Allow me to quote myself from six days ago:
Every time Sidney Ponson takes the mound, I half expect that to happen, and one night, it will. It may not be his next start which happens to fall against — gulp — the Red Sox, but it will come. Tonight, Ponson managed to win yet another game for the Yanks. He went 5.2 innings and allowed his customary 11 base runners. Somehow, he has to keep up that 1.94 WHIP.
Somehow, indeed. Last night, in a losing effort against the Red Sox, Ponson managed to put 11 runners in 4 innings for a WHIP of 2.75. While the portly Aruban lasted three outs longer than I predicted he would, seven of those 11 runners scored, and the Yanks wouldn’t be able to overcome that deficit.
Since joining the Yankees, we’ve seen a lot of the same out of Sidney Ponson. He’s thrown 26.2 innings with a 6.08 ERA. He’s allowed 39 hits and has both walked and struck out 11. His WHIP is 1.88. Stick a fork in him, folks, because he’s done. I can’t really see him making his next start against the Los Angeles Angels this week.
In Toronto, Jarrod Washburn strengthened the Mariners’ position with a solid outing, and as Sunday’s game unfolded, I couldn’t help but imagine how things may have turned out differently had the Mariners been more willing to consummate what seems like an inevitable trade. But Washburn or not, someone — Ian Kennedy, Al Aceves — has to replace Sidney Ponson. He’s just not doing the job.
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In the end, I can’t, outside of my condemnation of Ponson, be too critical of the Yanks. Jon Lester has the team’s number, and he pitched a brilliant game. The Yanks, since the All Star Break, are now 8-1, and they sit three behind Tampa in the AL East and two behind Boston in the Wild Card. There’s a lot of baseball left, and the Yanks are a better team today than they were three days ago.
Game Notes: I no longer wonder why Richie Sexson was released by the Mariners. Whenever Joe Girardi wants to bat Jason Giambi against a lefty instead of this abomination of a player, count me in…Dan Giese threw an effective four innings, but don’t let those results full you. He had a 0-12 GB-FB ratio. I wouldn’t be too keen on seeing him make a start…Derek Jeter has now hit into 15 double plays this season and 36 since the start of 2007.