2.5 Games Up
Another good win for the Yankees last night. Hughes was shaky for the first 4 innings, but held it together, and dominated in the 5th and 6th innings. Girardi brought him back out to start the 7th as well, even tho he was over 100 pitches on the night.
Hughes line for the night was 6.1 IP, 4 H. 3R. 3 ER, 5 BB, 6K. The 5 walks he gave up is a little concerning, and could have led to much more damage from a better hitting team. That total needs to come down if he is going to be effective in the post-season. Though before this game he had only allowed 1 walk in September… so who really knows what to expect.
The win last night also guaranteed that the Yankees go into the weekend series with the Red Sox holding first place in the AL East. The win also brings the Yankees magic number down to 3 to clinch a playoff spot…
AP photo
The pen was excellent last night, and I would really like to give credit to Joba Chamberlain. Joba has been ripped by Yankee fans all season long… Heck, he has been ripped by people the last couple of years… So much expectation has been put on this kids shoulders. Anyone who has read this blog in the past, and there probably aren’t many left, know how much I supported Joba as a starter. I still think the Yankees should have sent him to the minors and allowed him to develop into the starter I think he could be… but that’s another conversation. Having said that, Joba was LIGHTS OUT last night. He pitched 1.2 innings, gave up only 1 hit, and came into a hard situation to shut down the Rays and earn the save… Not sure I like how saves are determined but that isn’t up to me, nor does it matter in the long run.
The Yankee pen has been very good since Cashman went out and got Kerry Wood. He solidified the entire pen, created some competition, and has made everyone better. Robertson has also been great… and of course Mo is always waiting in the wings… I like where the pen is right now, and hope everything holds together over the next couple of weeks.
Tonight A.J. vs Wade Davis… A guy who married a girl from the town I live in. From what I understand he is a very good guy, but never the less, I hope the Yankees embarrass him in front of his friends and family… Sorry Wade, and anyone from Marlboro who may like him.
Hopefully the good A.J. shows up, and the offense gives him a ton of run support…
As always,
GO YANKEES!!!
I’ve gotta disagree with you on Joba as a starter. The Yankee brain trust really fucked him up moving him back and forth and messing with his confidence. He should have never been moved from the setup role and “heir apparent” to The Great One.
He can’t maintain a high-90′s fastball through 6 or 7 innings, and if he doesn’t have that, he’s just mediocre.
I agree that the Yankee brain trust fucked him up… They really blew it with Joba. The reason I was so in favor of him being a starter was because that is what he was his entire career. From when he was a kid to his college days. The Yankees were only able to draft him because of some possible problems with his shoulder.
When he was brought up to help the Yankees out of the pen I was all for it. Giving the kid a chance to get his feet wet, and use his electric stuff to help the Yankees make the playoffs… However, it was just that, a taste. He wasn’t supposed to be Mo’s heir apparent, he was supposed to be a starter… He never was given a chance to develop however. Look at his minor league numbers, he never even spent a full year in the minors…
At this point now because of how the Yankees handled his development, or lack of, I think he is not going to get another shot as a starter, and he will probably stay in the pen.
I just want him to continue to pitch like he did last night for the remainder of the season.