When a team has started over 13 pitchers going into August, you know that the wheels aren’t turning smoothly. And when a team signs three big-name pitchers in the off-season, with two of them on the disabled list, and the third having back spasms, it’s easy to deduce that the team is in a bit of a rough spot.[go to www.3rdand10.com to read more of my articles]
Pitching has been the problem this year, as Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano, and Randy Johnson are all injured right now. Johnson, who started for New York on Saturday, only pitched four innings against Toronto, before leaving the game with back spasms. And an MRI exam revealed that Johnson has an inflamed lumbar spine. It thrusts the Yanks into a tough position, because they will most likely have to dip down into their minor leagues, to fill Johnson’s start on Thursday.
The problem with the Yankees isn’t a lack of talent. They are not the Devil Rays, who have seriously damaged Lou Piniella, with their rookie mistakes, throwing errors, and their helping the Marlins to kill any enthusiasm for baseball in Florida. And yes, the Bombers can be comforted by the fact that they are 3.5 games back from first, as opposed to 21.5 games. They are a very old team, and while they have a lot of talent, their players are often injured, prompting Joe Torre to scramble to find someone to fill a lineup spot.
Makes you wish they hadn’t given up Javier Vazquez and Brad Halsey doesn’t it?
Halsey, New York’s pitching prospect last season was traded to Arizona as part of the Randy Johnson deal. And this season, he is doing even better than the Big Unit, posting an 8-7 record, with a 3.70 ERA. Be aware, that the numbers in the losses column aren’t because of any pitchers on the D-Backs, but rather, the team’s low run-production. Vazquez is 9-10 this year, with a 4.24 ERA.At this point, the Yankees would gladly welcome those numbers, as their 6’10” star is 11-7, with a 4.29 ERA.
The hurler from Arizona was supposed to be the answer to all of the Yankees problems in the 05′ season. A blueprint of what was supposed to occur had Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina at the top of a fearsome pitching rotation. Then there was Carl Pavano, locked in at the number three spot in the rotation, being followed up by Jaret Wright. And to round out the rotation, the old and broken down Kevin Brown was going to lose all of his starts, just as planned.
Pavano, the man who had a great season with the Marlins last year, was brought to the Yankees to dominate teams like he did in the NL. But he hasn’t worked out nearly as the Yankees had hoped. Even when Pavano was healthy he struggled, posting a 4.77 ERA. When he went 18-8 last season, this year he has managed only 4 wins in 17 starts. So when the Yankees put their 29-year-old hurler on the disabled list with tightness in his right shoulder, it was either a curse, or a blessing. A couple of days ago, Pavano scratched his Double-A rehab start, so that he could go visit an orthopedic surgeon in Alabama. So while it’s not the quick progress that the Yankees wanted, it’s better that Pavano returns fully-functioning, and ready to regain his 2004 form.
Jaret Wright was placed on the disabled list in late April with a shoulder injury, putting New York in a tough spot until they could call up some talent from their farm system. And all though Wright’s progress is going fairly slow, he will be making a rehabilitation start in Triple-A tonight.
Most people are laughing at the Yankees because of their huge payroll and the fact that the team is only 10 games over .500. Granted, that’s a record that Tampa would kill to have, but it is embarrassing to a team that has invested as much into this team as they have.
They imported the all-star left fielder Hideki Matsui from Japan, signed Gary Sheffield two seasons ago, and traded to get one of the best baseball players of all-time, Alex Rodriguez. And they already had a couple of future hall-of-famers on the team, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera. In the 2004 off-season, the Bombers went to work on their pitching staff, as that was their weakness last season. Late in August of 04′, the Yankee pitchers, specifically the bullpen, began to strain every night. All because New York’s starters could not get the job done. The two pitchers that held everything together last season were Orlando Hernandez, and Mike Mussina.
When the Yankees were adding pitchers, they got rid of Hernandez. Now they are sincerely regretting that decision, as he has been fairly consistent for the White Sox this year, and as New York’s pitching desperately needs more solidarity.
The Yankees don’t need pitchers that are lights out, such as Randy Johnson was last year. They just need starts that can go out every five days, and give them 5 or 6 consistent innings. Even if the pitcher consistently gives up 4 or 5 runs per start, the Yankee bats will be able to combat that. Of course, this strategy won’t work in the playoffs. But they can worry about that later.
And if you think the Boss was angry when the Yankees blew the 2004 ALCS, just imagine what will happen if his team doesn’t even make the playoffs! There were rumors early in the season of firing Joe Torre, and I can only imagine how Steinbrenner will rationalize firing his manager.
Of course, it’s not Torre’s fault that his team has been playing way-below expectations. He has been managing a creaky old team that has been plagued with injuries since the season started. Nine players on the Yankee roster have been injured since the start of the season, and while that number may not seem overwhelming, seven of the injured players have been pitchers. On April 3rd, Kevin Brown was placed on the disabled list with a strained back, which started the Yankees pitching landslide.
The Yankees desperately need R.J. to be healthy, even if he can’t post a 2.65 ERA for the rest of the season. If he wants, I’ll give him the name of my chiropractor, who works wonders with my lower back. For in order to have any shot to advance to the playoffs, the Yanks need to win every single game that Mussina and Johnson start. Otherwise, the A’s, the Angels, and the Red Sox will step all over George Steinbrenner’s ego…and the Yankees.
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