Results tagged ‘ Joba Chamberlain ’
The Yankees FINALLY Return Joba Chamberlain to an Eighth Inning Role
The great Joba Chamberlain debate has raged on for years, rivaling other conundrums of past and present history.
Coke or Pepsi? Boxers or briefs? Paper or plastic? To be or not to be?
The “bullpen or starting rotation” question may never be settled with regards to Chamberlain’s ultimate future, but last night’s effort may have helped New York arrive at a temporary decision.
Chamberlain was sent out to pitch the eighth inning of a close game on Monday night, trying to preserve a victory for a Yankees starter who pitched magnificently over the first seven.
Haunting nightmares of a 2007 ALDS gone bad were revisited by the arrival of the same midges that once shook the confidence of the Yankees reliever.
This time the bugs did not travel alone, as a flock of seagulls blanketed the outfield grass like an eerie sequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Chamberlain was able to maintain his composure this time around, determined to not repeat his October meltdown.
He proceeded to effortlessly coast through the inning 1-2-3, like he had done so many times before in setting up for Mariano Rivera. Does this sound familiar?
The eighth inning has always been Chamberlain’s personal sanctuary–a place as comfortable and relaxing to him as a Tempur-Pedic mattress.
The Yankees had finally seen all that they needed to see.
Their talented young hurler was best cut out for a setup role, especially if the team could get such rock-solid pitching out of its starters.
The starter who put New York in a winning position on this day, however, was in fact Chamberlain himself.
Will Chamberlain be a starter or setup man for the Yankees in 2009? The answer that manager Joe Girardi would like to hear is “both.”
In going eight innings while allowing just two runs on four hits, Chamberlain was able to perform admirably in early innings, while also preventing the underbelly of the Yankees bullpen from being exposed.
The most impressive statistic of the evening shows that he recorded 20 of his 24 outs via a groundball or strikeout.
For a power pitcher who likes to throw fastballs up in the zone, allowing just four balls to be caught outside of the infield truly epitomizes his dominance.
Chamberlain followed up two very disappointing starts with possibly his best of the season, which has inevitably caused the emergence of yet another pitching query.
Which two of Phil Hughes, Chien-Ming Wang, and Chamberlain will occupy the final two rotation spots once we reach the All-Star break?
This question may not be answered for quite some time, but the Yankees thoroughly enjoy having to address it.
After all, wouldn’t every team love to have the “problem” of having to choose between three successful young starters?
Chamberlain looked calm and collected in his return to the eighth inning on Monday.
However, it appears that he will only get there again in the near future if he also pitches the first seven.
Also Seen At: Heartbeat of the Bronx
The Yankees Can Forget About Chien-Ming, Right? “Wang!”
Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang has had much more than just a tumultuous season in pinstripes.
A 0-3 record and 34.50 ERA turned a former ace into a rejuvenation project filled with fear and uncertainty.
The unexpected and full-fledged collapse left the Yankees organization stirring for answers–only to find more questions the deeper they dug.
Would Wang ever again regain the form of years past? Had he simply had his confidence forever shattered like the sad story of Rick Ankiel?
Did compensations for a recurring foot injury ultimately lead to overexertion of his pitching shoulder and elbow?
Golf enthusiasts refer to the persistent nightmare as “the yips,” describing the sudden and complete inability to perform even the most simplistic of mechanical tasks.
It usually starts with a missed putt or a wayward drive of the tee, but before long a golfer is left praying for a way to simply make decent contact.
In the midst of a battle with “the yips,” a golfer would rather wind up and throw the ball down the fairway than even attempt to address it with a golf club in hand.
Wang was experiencing the baseball version of the psychological phenomenon, suddenly prevented from utilizing the pitch that single-handedly paved the road for his success–a painfully heavy sinker.
Virtually nothing could be done to rediscover or repair mechanics “gone rogue,” as mental anguish seemed to be at the epicenter of the pitching issues.
New York released a very rational and sensible explanation for the happenings, highlighting Wang’s incapability of driving off the mound with his formerly injured foot.
Subsequent compensations in mechanics put added pressure on his hip joints, while also preventing him from getting on top of his patented sinker.
Whether or not the story is 100 percent true will remain a mystery, but it was far too logical to bother questioning.
After all, an injury is much more comforting for a fan base to hear than “he may need time in a mental health facility.”
On Wednesday night, Wang finally delivered a sense of hope to Yankees Universe that all hope was not lost for his 2009 campaign.
It finally appeared as though it would be Wang’s fastball that would be rapidly sinking, as opposed to the prospects of his Yankees career.
Wang pitched two strong innings in relief against a very talented Rangers lineup, and closed out the game without allowing a single baserunner.
He struck out two Rangers, including one of the hottest hitters in MLB in Nelson Cruz. Cruz had recently produced 5 HR, 10 RBI, and a .462 AVG during a seven-game hitting streak.
Wang also generating two ground balls, proving that the depth and tilt on his sinker are beginning to round back into form.
There is a lot to still be concerned about, and two innings clearly is not enough of a sample size to deem Wang “cured.”
Yankees fans were looking to anything as a sign of progress, however, and this certainly qualifies as such.
Wang’s importance has been downplayed slightly in the recent past, as Phil Hughes has pitched dominantly over his last two starts.
Do not be a strictly nearsighted fan, and do not disregard how vital Wang is/could become to the Yankees ultimate successes.
In the event that Joba Chamberlain is forced back into the bullpen or AJ Burnett suffers an injury, Wang could be the difference between a playoff birth and scheduling tee times.
Let’s hope the result is not the latter…as Wang’s “yips” would likely worsen if he was lead onto a golf course.
Also Seen At: Heartbeat of the Bronx
Joba’s Intensity Reborn: Troubles Quickly Transition into Fist Pumps
After loading the bases in the fourth inning, Joba Chamberlain appeared one pitch away from a disastrous outing.
Chamberlain had already walked three batters, thrown just 43-percent of his pitches for strikes, and trailed 1-0.
One gutsy pitch sequence later, he had retired the Tigers’ hottest hitter (Miguel Cabrera), and returned to the dugout with a newfound confidence.
It would ultimately be the last wrinkle in a memorable performance.
For the first time in 2009, Chamberlain brought something out to the mound other than a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. He brought the intensity and passion that made him the untouchable reliever of years past.
Though not resorting to tribal screams and Mike Tyson uppercuts, Chamberlain was again able to take the training wheels off of his fastball.
The added passion not only bumped his 4-seamer up into the mid-90s, but also returned the downward tilt to an increasingly deceptive slider. A pitch all too simple to lay off of in recent weeks, his slider became as tempting as an apple in the Garden of Eden.
Chamberlain’s final line read 6 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 3 BBs, and 6 Ks. Regardless of his disappointing start, he ended up hitting the strike zone with 57-percent of his pitches. His latter inning dominance, however, could not possibly be reflected in a box score.
The transition from increasingly mediocre to unhittable took no longer than seconds, as if Chamberlain had snuck into a phone booth and emerged donning a red cape.
Following a seven-run outburst in the top of the fourth by New York, Chamberlain retired the next nine Tigers in order while striking out four.
It appeared as though the Tigers lineup was caught with their pants down, unsure of how to handle the swaggering right-hander. A confused and timid expression was suddenly replaced with a stern and intimidating glare.
If not for a heart-stopping ninth inning, whispers of a bullpen transition for Chamberlain could have been quieted for at least another week.
Even an 8-1 lead was not large enough for New York’s “unstable seven,” however, as Jonathan Albaladejo and Mariano Rivera rapidly turned a laugher into an 8-6 game.
Rivera held on to literally “save” himself and the Yankees, although he will not be credited with one in his stat line.
A 0-for-4 beginning to a difficult road trip has now become a series victory in Detroit. Two young and underpaid hurlers have silenced critics of an underachieving starting rotation, and New York can return to the Bronx once again above .500.
It remains to be seen if we have witnessed the start of a reassuring trend, or a simple calmness within the eye of the storm. Either way, fans should be able to sleep much more soundly tonight as their heads hit their pillows.
Jorge Posada Left Impressed: “Joba Proved Me Wrong”
Yankees catcher and emotional leader Jorge Posada was very vocal in his 
beliefs regarding Joba Chamberlain’s future.
Posada felt that Chamberlain belonged in the Yankee bullpen, regardless of the widely spread intrigue with transitioning him into a starting pitcher.
After a majority of Chamberlain’s final spring start was crisp and dominant, Posada was left singing a slightly different tune.
“He’s our fifth starter and I’m happy with that,” Posada said. “He’s been showing me and he’s proving me wrong.”
Chamberlain has finally earned the endorsement of a man as against the concept as anyone within the organization.
Though fatigue appeared to affect him during the sixth inning, Chamberlain proved he should be pitching every fifth day as opposed to at manager Joe Girardi’s daily discretion.
Perhaps Posada has become as nostalgic for the glory days of the Yankee dynasty as the countless fans following the proud franchise.
One of his first playoff memories involved the most dynamic one-two bullpen punch in the team’s illustrious history.
Mariano Rivera and John Wetteland were nearly unhittable in 1996, and were as much the reason for placing a ring on Posada’s finger as anyone wearing pinstripes.
In fact, Wetteland earned World Series MVP honors that year, before he was ultimately replaced by his flamethrowing sidekick.
Seeing how importance the setup role can be, Posada has spent many nights salivating about a Chamberlain bullpen bridge to Rivera for a full season.
As I have mentioned before, I feel that Chamberlain has the confidence and skill set to become a top of the rotation starter or all-world closer.
The baseball world is well versed in his bullpen statistics, but he also performed very well in the rotation in 2008.
Chamberlain went 3-1 with a 2.76 ERA in 12 starts. He struck out an impressive 74 hitters in just 65.1 innings pitched.
It is up to the Yankees as to which becomes his permanent role, but I would prefer grooming highly touted prospect Mark Melancon to be Rivera’s heir.
In the event that Melancon cannot handle the closer role, a replacement can be found in free agency or through a trade.
The Yankees would then be able to slide Melancon into the setup role and recreate its one-two punch of yesteryear.
Whether Chamberlain’s arm will have the strength and durability to last a full season remains to be seen.
Either way, the Yankees know that Phil Hughes is waiting for his fifth starter phone call.
Should there be any issues or concerns, Chamberlain could be back to fist-pumping and cruising through 8th innings in no time.
Four-Leaf Closer: Mariano Rivera Starts Strong on St. Patrick’s Day
St Patrick’s Day is a celebration filled with green top hats, clovers, leprechauns, pots of gold, and plenty of Guinness for those over 21.
The Yankees received none of this, but were able to follow up four dominant innings by CC Sabathia with the debut of their best “re-leaf” pitcher.
Rivera’s entrance was exactly what we would all expect from a man whose only weaknesses are kryptonite and Edgar Martinez.
Coming off of “minor shoulder surgery”, which should be a term outlawed when referencing pitchers, Rivera was nothing short of spectacular.
He cruised through a 1-2-3 inning while collecting two strikeouts, looking prepared to close the first save opportunity at the new Yankee Stadium.
More importantly, Rivera was clocked anywhere from 90-92 MPH on most pitches. He is still building arm strength, and a velocity in the vicinity of last year’s during his first outing is fantastic.
Rivera’s mechanics were smooth as always, proving that he did not need to overexert himself to reach the 90s.
Although Sabathia may not allow Rivera to finish some of his games this season, it was exciting to see the two pitch back-to-back.
They are both strike throwing machines, without being wild within the strike zone. They can spot their fastball virtually anywhere they want, and will rarely go deep into counts.
It is Sabathia’s ability to control his pitch count that may lead to a few extra days off for the Yankees immortal closer.
Rivera is the lifeblood of the Yankee pitching staff, and has been for a decade. Any re-injury of his pitching shoulder could result in a lost season for New York.
However, the Yankees contingency plan in the event of losing Rivera is seemingly set in stone.
Citing three Yankee officials, the New York Post reported that Joba Chamberlain would again vacate his rotation spot to play savior.
Although it is the logical response following two untouchable years in the bullpen, it is interesting to attempt to dig into the Yankee mindset.
Does this mean that Joba will permanently become the Yankees closer once Rivera retires in a few seasons? Would an eventual trade or free agent signing be their preferred path?
There is one more inquiry that is even more intriguing.
Would the Yankees thrust Joba back into the rotation if AJ Burnett, Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, or Andy Pettitte also missed any significant time?
Joba needs to know where he stands.
He needs to be confident once and for all whether he is destined to be the next Curt Schilling or Mariano Rivera. He needs to know if he is a starter or a closer.
Joba is a starter heading into 2009, and Rivera knows it is up to him to keep it that way.
“Mo” has never let us down before, and he does not see a reason to start now.
Joba Looks to Recapture His Fire Tonight Against Cincinnati
Joba Chamberlain has been hailed as the future Ace of the Ya
nkee pitching staff.
At the very least, he is considered the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera’s closer role.
Chamberlain has burst onto the scene in his first two big league seasons, capturing the hearts of the Bronx and haunting the nightmares of the league’s hitters.
The start to spring training in 2009 has not quite been as kind to him.
In two appearances thus far, Chamberlain has pitched only one inning as a result of his failure to retire a batter in his second outing.
He has given up seven runs on four hits and four walks. Also yet to strike out a hitter, his struggles have resulted in a dreadful 63.00 ERA and 11.00 WHIP.
There is absolutely nothing to worry about as of yet, as no injury news has surfaced. He has simply been unable to rediscover the mechanics and control that helped him reach the top of his sport.
The most important things for a pitcher to obtain during spring training are progress and confidence. Chamberlain’s regression with his location is more of a concern than his actual results.
His confidence has been far from swayed, however, and he claims that he “felt great” in his last start.
So long as he understands that the sky is not in fact falling, then the whispers of panicked and irrational fans will not affect him.
Chamberlain hopes to rebound tonight against a young and aggressive Cincinnati Reds team. Their lack of patience at the plate should help compensate for Joba’s lack of control.
While there is no reason to worry about the Bronx’s latest phenom, it would certainly be nice to see a much more ‘tidy’ performance out of him tonight.
It will only be a matter of time before we again see the fist pumps and tribal screams that have helped make Joba an immediate celebrity in New York.
Bad Day for Posada and Chamberlain: Yankees Battery Needs a ‘Shot in the Arm’
Jorge Posada was far along his road to recovery from an injury that left him without the ability to reach second base with his throws.
Joba Chamberlain was experiencing more off the field problems than those focused on performance, as a DWI infraction and identity imposter helped to shake up his offseason.
Both stars arrived at February camp in good spirits. They were confident that 2009 would bring positive outcomes for the team and for them as individuals.
The spring had started perfectly for Posada. The Yankee catcher had been attacking the baseball like he was in his 20s again, crushing line drives all over Florida.
Chamberlain had voiced his enthusiasm and devotion to starting pitching, and had come through all workouts without discomfort. His 2008 arm troubles have yet to resurface.
However, after an encouraging start for the Yankees this spring, something appeared wrong with two precious right shoulders.
Chamberlain was lit up in one inning in his first start of the spring on Saturday. He performed a distant third in terms of effectiveness among the young threesome of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and himself.
There is nothing to be alarmed about, as Joba came through the game without reaggravating any injuries.
It is expected for many pitchers to struggle mightily early on, especially those who are inexperienced.
Their early goals are generally to work on fastball command and establishing both sides of the plate. A full repertoire of pitches is rarely utilized, and velocity is pulled back to avoid injury.
The bigger concern lies with Posada’s surgically repaired shoulder. Though neither Posada nor Girardi seems overly concerned, he was scratched due to increased soreness.
Soreness is anticipated in any rehabilitation program, but to experience it before attempting to catch a game is slightly disheartening.
Posada acknowledged that the pain did not affect him during the swing, but this implies that it still hurts significantly while throwing.
With opening day a little over a month away, any lingering soreness could prevent the progression of his rehab. These limitations could cause him to be unprepared to catch full-time as the team breaks camp.
Perhaps the soreness is merely a tiny roadblock on a long path back to success. There is a high likelihood that this is the case.
However, if Posada suffers a major setback at some point in the next few weeks, the Yankees will quickly awake from their World Series dreams.
New Rotation Ready to Put the ‘K’ Back in Yankees
Fans remember the buzz generated last season every time Joba Chamberlain reached back for 100 MPH on the stadium radar gun.
However, their memory might not be as quick to recall the last time a Yankee starting pitcher had velocity worthy of sleepless nights for opposing hitters.
Surprisingly, no Yankee rotation has had even three starters accumulate 100 strikeouts since 2004. Javier Vazquez lead the team that season with only 150, while also posting a 4.91 ERA.
To put this into perspective, Randy Wolf accounted for 162 strikeouts in 2008. Wolf will never have his fastball confused with Bob Gibson’s, and does not make hitters worry about putting the ball in play.
A pitcher equipped with ‘swing-and-miss’ ability is an incredible advantage to any rotation. While it tends to increase pitch counts, it allows for the ability to escape jams and neutralize a team’s best hitters.
The Yankees last reached the World Series in 2003. During that season, they had three starters eclipse 180 Ks, including Mike Mussina’s team high of 195. The dynasty years also saw David Wells, David Cone, and Orlando Hernandez post high strikeout totals.
Before an eventful offseason, the Ace of the Yankee staff was Chien-Ming Wang. While his career high of 104 strikeouts has not affected his regular season dominance, it has clearly affected his postseason performance.
Facing the best teams in Major League Baseball in October, a pitcher needs an out pitch to maneuver through potent lineups. It is this go-to pitch that has made Josh Beckett and Cole Hamels so electric in recent playoff runs.
Wang’s sinker is a devastating pitch, but the Yankees’ defensive liabilities up the middle make it difficult to maximize his effectiveness.
AJ Burnett, CC Sabathia, and Joba Chamberlain will add a dimension to the Yankee rotation not witnessed since the glory days. All three possess unhittable breaking pitches, and all three have approached 100 on the radar gun.
So long as Burnett and Chamberlain spend more time toeing the rubber than lying down on trainer’s tables, the 2009 rotation should keep many hitters from ever leaving the batter’s box for first base.
In their last full seasons in the American League, Burnett and Sabathia struck out 231 and 209 respectively. Even if Chamberlain is limited to only 150 innings in 2009, he would account for 171 Ks based on last year’s averages as a starter.
This would account for a total of 611 strikeouts for these three starters alone, which is already more than the entire Yankee starting rotation from 2008 (601 Ks).
While it takes much more than swings and misses to assemble a top-flight pitching staff, these three flamethrowers are not one-trick ponies.
They know how to pitch, and they can utilize all of their pitches in any count. This not only makes them intimidating, but very dangerous.
For the first time in half a decade, the Yankees will be capable of unleashing a pitcher than can truly dominate a game. Mariano Rivera may even find himself taking a few close games off this summer.
The Yankees will try to hook the Rays and reel them back in after finishing far behind in 2008. There is one key difference this season, as they will once again be fishing with dynamite in 2009.
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