Recently, the pitchers on both New York teams have had trouble finding much success.
In the Bronx, both mega-buck Yankee off season additions have not overwhelmed as yet. CC Sabbathia and AJ Burnett both carry ERAs above 4.70, and have not been able to finish some of their strong starts. Both have shown flashes of their superior ability (Burnett recently carried a no-hitter through 7 innings), but have not gotten the wins. Chien-Ming Wang has not come back the same pitcher after his injury, and has been sent to the minors to work out some mechanical issues. He has been hammered in his starts thus far. Andy Pettite and Joba Chamberlain have been solid thus far, but the bullpen has done a Jeckyll and Hyde routine.
The most successful formula to date has been starter for 6-7, Coke and Albaladjo, Bruney for the 8th and Rivera for the 9th. Like the starters, the bullpen has shown dominant stretches, like their outstanding work in the 14 inning marathon win against Oakland. However, there is still some sorting out to be done, and pitchers like Marte and Veras need to prove they belong on the mound.
Phil Hughes will make his first start of the season tonight, and looks to right a ship that is listing. He was strong in the spring, and I have been a proponent of his talent long after the bandwagon got empty. Strong work from him may renew calls for Joba to go back to being the 8th inning hammer.
In Queens, Johan Santana remains an elite pitcher. I saw him in person against the lowly Nationals, and he dominated. After him though….
Mike Pelfry has collected 2 wins, but also sports a 6.32 ERA.
Oliver Perez is 1-2 with a 9.31
John Maine is 1-2 with a 5.40
Livan Hernandez is 1-1 with a 7.31
Off-season pick-ups JJ Putz and Frankie Rodriguez have been strong, and have alleviated a lot of the back-end worries for the Mets. However, wins will be hard to hold and save with the starting efforts the Mets are getting (again, absent Santana).
I don’t figure that these trends will continue, but I would honestly at this point be more concerned as a Mets fan. The Yankees have an excellent back-up option in Hughes, and tonight will be the first test of how well he can fare as a short-term replacement. If all goes well, the previously discussed scenario with Joba in the bullpen is a possibility, and he is a force of nature in the set-up role.
The Mets really don’t have any options that I see in the organization. Maybe in the minors with John Neese, but that only fills one hole and I see them having 3.
Lets go starter-by-starter-
#5 NYM- Livan Hernandez has pitched 9 innings in his last two starts, and was rocked his last time out. He has not had a sub-4 ERA since 2005, and has not pitched like that will be the case anytime soon.
#5 NYY- Andy Pettite is off to a strong start, going 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA
EDGE- NYY
#4NYM- John Maine’s last start was encouraging, as he made it out of the 5th inning for the first time in 4 tries, and allowed only an unearned run to the Marlins. He is walking too many batters, and his pitch counts have been high, averaging 99 pitches in 5.2 innings pitched per start.
#4 NYY- Joba Chamberlain is also struggling with control, and has walked a ton of batters in his 3 starts. He has allowed only 1 earned run in 2 of his 3 starts, but has not lasted long enough to earn a decision. His pitch counts have also been high.
EDGE- Even, but leaning toward the Yankees because its Joba vs Maine and we know who the better pitcher is if both of them right the ship.
#3 NYM- Oliver Perez is on a short leash, and has been terrible.
#3 NYY- Chien Ming Wang was even worse, and has been pulled out of his upcoming starts.
Edge- Perez is still pitching so he edges Wang. Which is not saying much at all.
#2 NMY- Mike Pelfry has been a 5 inning pitcher thus far, but has picked up 2 wins in 3 starts. he has had more walks than Ks in each start.
#2 NYY- AJ Burnett had 3 strong starts to open the year before the floodgates opened against Boston in a slugfest.
Edge- Burnett is certainly pitching better.
#1 NYM- Johan is a stud, plain and simple
#2 NYY- C has been hit hard twice, and been dominant once.
Edge- Easily the Mets
Overall, the Yankees are geting their best pitching from their #5 so far. If Hughes is solid in these next few starts, I feel they are in good shape 1-5. The Mets have a horse out front, and have gotten OK pitching from Pelfry. Perez and Hernandez stink. Maine has not been great either. Both teams have pitching issues, but I’d much rather have the Yankees’ problems.
The Widening Geier 