The Good: At AAA, Ian Kennedy reminded us that, yes, he still exists. Against the Pawtucket Sox, Kennedy went 6 strong. He allowed no runs on 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 9. His GB-FB ratio was a very impressive 8-0, and he threw 60 of 93 pitches for strike. If Clemens is suspended, he’s already the next best choice, and Chad Jennings wrote glowingly about this impressive performance.
The Bad: In Toronto, things were less than stellar. Chien-Ming Wang, 10-1 over his last 13 starts, was due, and he delivered. He allowed 8 runs on 9 hits while walking 2 and striking out 3 in 2.2 IP. Wang’s sinker and artificial turf just do not mix. Meanwhile, the Yankees 2-3-4 hitters went 1 for 11 with a walk. Unless your name is Robinson Cano, it was not a good night to be a Yankee.
The Ugly: Jeff Karstens has appeared in two games since returning from the DL, one worst than the next. Last week, he threw 3.1 innings in relief of an ineffective Roger Clemens. The 3 runs (on 5 hits) allowed the White Sox to win a wacky game. Today, he was worse. He allowed 5 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks in 3 innings. His ERA since returning from his injury is 11.37. Edwar Ramirez and Chris Britton continue to, you know, actually pitch well.
But, hey, at least the Yanks’ $5.6 million mop-up threw a 1-2-3 8th. On a night when only 53.8 percent of all pitches thrown by the Yanks went for strikes, Farnsworth was the best. Funny how that works out sometimes.