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We won today based on three great pitching performances. That's good but ...

We played ugly today at the plate by leaving 16 basreunners stranded. One of the announcers mentioned that we're batting something like .160 with RISP. That's bad but I don't think guys like Posada, Damon and Cano will remain under .200 much longer and Jeter will find a way to come up from his current .217 BA.

Right now, yep it is very early in the season, but we're battling the Dead Sox for the cellar in the AL East.

Today was ugly at the plate, but it was a miserable day here in Gotham. Lower 40's and very windy, not a nice day to play ball.

Looked like another lousy gameday for the Boys of Summer tonight. I could see their breath and it looked damp - recipe for a "raw" night. Jete's quad or groin or whatever the heck he pulled is probably a direct result of the conditions.

Moose surprised me with his performance. Bruney looked fine and Krazy Kyle looked OK also. Hawkins is a little scarey as just about every pitch is 91 MPH in the exact same location. He also looks like a deer in the headlights when he's pitching in the ninth.

Damon looks off and Betemit looked pretty bad at the plate. A-Rod is taking some HUGE swings, but we still need to get this guy some garters ...

Better looking game tonight. It's a win.

Again I sit here wondering...where is Hughes velocity?

Every scouting report i find on the web has him 93-95 with ease, but he has never been close to that velocity in his big league starts, usually 89-91.

Big difference there.

Whenever I see a young pitcher like Hughes lose the strike zone like he did tonight, I suspect that he's just not yet mature enough to find the rigid consistency in his pitching motion that an older, established pitcher can hold from game to game. I saw IPK do the same thing his last game also.

It's not pleasant to watch but it does happen. If those two are mentally tough enough to learn from this, to drill themselves to repeat their SUCCESSFUL deliveries whenever they toe the rubber, then folks we will have the nucleus of a new dynasty.

Joba? I think he's got his motion honed to perfection right now. He's at a tremendous advantage because he doesn't have to pace himself to be able to throw 100 pitches and go through a lineup 3 or 4 times per game. But that kid is just "filthy" in a truly beautiful way and is ready to be Mo's successor. Probably a waste of his talent, but the job is his for the asking if Mo falls apart. The flip side is that if he can find a 4th K pitch, they will surely move him to the rotation - innings cap permitting - at which point he'll be faced with the same "pacing" issues currently facing IPK and Hughes.

Ian, my guess is that he's been trying to be effective with less velocity now. That last 4 MPH comes from the wrist and fingers at the point of release and can cause forearm and elbow problems if done wrong or even done repeatedly if there is stress in the release.

If I can throw 90, change up to 80, slide and/or curve and hit my spots, I'll typically last longer in a game and career than if I need to hit 95 to K someone. Look at Kyle - he will get you out if he's got 2 days of rest and can punch you out at 95. Without the rest period, his velocity is down and his ERA goes up - and he's only pitching for 3 outs instead of 15 to 21 that a starter is asked to get.

Starters need to go the distance, eat innings, whatever prose you want to use. They typically can't muscle you every inning. Yep, there are exceptions like a Nolan Ryan or a Clemens, but even Clemens learned to get by with lower velocity his last few successful years.

If Hughes and IPK can be just as effective in the low 90s, I'd take the results over the flash or the radar gun. But, heck yeah, when Joba lights it up in triple digits, it's a blast to see and dazzles the fans - but I can guarantee he's not going to do that for 6 or 7 innings every fifth game. No way.