Could It Have Been Worse?
Short of injury, can you think of a worse result than tonight's game? Not the score, but how things transpired. Think about it, Joba makes his first start and doesn't make it deeper than 7 outs. Then, with the score close in the seventh inning, the Yankees turn the game over to Joba's replacements in the bullpen and they blow up in a huge way.
People who didn't want Joba to be moved will be screaming from the rooftops tonight and I advise those of you who did want him to be moved to avoid talk radio tomorrow.
So, what happens now, where do the Yankees go from here?
First and foremost, they should not abandon their plan to keep Joba in the rotation. He didn't look great, he didn't look bad and he certainly was still throwing hard after 60 pitches. That is a starting pitcher and they need to continue to develop that.
But, the bullpen is a mess. (One question, if Ohlendorf is a grounball guy and you love his arm then why not bring him in with the bases loaded when you need a grounder?) The Yankees need to rebuild the pen on the fly and they need to do it first by subtracting Hawkins and Farnsworth. There are lots of young arms in the minors, clear out the old and let's start with the young.
And now depression sets in.
Comments
I didn't watch it but I was surprised to see the number of walks. Was he doing his Dice-K impression and nibbling?
I would think that Yankee fans should be hoping for him to get better each time out for 2-4 outings and then the expectation would be to get 5-6 innings out of him each time.
Posted by: blmeanie | June 4, 2008 08:08 AM |
I think it was a combination of his nerves and the Blue Jays were very patient.
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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June 4, 2008 09:19 AM
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I'm rooting for Joba, as I was following this for work:
http://www.indianz.com/News/2008/009091.asp
Posted by: Liza | June 4, 2008 09:24 AM |
I remember Joba getting lit up in spring training starts. I'm still skeptical about the whole project. Would prefer Joba to remain a reliever and eventually replace Rivera as a closer.
Posted by: Corey | June 4, 2008 09:26 AM |
I understand the thinking Corey, but remember that Mariano was tried in the rotation before he became a closer. If he fails, they could move him back next year, but if he becomes a #1 starter isn't that more valuable?
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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June 4, 2008 01:24 PM
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Ohlendorf is who you bring in if you need a HR hit.
Posted by: tim | June 4, 2008 09:12 PM |