SB Nation - Sergio Mitre

Former Marlins News

craig — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:38:23 -0000

Didn't mean for this to be regular feature, but this is the offseason and things get kinda weird around here.

Mr. Marlin was inducted into the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame.

Kind of a cool picture of the some of the inductees, click on the link to see it. Personally, I had no idea that Broward County had a Sports Hall of Fame.

The other is Sergio Mitre.

The New York Yankees have declined their $1.25 million option for right-hander Sergio Mitre, the team said on Tuesday.

Mitre joined the team in late July and went 3-3 with a 6.79 ERA in 12 games. He sat out the first 50 games while serving a suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.

Sergio was never quite right as a pitcher after injuring his shoulder in 2006. Oh sure, he pitched some games, and some fairly decently ones for the Marlins after that, but compensation injuries kept cropping up later on.

Mitre is now eligible for salary arbitration.

Congratulations to Jeff and Sergio we wish you the best.

Another Wang Decision

jscape2000 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:08:32 -0000

NYPost:

As for Chien-Ming Wang, his agent, Alan Nero, said surgeon James Andrews cleared the righty to throw beginning on Dec. 1, and that he could be ready by mid-April or early May to pitch in regular-season games after shoulder surgery.

However, Yankee doctors have not seen Wang and the team plans on non-tendering the righty rather than risk paying a minimum of $4 million for him in 2010. The Yanks will then consider if he is worth offering a low-base, incentive-laden contract to return.

Early May is the earliest estimate I've heard.

Obviously, I've never sat in on an arbitration, but Wang has gone 9-8 with a 5.78 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 137 IP over the last 2 seasons. I doubt he would make much more than the minimum.

Unless the Yanks think that Wang will sign a two year deal or a one year with an option (like Jon Lieber and Sergio Mitre), the difference of a couple million dollars seems triffling.

The Yankee brass has always seemed to undervalue Wang, taking him year to year rather than working out a long term deal like they did for Robbie Cano.

Sherman's Second Plan To Top Atlanta

Sam Page — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:01:03 -0000

Recently at the Post, Joel Sherman threw some water on the John Lackey dreams of many Mets fans, instead proposing a series of buy-low candidates the Mets would be prudent to acquire. His criteria reads:

So if the obvious avenues are blocked, where do the Mets go? I am going to recommend three starters that have this in common: They are AL flyball pitchers with high-end stuff, coming off bad years (all had 5.00-plus ERAs).

He is overstating the effect of switching leagues by totally ignoring qualified National League pitchers, but is definitely considering some qualities the Mets should pay more attention to. Did his search yield anyone worth acquiring?

Sherman's first suggestion is Jeremy Guthrie. He starts with a pretty convincing case against Guthrie:

Guthrie is coming off, by far, his worst season (10-17, 5.04 ERA), and his strikeout rate fell for a fourth straight year, never a good sign.

His strikeout rate didn't just decline, it went from barely average to bad:

via www.fangraphs.com

Guthrie seemingly never had very good stuff, which would violate Sherman's high-end stuff condition. But wait!

But Yankee hitters continued to praise his stuff.

That's a basically meaningless statement, since you wouldn't expect the Yankees to trash their opponents publicly. The assumption there, however, that a drop in "stuff" hasn't led to the drop in strikeout rate, is supported by Pitchf/x finding virtually no change in his pitches' movement. As for his extreme flyball tendencies, Sherman conflates some trends, and ignores most of his career numbers.

He yielded the most homers in a season in the AL since 2006 (35). Fewer than half (17) came at home, but he was the second most extreme flyball pitcher among qualified AL starters in 2009.

Guthrie, the third most extreme flyball pitcher among qualified AL starters in 2009, posted a 10.9% HR/FB, which is actually exactly equal to his career mark. In fact, the huge number of homeruns was the result of Guthrie going from a career extreme groundball pitcher to flyball pitcher suddenly. As a result, his homeruns allowed should only be expected to come down if you think he will revert back to a groundball pitcher suddenly, which is much less likely than simply regressing from some bad luck. While this expectation may be a decent gamble in itself, best-case Jeremy Guthrie is a groundball pitcher with averageish stuff, which is basically the opposite of what Sherman was trying to find. That being considered, Ruben Tejada and Bobby Parnell, Sherman's proposed package, is a horrible trade for a pitcher who is best case Pelfrey-lite and worst case, useless.

For his second proposal, Sherman does something odd, pointing out how team-abuse led to Gil Meche injuring his arm, then quotes the organization that abused him to prove Meche would be alright:

But he was doing bullpen sessions late in the year and two Royals officials told me that if the team was in contention, he would have been able to pitch.

Was it the same Royals official who said Meche's injury came from having the wrong "mindset"? Meche did have some bad luck with homeruns, the difference between bad 5.40 tRA and a not-good-at-all regressed 5.04 tRA*. There's precedent, however: throughout most of Meche's mostly forgettable Seattle career he posted similar HR/FB numbers. Bottom line: why trade for and subsequently pay $24MM dollars for two years of a huge injury risk, with higher-upside, cheaper, injury risks on the free agent market? Busted Gil Meche for two years or Rich Harden for one? Sherman fittingly proposes trading Castillo, because the Royals need fielding help, Sherman and Dayton Moore being the last two people on Earth who believe Luis Castillo plays anything better than horrible defense.

His third idea, Ervin Santana, is like Gil Meche in that he did have some bad luck with homers last year, but has the larger red flag of arm issues and a big contract. Unlike Meche, however, Santana is a year removed from a great 6 WAR season and could be worth the risk. For that same reason, though, he'd likely cost more in trade.

Not being one to criticize without contributing, however, I'll add three buy-low pitchers, who don't necessarily conform to Sherman's criteria (much like his own three).

1. Felipe Paulino- Paulino went 3-11 with a 6.27 ERA, which likely makes Astros GM Ed Wade's eyes bleed. Underneath those superficial stats, however, Paulino had very good peripherals and an absurd HR/FB rate, making his tRA* an above-average 4.42. He's got blazing stuff, a very unfavorable home ballpark, and his value couldn't be lower. Trading for Paulino seems like a total no-brainer.

2. Sergio Mitre- I think Mitre fits Sherman's rubric for a trade target better than any of his three. Mitre demonstrated middling stuff with improved control, but somehow gave up 10 homeruns in just 51 ML innings. With an ERA of 6.79, and an xFIP of 4.19, Mitre may be worth the rare cross-town trade.

3. Braden Looper- Seriously. Looper surrendered a crazy 39 homeruns, playing his home games in hitter-friendly Miller Park. In Citi Field, Looper could likely replicate his solid back-of-the-rotation or better performances with the Cardinals.

Similar buy-low candidates: Ricky Nolasco (the king of bad luck: pitched like an ace, ERA like someone on the Mets), Brett Myers, Aaron Cook, Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, and Derek Lowe.

2009-10 Do-It-Yourself Offseason Trade/Free Agent Post

Al — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:01:23 -0000

More photos » by Mark Avery - AP

Some guy named Brian Roberts. Ever heard of him? Me, either.

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This morning, wrote that the Cubs are interested in acquiring . Cubs GM Jim Hendry . Meanwhile, Hendry said that Milton Bradley would be traded to the . Hendry also said that Rich Harden , and that Carlos Zambrano . Former Cub Mark DeRosa while Bradley was offered to the . The Cubs tried to get the to take Aaron Miles' contract, but they refused because . In the upcoming Rule 5 draft, the Cubs are going to select . The Cubs' plans for Sam Fuld in 2010 include Brian Roberts was located and had this comment on his possible trade to the Cubs: Finally, manager Lou Piniella's comments about the rumors included:

Not "goodbye," just "see you soon": Yanks' last regular season homestand ends in 4-3 loss

CrazyYankeeChick — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:14:13 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

FORGET THE BALL! SAVE YOURSELF!

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There was no better testament to what's seated at the forefront of Yankee fans' minds then when Nick Swisher very awkwardly misplayed the fly ball that scored the go-ahead run:

A month ago, the bar would have thrown its hands up in aggravation. Typical Swish! Bobbles the cans of corn, nails the web gems! Grumble grumble. Get your head in the game, boy.

Tonight? Me and the bartender shouted in unison: "DON'T GET HURT!"

At the risk of sounding like a Second Play Red Sox fan who's been bitterly arguing for the last 2 weeks that these games are meaningless, I will say that losing the last home game, in a game we could have won against the Royals, with a loss that snapped a hot winning streak...actually didn't get me too riled up tonight.

There was, of course, the requisite sting. But after briefly commiserating with the other Yankee fans populating the bar, the consensus was a resounding: "I love this team. And their biggest games are still ahead of them."

I'll tackle the one negative aspect of the night first. And you probably know what's coming, since it's basically become a boilerplate element in anything I write now, (I think it's even inadvertantly come into play in thank you notes, receipt signing, and a grocery list):

Joba Chamberlain.

I've been panned left, right, and center for outright dismissing him for the better part of the seasons.

The Yankees are about to enter the most important period of the season, and the argument can be made that with the unquestionably best team in baseball, this is the most critical opportunity they've had in since 2001 to make something happen. That said, is there a Yankee fan on the face of the planet who is comfortable with Joba starting in the playoffs?

In his last 10 starts, he's 1-4 with a 7.75 , giving up 56 hits in 40 2/3 innings.

According to Joba, this the result of a combination of factors: poor fastball command (that's a start...) and "the first cooler days of the fall." (Well, sure. I mean the bitter 55 degree arctic climate of Manhattan is gong to dramatically impact any young midwestern transplant who still tightly clings to many childhood memories of balmy Nebraskan winters.) Rule #76, buddy...

While Joba is absolutely a much better pitcher than Sergio Mitre, both inspire the same level of confidence in me. And both have the same chance of either dealing or bombing. It's a fun little game of Russian Roulette with every Joba start. Are we gonna see the guy who seamlessly made quick work of the Sox last week, cruising through 6 innings on 86 pitches? Or are we gonna see tonight's Joba, who lasted 3 2/3 innings, and who needed 91 pitches to walk 4, give up 3 runs on 7 hits, with only a little over half of his first pitches being called for strikes?

Maybe he turns into David Cone come the playoffs. Anything's possible. But what makes this risk more rational than say, batting Brett Gardner in clean up? As far as I can tell, there's about the same chance of our little firecracker slugging in heaps of RBIs...as there is of Joba waking up, giving the old "Shelled or Excelled" wheel of fortune a spin, and getting a positive reading.

Well, my mom always says that everything happens for a reason, and everything works out for the best. So maybe tonight's loss was a good thing? Maybe we needed a loss to spotlight the liability with this pseudo-starter?

(Ah, I"m feeling a little nostalgic...my last regular season Joba rant! We've had some "good" times...)

As for the rest of the game:

It would have been cool to get another comeback win and even cooler to break the record for most wins in a stadium's season (57, currently tied with Fenway). But I'm all for picking our battles, so to speak. I'm ok with a loss because it's like they're saving their best dramatics for the playoffs. Plus there's a verrrrry little part of me that gets a little paranoid about "no-end-in-sight" hot streaks, ever since the Rockies' run in 2007. Momentum isn't foolproof. Just ask Endy Chavez.

Jorge Posada made a throw to second in the 5th to try to catch Mark Teahen. While he was rightly called safe, I couldn't help but marvel at the throw--a bullet zipped from home, without ever moving out of the catcher's squat. A perfect, sharp zinger that was made from his knees. I don't extol Jorge's virtues enough, but you gotta wonder where we'd be without him and his 4-out-of-5 tool threat.

After KC scored in the first off third-string catcher Brayan Pena's RBI single, Derek Jeter responded in the bottom of the inning with a solo blast. For the rest of the game, it was the B. Pena, Teahen, Billy Butler, and John Buck circus act of run-manufacturing. The best the Yanks could do was a 2-run shot from Swish, (I really thought we had the game won after that).

With game tied at 3-3 and when it was later 4-3, I realized that with each Yankee batter stepping up, I thought every single one of them had a good chance to win the game for us. I remember days of the confidence peaks and troughs, but right now? The words "bottom of the order" mean nothing.

I really liked the fact that the YES Players of the Game were the Yankee fans.

I also really liked the fact there's someone named Tug Hulett playing professional baseball, when he sounds like he should be bursting into choreographed musical numbers as the guileless hero in an off-Broadway musical.

When the game ended and I started to leave the bar to head home, a couple of Sox fans did that whole passive-aggressive-shot-at-your-team-while-you're-walking-by move.

"Hey, the Yankees lost, by the way."

Really, Second Place Sox Fans? Are you really going down this route?

Words actually failed me. I think Boston fans are possibly the last people who should open their mouths tonight.

"Just wait til October," one continued. "You're only as good as the last game you played."

(To be clear, the Red Sox lost tonight for the 6th consecutive game. 12-0.)

So...I guess it's safe to say that Sox fans have officially removed reason and sense from the table.

The postseason nears. So let's savor these last 3 games before our own levelheadedness gets taken out of the picture, as well.

-CYC

So, who is your fourth starter?

Ed Valentine — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:33:47 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain, right, stands on the mound as Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki, left, and Franklin Gutierrez, second from left, greet Ken Griffey Jr. after Griffey hit a three-run home run in the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009, in Seattle. The Mariners beat the Yankees 7-1.

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Joba Chamberlain is a complete mess, as 'jscape' described in last night's game recap. Whatever the reasons, they aren't important right now. Question is, what do the New York Yankees do now?

Who is the fourth playoff starter? Joba? I hardly think you want to see the Yankees trust a playoff game to him the way he is throwing the ball.

So, if not Joba then who? Chad Gaudin? Sergio Mitre? Alfredo Aceves? Forget it and go with three starters?

What would you do?

Poll

If the playoffs opened today, who would be your fourth starter for the New York Yankees?

Joba Chamberlain

173 votes

Chad Gaudin

266 votes

Sergio Mitre

48 votes

Ian Kennedy

87 votes

I would use a three-man rotation

463 votes

1037 votes | Poll has closed

Let them eat pie: Yanks come back, walk off in 5-4 victory

CrazyYankeeChick — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:39:47 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Cervelli looking totally nonchalant in his first Major League walkoff hit.

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After an hour of the game, I started wondering if it was possible I had accidentally cued up last night's GameDay. Yanks stake pitcher to 2-0 lead. Lose it when Blue Jays tie it up shortly thereafter. Really lose it when Jays take lead. I don't think I could have stomached a second loss, and I would have probably gone into a catatonic state if Yankee Stadium was hosting Batting Practice for our Canadian Neighbors, Part II.

But they came through. They showed grit. (Real grit, not the "grit" that Yahoo purported Brady showed in Monday Night Football.) They worked around their pitching flaws and muted bats, and although at least one of their fans was admittedly starting to panic they kept their stranglehold on our faith. It would appear my susceptibility to hyperventilating is inversely proportional to the number of days left in the season.

~~Anatomy of an averted nervous breakdown~~ Game notes:

Derek Jeter, the subject of legions of idiots' contention he has no range, has spent the season disappointing critics, by demonstrating perhaps the biggest wingspan I've seen from him in years. Tonight, he let a ball go through his legs.
The Yankees are now 4-0 in games where Chad Gaudin starts. I don't understand this at all. From where I'm sitting, it looks like he's just trying to make things as difficult as possible in the "Who's our real #5 starter?" million dollar question game. Trying to pick between him and Sergio Mitre is like trying to pick between Tim McCarver and Joe Morgan. The Jays scored 3 runs on 7 hits, before he was pulled in the 7th in favor of Brian Bruney. Talk about outta the frying pan and into the fire.
How many more outings before Bruney is determined to be a liability? How do you justify someone being an asset when he comes in and promptly sticks runners on 1st and 2nd in record time? Phil Coke got stuck with his mess, and Adam Lind's sac fly scored Marco Scutaro, which would be the last time the Jays crossed home for the night.
Brian Tallet left in the 2nd after Robinson Cano lined one into his foot. I'm sure the Yanks were thrilled with him afterwards when they could barely scrape up a couple of hits off the Jays' relievers. "Dammit, Cano. You know how we feel about being caught off gaurd with new hurlers. What were you thinking?"
I can't decide whether I find the Yanks' penchant for late-inning heroics exhilirating or disconcerting. After being held to only 4 hits in the first 7 innings, their bats came alive in the 8th. The last part of that sentence has probably been uttered about 78 times this year so far. Alex Rodriguez hit a 1-out single to center which was immensely clutch. Because it meant Matsui's homer in the next at-bat tied the game instead of just chip at the lead.

As soon as the Yanks come back at home, I never expect them to lose. They feasted on the adrenaline produced from Matsui's ding, and carried it straight into the 9th inning, when visions of pie danced in my head. Brett Gardner has wasted approximately zero time reminding Yankee fans exactly how important he is to this club. He led off the 9th with a single, immediately darted to second, and then waited for rookie #2 to settle into his own Dare to Be Great moment.

A well-managed game on Girardi's end.

Francisco Cervelli. So many things about this situation brought to mind "Hoosiers." First, his spot in the game was a function of Jorge Posada's ~~idiotic~~ annoying suspension. Maybe Posada pulled a Norman Dale and asked to be tossed so Shooter/Cerveilli could have a chance to show the world what he could do? Then when he steps to the plate with 1 out and the tying run on, how do you not think about Ollie hitting those Rick Barry shots to win the game?

It's easy after a game like this to forget about the problems that manifested themselves in the innings prior to the dramatics. Maybe I'm a bit high strung on account of only have a 6.5 game lead instead of 100 like I want it. The quilt of pitchers they patched together ultimately got the job done, sort of. Mariano Rivera and Phil Hughes looked great, not surprisingly, but is there any way we can be a little more economical with the number of pitchers used? I worry about their arms like management worries about Joba's.

But they got the job done. And managed to do so without tempers flaring. It doesn't get any easier from here on. Heading to the west coast on Friday, the Yankees are on the brink of their biggest challenge of the year, which is to maintain their momentum and confidence while also remaining rested and focused.

As Churchill advises, "Never, ever, ever give up."

And as Adam Sandler tells us, "Stay strong, stay focused, stay clean."

Speaking of rest, get it in tomorrow, since the demons of schedule-making are terrorizing us with another week of 10pm start times. Here's to the Yanks making a killing out there.

-CYC

(PS Sorry about the delay on this! Another CBS880/GameDay night at the office. Still no success in convincing my job that baseball fans should get Fall Leave just like mothers get time off for babies.)

HBP => brawl => ejections and possible injuries (Yankees lose 10-4)

Travis G — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:22:22 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

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The ugly way the Yankees played tonight will get overshadowed by the eighth inning brawl.

The Yanks out-hit the Jays, 15-13, but Sergio Mitre thew batting practice, allowing a career-high four homers against none for Roy Halladay.

The fight went down as such: Mark Melancon hit Aaron Hill square in the back in the seventh inning (probably unintentional). In retaliation, Jesse Carlson threw behind Jorge Posada (certainly intentional), who had some words for the pitcher. Posada walked and came around to score on GGBG's double. As he crossed homeplate, he sort of bumped elbows with Carlson, and then it's unclear what exactly happened next. They never showed Posada's reaction to that, so I can only tell you what Carlson did: he turned and yelled something at Posada, who then came back and went after Carlson. It was nearly impossible to tell what happened in the middle of those 60 players (remember, being September, there were extra players surrounding the fight, making it impossible to discern what was occurring). What could be seen were Girardi's crew cut in the middle and (of course) Shelley Duncan wrestling with catcher Rod Barajas on the ground. The after-effects were evident: Carlson had a nasty bruise on his forehead, Girardi has a small cut on his ear and a potential shiner in his left eye, and CC Sabathia was rubbing his head. Posada seemed unhurt.

The brawl was reminiscent of the Knicks-Heat fight from years ago where Jeff Van Gundy got right in the middle and was hanging on for dear life. Joe Girardi was right in the midst of this tussle, trying to break it up to prevent ejections and injuries. The Yankees have a lot more to lose at this point than Toronto. Posada may well get suspended for several games. We should just hope no one is hurt.

As for the game...

It's what we should have expected. Mitre was Mitre, a replacement level pitcher. And to get 11 hits off Halladay was an accomplishment in and of itself, but the Yanks just couldn't get the big one (5-16 with RISP), leaving 12 runners on base.

Nick Swisher over-leaped a short-porch homer. He climbed nearly into the stands but the ball hit right on top of the wall (and about three feet to his right), bouncing into the stands.

A-Rod was thrown out at home on a fine play by rightfielder Jose Bautista and catcher Rod Barajas. Just one of those plays where it needs to be a perfect throw and a perfect tag, and it was. You can't fault Alex or Robby Thompson for that.

Swish Splash! Nick's second ding of the game gets the 3-2 W, pie

CrazyYankeeChick — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:10:26 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

A face mask of pie. "Have the fans stopped screaming, Clarice?" Not likely.

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The stats for Yankee pitchers are fascinating. If you look at the pitchers with the worst WHIP on the Yankees, they're also the pitchers with the greatest run support. In fact, Joba Chamberlain and Sergio Mitre have the 9th and 16th highest RS for all AL pitchers. What I surmise from this is that the Yankees are like Benny the Jet to their Scotty Smalls pitchers. "Just stick your glove up in the air. I'll take care of it."

Tonight Chad Gaudin didn't get voluminous run support, but he got what he needed. He's not CC, AJ, and Andy. But you don't need to be with this team, because they pick you up.

In his previous 3 games, the Yankees scored 29 runs. Tonight only 3. Gaudin went 6 IP, let up 6 hits, struck out 6, and walked 2 in his 1-run outing. His one mistake came off the bat of the dangerous Evan Longoria.

The second mistake? Came from a highly less likely source.

Phil Hughes gave up a homerun. Read that sentence again. Jason Bartlett took our hurler who probably thinks the game's a bust if he doesn't strike out the side in each opportunity. And to be honest, I think I'm glad this happened. I'd rather his mortality be revealed now than in the playoffs. Shake it off, Hughes.

Other game notes:

Nick Swisher gets pied. He should get two, though. One for each side of the plate he hit from. I said last week that one particular bomb of his reminded me of Teixeira's swing. And tonight? Looked like Kevin Long is having Swish use Tex Tapes for tutorials. His demeanor is such that when he plays a game like this, he reminds me less of a professional athlete and more of a guy who just hit the last cup in beirut.

Alex Rodriguez. Clutch. I'm not even going to waste my breath sputtering about how any other description of him right now is more preposterous than cup stacking tournaments.

Derek Jeter is slumping! 3Ks?? When's the next day game? I dare say he has ARod Syndrome. That many camera flashes popping? My bet is he ties AND breaks the record this weekend. Two bright day games against a team who apparently is giving out hits like they're free cups of jams at Costco.

Jeter has struck out four times in a game twice. Curt Schilling fanned him four times in 1997 with Philadelphia. I'm gonna go ahead and put the over-under at 17 hours before Schilling decides to use this tibdit as his latest excuse to throw in his ~~2 cents~~ bank vault of quarters.

I guess Maddon remembered Carl Crawford's not a bad guy to have in the lineup. I was wondering if this had escaped him yesterday when he sat him for game 2. Since I''m on the better end of a 3-2 W, I feel ok about asserting my love for this guy, who went 3-for-4 today. And also got picked off. By Gaudin. Which possibly may be what Tampa Bay looks back on when they cite their "Signs We Knew Our Season Was All Over But the Cowbells. Which We Wish Would Stop."

Why did Girardi decide to move Swisher up to the 5 spot today? It seemed like an arbitrary move at the time. But now considering the heart of our offensive productive came squarely from our 3-4-5 spots, the evidence is really starting to mount that our idiot savant of a manager has bigger plans in mind for this team. Lead away, Skip.

Damaso Marte, Brian Bruney, Phil Coke, and Mariano Rivera worked the innings around Hughes. Besides for the uncharacteristic Hughes mistake, our bullpen was nearly flawless. Almost perfect. 1 walk from Coke. And pfft. They play like they feed off each other's elevated game.

The Rays pitching is generally nothing to sneeze at. ~~Joba Lite~~ David Price was fantastic in 6 innings, striking out 6 and only giving up 3 hits. Chad Gaudin is not as good as him. The Yankees bullpen may not be as overpowering as others. But this team is winning because of how the cogs in their machine function so seamlessly in tandem.

Tomorrow the Yanks go for the sweep. Strike first, strike hard, show no mercy. I'm still mad at the Devil Rays for the years they spent as our irritating thorn in our side.

There's no mercy in this Stadium. Sweep the ~~leg~~ Rays, boys.

-CYC

Hughes a playoff starter? Fuhgeddaboudit!

Ed Valentine — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:58:12 -0000

by Carlos Osorio - AP

Phil Hughes

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ESPN's Rob Neyer yesterday floated the idea that the New York Yankees should spend the rest of the season stretching out Phil Hughes to start in the playoffs. NY Baseball Digest's Mike Silva actually agreed with Neyer.

Are you kidding me? Where is this nonsense coming from? And why now?

Neyer's argument basically comes to stating that Hughes and Joba Chamberlain should switch roles, since Chamberlain has been mostly awful in his last six starts.

He's (Chamberlain) won just one of them and lost three. He's struck out 20 hitters and walked 17. His ERA has jumped from 3.58 to 4.41. He's looked nothing like a pitcher you might trust in a big game. And he's pitched 137 innings, which doesn't seem like a lot but is 36 more than he's ever pitched before. If he's struggling now because he's tired, what's going to happen in October after another 25 or 30 innings?

Which is where Hughes comes in. Chamberlain is the Yankees' No. 4 starter. Sergio Mitre is the Yankees' No. 5 starter. Which means the Yankees, as things stand now, have only three reliable starters. And again, you need four of them when the leaves are turning in New England.

I know, I know ... Phil Hughes has been so good in the bullpen: 1.11 ERA with an overpowering strikeout-to-walk ratio. Make him a starter again and he's not going to post numbers anything like those. But to help the Yankees, he doesn't have to be anywhere near that good; he just has to be measurably better than Chamberlain and Mitre. Particularly if -- and I know this is highly speculative -- Chamberlain regains his dominant stuff upon returning to a relief role.

Silva joins the Hughes-Chamberlain switcheroo chorus with this argument.

Normally I wouldn’t be for this type of change in September. I believe in a strong bullpen and the Yankees have virtually locked down six outs of every game. The problem is no team is good enough to play fast and loose with a Game 4 in every series. That’s exactly what you would be doing starting any of your current options. Joba Chamberlain is not going to get the job done. The kid isn’t mentally or physically up to the challenge. Anyone who is holding out hope has a better chance of running into the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus these days. Scariest thought the rest of 2009 for a Yankees fan: Down 2-1, on the road, and Joba Chamberlain pitching. Enough said.

Great idea by Neyer.

Great idea by Neyer? I don't think so. I would say terrible idea that makes no sense.

I know Chamberlain has been awful for a while now, but to bluntly say "Joba Chamberlain is not going to get the job done" is silly. Says who? How do we know that for sure? Is Silva Carnac the Magnificent with a crystal ball that allows him to see into the future? How do we know Chamberlain will be a terrible playoff starter? Or, that Hughes would be a lights-out one? Or, that there is even time to stretch Hughes out if the Yankees wanted to?

Here is what we know about Chamberlain. He is a good young starting pitcher who was performing well until the Yankees -- concerned for his workload -- starting messing with his rhythm. Additional time between starts, which had to contribute to some inconsistency. Now, shortened spring-training like starts in which Chamberlain knows he won't be able to get a win.

Can you blame the guy for not being sharp? Or, sub-consciously not being as locked in for a start in which he knows he can only lose? We know Chamberlain thrives on emotion, and when the 'W' carrot isn't there it would be hard for anyone not to feel a little letdown.

The Yankees are protecting Chamberlain now precisely so that he can start playoff -- and hopefully World Series -- games in October. They have plenty of time to get him back on a normal routine and get him right for the playoffs.

Here is what we know about Hughes. As Neyer indicated, and Yankee fans know, he has been absolutely dominant in relief. Largely because of Hughes' presence in the bullpen, teams know they have to beat the Yankees in the first six innings. Otherwise, it's pretty much ballgame over.

Take him out of the 'pen right now, who knows? Chamberlain might do the job, he might not. Brian Bruney, Phil Coke, Damaso Marte, David Robertson might to the job, they might not. The Yankees very well might be flushing the biggest playoff advantage they have right down the toilet.

Besides, we also have no idea if Hughes could actually be counted on to be an effective playoff starter. Remember, he had a 5.45 ERA before the Yankees moved him to the bullpen. And last season he was 0-4, 6.62.

I fully support Hughes being in the rotation next season, and hopefully becoming a long-time fixture for the Yankees. Doing it now, though, would be nothing short of foolish.