but the Yankees are under the obligation to win every year and chose immediate results over potential down-the-road. Tabata has been a highly touted prospect for years (which is saying something, since he is just 19) but character issues have raised some red flags. Nady is only 29, and the Yankees also have a prospect named Austin Jackson who has all of Tabata’s talent, but without the questionable makeup.

This deal appears to be one of the annual deals which make other GMs wonder how one team was willing to give up certain players for seemingly so little in return. It is also interesting to see the Yankees with viable prosepcts to move during the year.        

Upon the Moose Watch

7/23/08

Opponent- Minnesota

8 IP, 6 hits, 0 runs, 0 BB, 7K

Mussina (W, 13-6) 3.26 ERA

Another great outing for Moose, propelling him into a tie with Cliff Lee and Brandon Webb for the most wins in all of baseball. Yankees won their 6th in a row, and Mussina ended his day with a strikeout.

Upon Who Would You Rather Have?

Pitcher A- 130 Innings, 122 Hits, 53 Runs, 45 Earned,  116 K, 38 BB, 9 WP, 3.10 ERA, 1.224 WHIP

Pitcher B- 113 Innings, 125 hits, 53 Runs, 44 Earned,    74  K, 16 BB, 4 WP, 3.49 ERA, 1.244 WHIP

So which pitcher would be better for your team? Pretty close, right?

Now let’s factor in salary

Pitcher A- $19 million for 2008

Pitcher B- $11 million for 2008

Pitcher B seems like a bargain here, no? That $8 million difference is almost enough for a second pitcher B.

 

Now lets look at results:

Pitcher A- 8-7, 5 No Decisions (team is 11-9 in his starts)

Pitcher B- 12-6, 2 No Decisions (team 12-8 in his starts)

So , in light of the above, which pitcher would you rather have?

Upon the Moose Watch

7/18/08

Opponent- Oakland Athletics

6 IP, 9 hits, 1 run, 1 earned, 0 BB, 6K

Mussina (W, 12-6) 3.49 ERA

Mussina gave up a lot of hits, but scattered them across his 6 innings. He used his strikeouts to work out of trouble, and allowed the game’s only run in the top of the first. The Yankee bats backed him, and Mussina continues to play the role of a #1-type starter.

Upon the 2008 Yankee First Half Review- The Bullpen

I am going to examine the predictions I made in the Yankee preview, to see if the first half of the season seems to mirror the expected path I envisioned for the team. I am using the All-Star break as the dividing line, though it does not actually fall on the mid-point of the season.

The Bullpen

Mariano Rivera: Prediction 3-2, 40 Saves, 1.98 ERA

After 91 Games- 4-3, 23 saves, 1.06 ERA

Joba Chamberlain: With the young arms in the starting rotation, Joba began the season as he ended last season, as an untouchable set-up man. Obviously things have changed, and Chamberlain is now a valuable member of the starting rotation. I thought he would be groomed as the successor to Rivera, but Mo seems just fine in his closer role, and Chamberlain is looking like a stud-in-the-making.

After 91 Games: 2-2, 2.45 ERA, now a starter

Kyle Farnsworth: Farnsworth is the type of pitcher who will give Yankee fans fits. His ERA was at 4.50 in May, 3.38 in June, and is at 0.00 through 5 games in July. He currently is running a string of 7 straight scoreless appearances, but shots like yesterday’s Carlos Pena ball to the warning track in a tie game remind us why we worry about Kyle. When he is on, he looks like the guy who can capably get the ball to Rivera. Right now, he is on. The ghost of blown games past still lingers, but we will choose to accentuate the positive.

After 91 games: 1-2, 3.60 ERA, 1.35 WHIP

 Latroy Hawkins: is a mop-up man. His ERA is all over the place, and continues to hover near 6.0. He should see zero meaningful time unless he shows a miraculous turnaround. The best thing he has done all year is give up the number 21.

After 91 games: 1-1, 5.94 ERA, 1.54 WHIP

Brian Bruney: A freak foot injury derailed what was a promising beginning of the season for Bruney. He looked to be a 7th or 8th inning candidate, and is working his way back into form in Double A ball. We will say the jusy is out on him for now.

Billy Traber: The lefty specialist for the Yankees appears only sparingly, and has not played the big role he seemed to be poised for coming out of spring training. He has only allowed 6 earned runs in 15 appearances, but since he only appears for typicall one out at a time his ERA has ballooned. He was sent down to Scranton when Shelley Duncan was called up, and didn’t return until Wang got injured late in June. hard to seeing him being much more than a situational lefty-lefty matchup moving forward.

After 91 Games: 0-0, 5.06 ERA, 1.6 WHIP

Ross Ohlendorf: Has had a variety of work, from long-relief, to mop-up, to bridge work. His ERA is bloated, due most recently to his 6 run blow-up in the Mets 15-6 rout of the Yankees. He is only 25, and in just his second season in the bigs. However, he is facing a stiff challenge from the up and comers who are getting the job done recently.
After 91 Games- 1-1, 6.53 ERA, 1.7 WHIP

and now, those who didn’t make the preview:

Edwar Ramirez: What can you say? He allowed 0 earned runs during his first 13 appearances. His ERA is currently 2.81, on a steady 6 game decline, having not allowed a run in his last 5 appearances.   Edwar has forced his way into the rotation with steady, consistent pitching.

After 91 games: 2-0, 2.81 ERA, 1.063 WHIP

Jose Veras: What can you say? He has allowed just one run in his last 16 appearances, including his last 8 straight. His ERA is on a steady 9 game decline. along with Ramirez, he is now nearly indispensible.

After 91 Games: 2-0, 2.45 ERA, 1.125 WHIP

Chris Britton, David Robertson, Dan Giese, and Jonathan Albaladejo do not have enough meaningful appearances to render an opinion yet.

Upon 2 Overdue Moose Watch

6/30/08

Opponent- Texas

6 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned, 2 bb, 8K

Mussina (L, 10-6) 3.87 ERA

Dormant offense puts Moose on the hook for the L in this one, but he looked good against the major’s highest scoring team.

 

7/5/08

Opponent- Boston

6 IP, 0 runs, 0 earned, 1 BB, 5 K

Mussina (W, 11-6) 3.64 ERA

Huge and much needed win against the Sox, Mussina now has a win total and ERA that stands with the best in the league. 

Call it ”smoke and mirrors”.  Say “It won’t last.” All I know is what the Moose watch has shown. Right now, ESPN projects Mussina to finish the season 19-10 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.