Indeed, very rough night for Joba Chamberlain and company in miserable Arlington, Texas.
We'll have to wait and see what the potential ramifications of this game are; certainly, we'll get a better idea once Chamberlain gets tested back in New York. But I do think this game shed light on a few universal truths:
1. A manager can control only so much. I know a few of you objected to Joe Girardi bringing Damaso Marte out for the ninth after a shaky eighth, and I see where you folks are coming from. But Girardi's options were pretty limited there. It was pretty much Marte or rookie David Robertson for the ninth, what with Mariano Rivera unavailable with an ailing back and the overworked Jose Veras to be used only in an emergency.
And of course, Chamberlain's fifth-inning departure put the bullpen to work early, further diminishing Girardi's flexibility.
For that matter, how about the Yankees working so hard to control Joba's workload over the last year, and yet still, today they face an injury situation with him? Pitching is an unnatural act. Rare is the pitcher who never requires some down time. If the Yankees' medical people decide that Joba should take off the rest of the season, then that's what will happen, this season be damned.
2. It's the numbers, not the names. If Joba has to go on the disabled list, then that will mean the Yankees' big three of Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy will have all spent time on the DL this year. But that doesn't mean the Yankees' transition season has been a failure, because there are plenty more where they came from.
Mark Melancon has had a big year, development-wise, as has Phil Coke. Andrew Brackman is rehabbing from last year's Tommy John surgery. And meanwhile, Kennedy and Hughes might just contribute _ might just win a game, to be more precise _ before we close the books on 2008. Although it's hardly an endorsement of Kennedy that Dan Giese will get the start on Friday.
The idea is to develop 20 pitchers and throw them out there, and hope that two or three of them stick.
3. It's not good for the Yankees that the Rangers are good again. How many times over the past decade have we seen the Yankees play a roller-coaster game like last night's in Texas, only to pull out the victory? Maybe the umpires wouldn't have overturned that fifth-inning double play in the past, or Josh Hamilton would've come up short on that diving catch he made of Derek Jeter's ninth-inning liner.
But that hitter-friendly ballpark is prone to wacky turns of fate. It just so happens that, in recent years, the Yankees had benefited from all of those twists. Not last night, as the Yankees' 10-game winning streak at Rangers Ballpark came to an end.
Off the bat, I thought Marlon Byrd's walk-off grand slam was a flyout to deep centerfield. But Byrd knew it was gone. When the Rangers are good enough to use their home to their advantage, then look out. These next three nights could be bumpy. So could the rest of the season, if Joba's injury is serious.
AL
Angels (1) vs. Boston (4)
Tampa Bay (2) vs. White Sox (3)
NL
Cubs (1) vs. Arizona (3)
Philadelphia (2) vs. Milwaukee (4)
Comments (50)
Ken, according to The New York Times, Rivera was available. This one is really incredible. Rivera sprinted all around the outfield during batting practice shagging fly balls in 100 degree heat. He was then asked after batting practice if he was available to pitch and he said: “I feel loose. If they ask me, I will tell them yes.”
After the game, Girardi was asked why he didn't use Rivera and he said that Rivera didn't sound enthusiastic about working.
You have got to be kidding me. Maybe Girardi doesn't have his act together to the degree I thought he did. With so many coaches they are falling over each other, how couldn't the Yankees have known that Rivera could throw? Just incredible.
The Yanks last off day was July 24 and their next off day is August 14, a week from this Thursday. Girardi wasn't going to burn out his bullpen last night, therefore he left Marte out longer than he should. It sounds like Rivera wasn't avaliable last night for a save situation according to Girardi. He didn't want to used Rivera last night at all.
So far Marte has been very shaky. His control has been all over the place. Does the name Graeme Lloyd ring a bell to anyone? The Yanks acquired Lloyd from the Brewers in 1996 and was awful down the stretch for the Yanks. Lloyd was so awful that Torre almost left him off the postseason roster. Thank god Lloyd was on the roster because he turn it around and help the Yanks win the World Series in '96. Just remember Graeme Lloyd when you watch Marte pitch.
I'm now fully convinced the Yankees have every intention of trading Kennedy over the off-season. I think they want to keep him in AAA for the rest of the year so he builds his value back up. What other explanation is there?
They also sent Hughes up to AAA and he'll be starting there Thursday. Two more rehab starts and Hughes will be able to rejoin the team. If Hughes joins the team before Kennedy, what does that say?
We were all just scratching our heads about why Mo couldn't pitch in tie games. Was this on Joe's mind? Either way, Marte's performance was disappointing -- not that he lost the game but because his control was terrible. He had Bradley oh-and-2 and ended up walking him. I don't really understand that last pitch -- it was two outs, so he could have easily gotten out of the situation, but he still seemed to just hurl it over the plate.
This was a horrible loss. The one positive thing is that the "overrated" (wink, wink, Ken, I'm just effin' with you) Nady continues to be ridiculously clutch.
Jim
"Just incredible."
What's also incredible is what were "they" saving Robertson for?
He was up twice warming up (which in itself just may have blown any chance to use him tonight). And then sitting down each time to watch the nonsense.
Some have professed the adage "we didn't wanna mess with the kid's head by bringing him into a tough situation". Well, nothing messes with any reliever's head more than bouncing him up and down in the bullpen.
I hate to say this but what is so magical about temps hitting 100 degress (kinda like the mystical "100" pitch count) that caused so much brain freeze last night?
And I am also gonna question the continued use of the word "shaky" for Marte's 8th inning last night.
To repeat from the other thread. He threw ONE bad pitch, had good command of all his pitches (in the 8th anyway), worked out of a 1 out, runner on 3rd situation and had a line score that reads:
2/3 inning, 1 hit, NO RUNS and 1LOB, 1K.
What's "shaky" about a 0.00 ERA?
Who wouldn't take that EVERY NIGHT from a reliever?
People are simply mo spoiled at times.
I just read that Marte had thrown 41 pitches before giving up the slam. That's simply unfair. What would have been the big deal bringing in Robertson, who's been basically perfect outside of one game? Robertson, in his major-league debut, was brought into a close Mets-Yankees game. I think he could have handled it. I'm still not going to kill Giardi about this, though, because one mistake with the bullpen doesn't erase a perfect year.
For all of the Yankees' pitching challenges of late, their fans have reason to be grateful that they still have a plethera of options in the farm system, even with the trade deadline in the rear-view mirror. Steven Goldman has a column up in today's Sun about the Mets failure to invest wisely in its minor league operations.
Ken, have I ever mentioned the way Mets brass treated its longtime AAA affiliate in Norfolk before the city finally told Wilpon Inc. where to stick it...? :-)
If I remember correctly, I-505, Aaron Heilman threw one bad pitch to Yadier Molina in the ninth inning of Game 7....
My concern was not so much Marte's pitch count per se as that he had racked up the pitches so quickly. Keep in mind too that having a less than stellar outing against that Rangers lineup is hardly cause for alarm.
"...[H]e had racked up the pitches so quickly." What I meant was throwing 41 pitches to record only four outs.
baleywalk: Your Kennedy theory is an interesting one, indeed. Supposedly the reason Kennedy hasn't returned to the Bronx is because his breaking ball is breaking sharply enough and not to the degree it was late last year.
Robertson was warming up and ready to come in during last night's fateful 9th innning. Girardi knows he blew it. You can't leave Marte in for 42 pitches, especially when he is struggling. Girardi got what he deserved. How can anyone really be surprised with the end result of this poor decision.
Kennedy's breaking ball ISN't breaking sharply enough in AAA. Sorry. I don't know if that is an excuse for not bringing him back up or a legitimate reason. Personally, I think they are mad at him due to his attitude, plus he stunk in his first go-around.
Girardi tries to out-think everybody sometimes and has gotten burn more often. Remember, Girardi has manage 1 year with the Marlins and perviously never manage at any level. So this is Girardi's 2nd full year as a manager, and he is learning on the fly.
Certainly the Yanks are not about Kennedy's attitude and make-up. They privately have sour on Kennedy, and don't want anyone to know about it.
Baumbach is saying in his Final Score blog that Joba experienced a "Popping" in his shoulder.
Ken, is this true?
Cuz "popping" is a far more serious issue than "stiffness".
WAY MORE SERIOUS.
When corn pops, it usually means it's done.
Road trip watch: crude oil is now down to $118 per barrel. Don't buy a SmartCar just yet....
Jim, did you catch the photos of the US cyclists arriving in Beijing, their faces adorned with black masks?
Yeh, that was something JE. Just what the Chinese rulers want to have the world see. It also looks like they might soon have their hands full with some Muslim extremists of their own. Or will they be called Freedom Fighters there?
If the Congress agrees to opening ANWR and expanding off-shore drilling, watch the price of oil drop like a lead brick, even though it would take years for those moves to result in increased production.
Jim, I am surprised that Obama did not follow up his Friday interview with The Palm Beach Post with additional comments about offshore drilling within a comprehensive energy package. He missed a golden opportunity to show that he not beholden to the Pelosi/DailyKos wing of the party and deprive McCain of the GOP advantage now has on the issue.
Of course, Congress should still open ANWR, but the Republicans are about to nominate a candidate who STILL won't support exploration up there. How pathetic.
Oh, no! Omar, don't you DARE! http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3519330&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines
JE, that's partially why I am holding my nose when I vote this year.
I wonder if the FBI investigation into the Yankees will amount to anything? I hope this doesn't take down Damon O, not that he did anything wrong but that it happened on his watch. Ken, is this something, if it actually happened, that he should have been aware of?
Obama can't give specifics to anything because he's got nothing, ok? Hopefully he will have experienced advisors to teach and tell him what to do after January, because all he is now is another preacher preaching the gospel. If you have ever listened to a guy like Joel Osteen or TD Jakes (I have when bored) they tell you what is wrong, they tell you the right way but they don't really give you a way to turn wrong into right.
Now onto baseball what this blog is about mostly. If Girardi says he didn't have Mo last night and didn't want to use Robertson in the ninth, the only logical move was to use Robertson earlier in the game and save Marte to close. He didn't do it that way and it cost him. Let's hope Joba just got a big boo-boo when he hit the ground and that's all.
Regarding Jim's question, Ken: are these scouts still paid slave wages? I am not making excuses for illegal behavior, of course. Frankly, it would be surprising if this practice isn't more rampant than what has been reported to date.
Even if a candidate has "nothing", Sandy, he doesn't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to figure out how to neutralize McCain's advantage on the energy exploration issue. Look, I am no fan of Bill Clinton, but he would have handled this oh, so deftly.
We have the oil, it's in the ground and we should be pumping like crazy. More damage is done with oil spills from tankers than offshore platforms. Tha Alaskans themselves want to open ANWR. It's not a religious shrine up there. It's barren land and only a small area has to be opened. BHO is trying to evade the issue. We need more oil and the rest of the world is becoming increasingly unreliable. We should exploit every last drop we have in this country. PERIOD. More oil produced here could also lead to less adventurism elsewhere in the world, if you know what I mean. We could tell other countries to get lost. That would be a nice feeling.
Just announced: Presidential debate moderators: Jim Leherer of PBS, Tom Brokaw of NBC, Gwen Ifill of PBS and Bob Scheiffer of CBS.
I met Leherer once. Nice guy. Prolific writer of books. I met him at a book reading and signing.
Ken, If we ever entered into a real energy crisis do you think there would be pressure on the Lords of Baseball to change the system of scheduling and eliminate a large percentage of out of division games to reduce travel? That would be a very interesting development.
Agreed, Jim. The objective is not to bring gas at the pump down to $1.29 per gallon. The goal is to lessen Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan influence, obtained with the sickening profits that they are currently making. (No, Nancy, ExxonMobil aren't the bad guys: Chavez is.)
Krauthammer penned a biting column on Pelosi and this issue last week. Here it is:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/31/AR2008073102824.html?sub=AR
See JE Bill Clinton was a governor and they have to make decisions, sometimes on moment's notice. Senators don't make decisions and they don't govern, they take money from special interests and let them determine their policies. And they try very hard not to say or do anything that will offend them and cost them their contributions. I forget who said it but somebody said: "Senators should never be allowed to run for President, and if you have a Senator vs. a Governor, you should always vote for the Governor." Unfortunately this time around we don't have that, and neither one of these two is up to the job at hand, made harder due to the last eight years of incompetence. We need someone exceptional right now, and we probably aren't going to get it although Obama being inexperienced though smart has an upside to him. McCain is what he is.
Ah, but Dennis, you forget: Obama was a Chicago COMMUNITY ORGANIZER. How much more experience does one need to be the leader of the free world? ;-)
JE, you mean Sandy, not Dennis.
Let's face it: The system of early primaries and the importance of Iowa in picking a candidate is certainly not serving us well. Sandy is right: Optimally, we should have a choice between the governors of two medium to large states. I can think of one former governor from a pretty big state that made a good president not too long ago and I am not referring to WJC.
The Chinese Government has a lot deal with as the Olympics get under way on Friday. The weather could be a issue. I read in the Post that Typhoons will hit Beijing later this week that will cause havoc to the area including affecting the opening ceremonies on Friday. Just what the Chinese government needed, a typhoon causing havoc during the Olympics.
This is the final Olympics for baseball.
Jim, do you seriously refer to Obama as BHO? I hope you include the initial of his middle name for symmetry, but do not use it when saying his name.
And the point is not to suck up every last drop of oil in the world. The point is to stop needing it. Oil is finite. There isn't some endless pool to draw from. We need to stop sucking this giant oil teet and move onto other resources -- which should have been done decades ago.
Oh, yeah. My bad, Sandy!
As bad as things are going for the PRC, can you imagine if they had not held the Opening Ceremonies on their lucky date, 8/8/08? Perhaps an earthquake would have swallowed up the entire city!
baileywalk, I don't use it when speaking about him, which isn't very often in any event. I did it here so everyone understood who I was writing about. And, it is his initial, after all. It wasn't used for the reason I am sure you are thinking.
I agree about reaching the day when oil isn't needed, but I doubt the day when we don't need any oil at all will never come. Last week I read an article that detailed the real possibility of an oil field in the vast north that contains a mammoth amount of oil, enough to meet our needs for several years all by itself. Why should we exploit every last drop of oil we can right here? We should do a combination of drilling everywhere and developing alternative fuels, including using shale oil out west.
National security is an issue I feel that McCain has an edge over Obama. Terrorism is a major issue around the world. Secrurity in this country is a major issue. New York, since 9/11 is always a target for terrorists. People think McCain can handle national security bettter than Obama because Obama inexperience worry people if we have another 9/11. Bush won in 2004 partly because of national security.
Baileywalk, would you prefer that Jim drop the "H" and refer to the candidate as BO? As far as I'm concerned, that's far less flattering!
The chief problem that Obama now faces is that "Yes, we can!" while catchy, is not enough. It is not a substitute for foreign and domestic policy agendas. The American public is ready to elect him, provided that he spell out coherent proposals. As of now, those are nowhere to be found.
I was most comfortable and proudest when going into the voting booth to cast my ballot for someone who spent several years going across the country outlining his three main goals for the nation. The change was contained in those three goals. People in other countries have frequently been taken in by speeches that when dissected don't amount to much. We'll soon see if we should be added to the list.
We have 70 million barrels of oil in reserve we need it now.
I haven't followed this all day but China had another 'quake this morning in nearly the exact spot as before but 6.0 on the richter scale. I think China is using 8/8/08 as their lucky day in the rest of the world. Aren't the ceremonies actually 8/9/08 there or are we getting them on taped delay? Regardless, I wont be watching.
Dennis is somewhat right, in wartime we need a president who understands war, McCain fought in one, he understands it. That's his only plus. Bush had no clue and screwed up, I'll never forget "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED", I consider that Bush's legacy. Obama clearly hasn't got a clue on how to deal with this war. Bush won the election, not because of national security, Dennis. He had an opponent that nobody liked, and who had no convictions on how to do things.
Why was I so much more excited about the Olympics when I was younger? Was it because of the whole USSR v. USA thing? Was it the absence of professionals (unless you call some the USSR athletes that were in the "army" pros)? Is it the rampant commercialism now? I don't sense any buzz about the Games at all. Too bad.
Guys, sorry to go horrendously off topic, but I have to run to meetings soon. When you have a few minutes to kill, consider clicking on:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=3181249
Check out the 7/30 podcast and fast-forward to 9:00. First, you will hear Max Kellerman opine for a few moments that the Yankees should trade Farnsworth, on the basis that he would never be worth more than he was at that moment (sounds as though Cashman was on the same wavelength, considering that the deal got done the next day).
Subsequently, you will hear a tete-a-tee between Kellerman and Steve Phillips on pitching and the Yankees bullpen. Trust me, even if you don't agree with Kellerman's way of thinking, you will enjoy the segment, as the two go at it pretty fiercely.
I am gonna go out on a limb and say that I have the only MSM baseball blog in which a link to a Charles Krauthammer column is considered an everyday event. You guys kill me (in a good way).
Catching up...
Jim, I know that Rivera said pre-game that he was available, but I don't think you can fault Girardi for deciding that Rivera was unavailable. As always, they have to be ultra-conservative with Mariano.
Dennis, the Yankees are asking a little more of Marte than they did of Lloyd back in the day. Marte is essentially their #2 reliever now. Remember, in '96, they already had Wetteland, Rivera and Nelson before adding Lloyd and Weathers to the mix.
baileywalk, could be, on Kennedy. There are a few viable theories on him - that they want to trade him, that they're generally unhappy with him. I'll try to dig up some stuff. But I agree, it raises major eyebrows that they gave Friday's start to Giese over Kennedy.
JE, I've heard in general how happy Norfolk was to be rid of the Mets. If you've got any specific info, I'm always happy to learn more.
I-505, I just read The Final Score. That's the first place I've seen the word "popping" used. I watched the post-game last night, and I didn't hear Joba say that.
Jim, re: the FBI investigation, Damon Oppenheimer oversees domestic scouting only. So this is not his domain. Abel Guerra is the VP of international operations. And JE, yeah, my sense is these scouts indeed get paid horribly.
Jim, re: MLB changing its schedule to reduce travel costs, I think we're a long, long, long way away from that happening. MLB really hasn't felt any significant impact of our economy - attendance records are still being set all over, and the Yankees and Mets are selling all of their tickets for the grand openings next year.
JE, re: Livan Hernandez, Buster makes it pretty clear that he's speculating. But I don't think it's such a horrible possibility. If you sign him and he bombs in his first start, you release him. I could see Livan getting motivated to prove he has something left.
Anyone want to join me on a write-in campaign for Bloomberg?
Eh, BO isn't so bad. "Bee Oh" could become Bo and you could start a "Bo knows presidential politics" meme.
I wasn't trying to besmirch Jim's character or anything with that question. I just find it annoying -- borderline disgusting -- when right-wing personalities use Barack's middle name with an obvious reason in mind. I don't think Jim is that sort of man, and I simply asked the question with no harm intended.
Bloomberg? No.
The day I went to the Fanfest I walked all over for a couple of hours. I was astonished how filthy the streets/sidewalks were compared to RG's years in power. I also never saw a single cop except near the Javits Center. Years ago they were on every single street corner. Things have certainly changed.
The Yankees are taking caution to new levels and I understand players are even annoyed. Could it be that the Yankees have become SOFT? By doing what they are doing, players will have to lie and say there is nothing at all wrong with them or else risk two weeks or more in Tampa, where they all hate to go.
And I just have to laugh when people say McCain is stronger on national security, etc. This guy makes so many blunders when talking about the Middle East it's embarrassing. If Bush said the things McCain does he'd be slaughtered for it. I think the zenith was when he said "We have a lot of work to do, and I'm afraid that it's a very hard struggle, particularly given the situation on the Iraq-Pakistan border." That's a classic. (And no, Iraq and Pakistan do not share a border.)
Ken, you may want to check here as the starting point: http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/printer/p262513.html
It references a Virginian-Pilot piece:
The Mets had been affiliated with the Norfolk franchise (which has also been known as Tidewater during its history) since it joined the International League in 1969, but Norfolk officials complained about a lack of communication and cooperation from the Mets this year. The Virginian-Pilot newspaper reported that neither general manager Omar Minaya nor assistant GM Tony Bernazard had visited Norfolk this season.
"They took us for granted," Tides general manager Dave Rosenfield told the newspaper.
* * *
My concern with a Livan signing is that these guys are seemingly allowed three starts before determining that they are harming the club.
Remember: Brian Lawrence started six games for the Mets last year before he was finally cut loose.
I don't know how many people here know Charles Krauthammer's personal story or professional background, but it is extremely interesting.
I like how Omar calls it an an 'aggressive desire" on New Orleans' part to be the Mets affiliate. It reads, and if I remember correctly, it was a shotgun marriage that the Mets never wanted, but didn't get a choice.
One thing we all forget is that besides being major league affiliates, these owners of the minor league teams are trying to make money and want to be winners. Obviously with a farm system in shambles, Tidewater had no chance to be winners and with 2 major league teams close by, would lose support to them.
My concern with Livan is solely he gave up 60 more hits than innings pitched and had a 5.4 e.r.a. in the A.L. where offense has been down this year. He can keep El Duque company when he's ready to play again tho.
Ken, Freddy Garcia, Jarrod Washburn, Livan Hernandez. Which one of these pitchers will on the Yanks before this season is over?
Obama's inexperience will hurt him at some point during the election. I also think the controversy surrounding his former pastor Jeremiah Wright and the Trinity United Church of Christ will come back to bite him.
Freddy Garcia had a showcase workout today. Will Ken provide us with details and results? I predict he is coming to the Bronx.
Krauthammer is a wonderful human being. Meanwhile, his career path has been nothing short of remarkable. From the paralysis brought on by an automobile accident, to his medical degree in psychiatry, to serving in the Carter Administration, to his advocacy for promoting democracy (albeit carefully), to becoming perhaps the most persuasive columnist in America.
JE - One correction: Krauthammer wasn't paralyzed in an auto accident, it was a diving accident and it happened when he was finishing his freshman year in med school.
Thanks for the correction, Jim. I have met him on two different occasions, including once in the FNC Green Room. A great guy and one helluva debater.
Yeh, he comes across dark in his presentation (on TV) and is very dry, but very smart. It's hard to believe he once wrote speeches for Walter Mondale. He has seen the light, so to speak.
Sorry, Jim, I'm off today, so I'm counting on my Newsday colleagues to come through in the Freddy sweepstakes. As long as he looks decent, I'd think the Yankees will go very, very hard after him. Which is why, Dennis, I'd say Garcia is most likely of your listed trio to pitch for the Yankees.
Multiple items to return tomorrow. That month of July really wore me out. I needed these days off.
Understand completely Ken. Rest up and enjoy the family, etc. Hope you get semi-recharged, at least. The Boston trip wore you out, along with the long nights leading up to the trading deadline, plus all that All Star coverage. It was very time consuming, now that I think about it.