Yankees Win – Even With Pathetic Pitching
Chad Chad Chad. You’re bad bad bad.
Hey, I’m sure he’s a nice person. He certainly seems like a sport, going from long reliever to spot starter and back again without complaint. But here’s the problem: he isn’t very good. Three runs over three-plus innings (with three walks) against the sorry looking Blue Jays? After he’d been staked to a five-run lead? Excuse me, but that just doesn’t cut it.
Luckily, the Yankees offense is insane. There isn’t a weak link in the lineup (well, unless Molina is catching), and the bats took charge again in tonight’s 10-5 win over the Jays. How insane are we talking about?
How about the fact that the 2009 Yankees just tied a MLB record: seven players hit at least 20 homers in one season. Here’s the list:
A-Rod
Cano
Damon
Matsui
Posada
Swisher
Tex
I’d say their noble feat deserves a hand.
As Posada mentioned in his post-game interview, the ’09 lineup is stocked with switch hitters, making it extra challenging to pitch to. I have to admit, however, that I’m a little worried about the state of the pen.
Marte has been a pleasant surprise since coming off the DL. And Robertson has proven that he can strike guys out in tricky situations. But Aceves? He can look fist-pumping good one minute…
…and tongue lashing-worthy the next.
And then there’s Bruney. He lost all that weight so he’d pitch better, but maybe he should have stayed fat?
Tomorrow Joba will take his turn in the rotation, and it’ll probably last six minutes, like his previous start. Who will bail him out this time? Thank goodness the Yankees called up the boys from the farm.
We’ll need them – and the mighty bats – against Halladay.
Confessions of a She-Fan 
Jane…please don’t turn into one of those whiny, “everything has to be perfect” types of Yankee fan (the 96ers we call them). The pen gave up 1 ER in 5.1 IP…hardly pathetic. Aces gave up the ER in 2+ innings of work…not terrible…and while Bruney gave up a walk, he did fairly well. Robertson and Marte looked good. The pitching wasn’t pathetic. 4 ER in 9IP on astroturf AWAY from home.
PS: really enjoy your blog so…don’t be mad? 🙂
BTW, the mixing and matching we’ll have to do because of the Joba Rules and lack of a steady 5th starter…is going to be done with smoke and mirrors. We’ll have moments when the P’s are tired/pitching too much…there will be some breakdowns…get ready, be prepared. Try to be understanding of those times.
At this point in the season I look at everything through the prism of the playoffs. Whatever makes decisions easier on who to pitch for then is okay with me. I am most interested in Joba and A.J. at this point as they will start games in the playoffs. Please Joba pitch good tomorrow, please! Oh yeah, Chad is bad. He’s best suited for long relief limited to two or three innings at a time. I would’ve traded for Garland for that fifth spot or as insurance for the fourth.
*You would think that the early 4 runs would provide Gaudin with some “fuel to the fire,” – but appearantly not. I don’t think he did an absolutely miserable job, but between him and Aceves – we’ve come to expect more. If it wasn’t a big day for us at the plate, this would of certainly been a loss to blame on our pitching… Thankfully, we’re on fire!
http://jquist.mlblogs.com/
The Blue Jays are like the kids in school who start packing their books at 2:45 and the teacher yells at them that school’s not over; except no one’s yelling at the Blue Jays.
Give the Yankees credit for one thing RE Joba: they’ve created a new pitching credo. Whereas most quality pitching coaches say, “work fast, throw strikes, change speeds”, the Yankees tell Joba, “work fast, throw strikes…and leave after 30 pitches.” It’s innovative. Give it that.
http://www.paullebowitz.com/
Jane:
It is amazing at how good the Yanks really are.
They have what 12 comeback wins this year?
😉 Julia has seemed like she has come over to the dark side as of late.
Wonderful post as always, and ya made me laugh some more today.
The boys on the farm are just hilarious.
Good luck to Joba, aka : the big baby.
He needs to start pitching better. 😉
–Ted
http://tribewithted.mlblogs.com/
I am hoping that in October, we’ll all be praising the choices the coaches are making about how to pitch and who to pitch at this point.
Here is an interesting tidbit from an article in the NY Times about pronouncing the Dutch names in NYC.
So Yankee became synonymous for New Yorker, he said>>
And now synonymous with champion.
Melissa
Six minutes? That’s an awful high prediction for Joba. He might not even get to make that signature ugly face he makes before screaming into his glove. Ah, the Yankees are good. I concede. But I’m not convinced fate is on their team… not yet.
–Jeff
http://redstatebluestate.mlblogs.com/
http://mtrredstatebluestate.com
Hi Jane
I am one of those whiny, have to be perfect people when it comes to the Yankees, the pitching is troubling, no doubt about it, isn’t it amazing all these other young pitchers you see in the majors going as far as they can like Romero last night, and we have Joba going his two or three innings or less, alot of analysts say this is hurting him more than anything, anyway, perhaps you can talk to Girardi about this in the cafeteria……….Lets hope Halliday is still in his depression about not being traded and the Yanks can beat up on him tonight………..Jane
Jane: The pitching wasn’t THAT bad. Gaudin was…ok not too good, but what did you expect. I admire Gaudin for doing anything he has to to help the team. He is very versatile, and although he is not the greatest pitcher, he is a nice “luxury” to have. Maybe Eiland can work with him. I did miss Mitre yesterday, I have to say. The poor baby. His little arm must be annoying. Aw. Aceves will be fine, he is just going through a “slump.” Like hitters pick up hitters, pitchers pick up pitchers. Aceves was not himself, but the rest of the guys were great. Not everything is going to be perfect in every win. But as long as we win, I’ll take it 🙂
-Virginia
http://southernbelle.mlblogs.com
Look at it this way, after winning seven straight and maintaining this big lead over Boston, the Yankees are going to have the luxury of resting starters and setting up the rotation perfectly for the postseason — and like you said, with this offense, watch out.
http://sportsbythenumbers.mlblogs.com/
Septemeber call-up always make me feel all warm inside…more people to bail out whoever sucks that day…gotta love that!
Jenn
http://philliesphollowers.mlblogs.com/
Well, maybe “pathetic” was overstating it, tsdmdk. I went for dramatic effect with this post. 🙂 But I’m afraid I am one of those “everything has to be perfect” types because I’m worried that anything less will doom us. (Yes, I’m superstitious too.) The pitching isn’t a tragedy right now, because it’s the regular season and we have a nice lead. But in the postseason? Gaudin has to pitch better in relief if he makes the roster. His start last night was not a good one. Aceves hasn’t been consistent for awhile now. Bruney hasn’t been inspiring confidence. I wasn’t referring to Robertson and Marte, both of whom have been pitching well. And of course I’m not mad! I enjoy your comments.
I hear you on Garland, Len, but since that wasn’t in the cards we’ll concentrate on the pitching we have. I share your concern about Joba and don’t really understand how he fits into the picture. His innings will be restricted the rest of the way, but how, exactly, will that help the Yankees in the postseason?
I agree, JQuist. Without the big bats, the game would likely have resulted in a loss, given the runs allowed by Gaudin/Aceves. Gaudin was staked to that lead and didn’t even finish four innings. Just not good.
Interesting analogy between the Jays and the school kids, Paul. But what can Cito Gaston do at this point? His GM made a circus out of the Halladay thing and practically gave away Alex Rios. I can’t imagine that morale on the team is very high.
Joba does need to start pitching better, TribeTed, even if it’s in the three innings they’re allotting him. I miss the guy who pitched right after the All Star break. He was lights out. Where did he go?
I like that “yankee” became synonymous with “New Yorker” and “champion,” Melissa! I sure hope it holds true. I, too, am perfectly willing to be wrong about the Joba Rules or any other choices the Yankees make about their pitching. But I don’t always understand them!
Jeff, you won’t be convinced that fate is on the Yankees’ side until they get the final out in the WS and start pouring champagne on each other. And maybe not even then!
Glad to have a buddy in whining, Jane. LOL. It’s interesting how Halladay hasn’t been himself since the trading deadline. He’s still a great pitcher though, and the Yanks will have to be at their best to beat him tonight.
I hope Mitre is feeling better, Virginia. Try not to worry about him. 🙂 I do have to disagree about Gaudin. He doesn’t seem to have any real weapon out there, and getting the hook in the fourth with the lead he was given wasn’t good. The team needs better. Aceves’ “slump” has lasted a while now. He’s been fantastic for us, but very up and down since he made a start back in….can’t remember now.
It’s great to have lots of offense, David, but I’m glad the Yanks have plenty of pitchers from the minors to fill in right now. This series will require a lot of relievers, followed by a day/night doubleheader on Monday.
My sentiments exactly, Jenn. Thank goodness they’re here!
What an incredible accomplishment for this team to post 7 20 HR hitters in the lineup.. soon to be 8 when the Captain gets his by the end of the year. That is phenomenal. What a team!
Buz – http://buzblog.mlblogs.com/
I guess it’s only natural for those of us who tend to live and die with our teams to feel a bit pessimistic about their chances, even if they do have the best record in baseball. We follow them so closely that we can’t help but notice even the slightest ****** in the armor. We’re like the supermodel who only notices the one (imaginary) dimple of cellulite on her butt, when everyone else just wants to f*** her. I will say this though: if the Yankees can trot out guys like Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre as fifth starters, and win anyway, that makes them the clear favorites to win the World Series this year.-Erinhttp://plunking-gomez.blogspot.com
It is phenomenal, Buz. A lot has been made of the “cheap” home runs at the new Yankee Stadium, but Swisher, for example, has hit most of his HRs at opposing parks. Matsui and Posada seem to go deep on every road trip. Damon has benefitted most from the dimensions in the Bronx. All in all, there’s a ton of fire power on this team.
Some of us are just nit pickers, Erin. What can I say? I do notice the ****** in the armor and worry about them. No matter how many games the Yankees win, I always feel they’re one step away from an epic collapse. It’s sick, I tell you! But I’m getting better. I actually believe, deep down, that they will win the WS. But first they have to get there. 🙂
I missed a good portion of the game, but that offense is something. It seems that Girardi is doing pretty well mixing up the lineup with switch-hitters to throw teams off. I like that idea. That way an opposing manager doesn’t always have a clear idea of what to do with his pitching staff. And I am definitely glad we’ve got a couple of callups in the bullpen – Bruney is killing me!
– Lisa
http://perennialpinstriper.mlblogs.com/
Hi, Lisa. I’m laughing as I look above your comment and see that MLBlogs censored Erin and me for using a word that means the same as cracks in the armor. LOL. Okay. Sorry. On to your comment. I really love that we have so many switch hitters – including Pena, if he gets a chance to play. I guess we’ll be seeing the likes of Melancon, Edwar, etc tonight. Can’t wait!
I think the postseason roster should include one of Gaudin and Mitre, as the long man, if not neither.
http://bronx-awesome.mlblogs.com/
Mitre was much improved his last time out, Babu, so if he keeps it up I’d put him on the roster over Gaudin.