06/04: Yanks Struggle in Joba's Starting Debut
Posted by: Seamus
The Yankees lost their third straight game, and this time it was not even close as the Yankees were shelled by the Blue Jays by the score of 9-3.
Joba Chamberlain labored quite a bit in his debut as a Major League starter, but he wasn't as bad as you'd think after reading some other news stories. Joba threw 62 pitches and lasted only 2 and 1/3 innings, allowing a hit and four walks, leaving the game with a 2-1 lead (the second Blue Jays' run was charged to him, as well). His struggles seemed to be a result of bad pitch selection more than anything else. On two occassions in the 1st, he through a 3-2 curveball for ball four, and the first inning could have been a lot quicker and easier than it was, had a foul tip with two strikes by Shannon Stewart did not pop right out of the webbing of Jose Molina's glove.
That's not to say that Joba's command was completely there. It wasn't. He missed with quite a few fastballs, missing high more than not. But jeez, ESPN.com has it as their main headline (as of about 10 this morning) as if he got completely shelled. The only hit he allowed was an "excuse me" ground ball that found a hole between Giambi and Cano.
The real problem in last night's game was the bullpen. Dan Giese did a respectable job in his Yankees' debut (he pitched 8 games for the Giants last year), allowing five hits in 3 and 2/3 but only one run. Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez were not so good, however. Despite being two of the Yankees more reliable pitchers in the pen this season, neither of them brought their "A" game to the stadium as they gave up a combined six runs, which were the difference in the game.
Not a ton of offense to talk about. Cano went 0-4 but I don't even know if that's noteworthy anymore. Johnny Damon had three hits and raised his average over .300 (I could've sworn he was under .260 just over a week ago), and Derek Jeter tied Mickey Mantle on the Yankees' all-time hit list (2,415).
The Yankees will resume their series with Toronto tonight as Mike Mussina takes on Jesse Leitsch. Leitsch has been a rock this season, as he is 7-1 with an E.R.A. of 3.18. Mussina has also been surprisingly good for the most part, as he'll be looking for his 9th win. Game starts at 7:05 E.T.
Joba Chamberlain labored quite a bit in his debut as a Major League starter, but he wasn't as bad as you'd think after reading some other news stories. Joba threw 62 pitches and lasted only 2 and 1/3 innings, allowing a hit and four walks, leaving the game with a 2-1 lead (the second Blue Jays' run was charged to him, as well). His struggles seemed to be a result of bad pitch selection more than anything else. On two occassions in the 1st, he through a 3-2 curveball for ball four, and the first inning could have been a lot quicker and easier than it was, had a foul tip with two strikes by Shannon Stewart did not pop right out of the webbing of Jose Molina's glove.
That's not to say that Joba's command was completely there. It wasn't. He missed with quite a few fastballs, missing high more than not. But jeez, ESPN.com has it as their main headline (as of about 10 this morning) as if he got completely shelled. The only hit he allowed was an "excuse me" ground ball that found a hole between Giambi and Cano.
The real problem in last night's game was the bullpen. Dan Giese did a respectable job in his Yankees' debut (he pitched 8 games for the Giants last year), allowing five hits in 3 and 2/3 but only one run. Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez were not so good, however. Despite being two of the Yankees more reliable pitchers in the pen this season, neither of them brought their "A" game to the stadium as they gave up a combined six runs, which were the difference in the game.
Not a ton of offense to talk about. Cano went 0-4 but I don't even know if that's noteworthy anymore. Johnny Damon had three hits and raised his average over .300 (I could've sworn he was under .260 just over a week ago), and Derek Jeter tied Mickey Mantle on the Yankees' all-time hit list (2,415).
The Yankees will resume their series with Toronto tonight as Mike Mussina takes on Jesse Leitsch. Leitsch has been a rock this season, as he is 7-1 with an E.R.A. of 3.18. Mussina has also been surprisingly good for the most part, as he'll be looking for his 9th win. Game starts at 7:05 E.T.
