Look at all his career splits, dude has always gotten righties out as well. He’s no loogy when he’s right, and at the moment, his stuff looks right–velocity is a good as it’s been historically, slider looks tight and sharp.

Now I don’t know if the shoulder is so precarious that they can’t use him too often. But if he can go, for me, he easily has to get the first crack at high leverage innings before Bruney does.

I will say, Bruney looks like he’s ever so slowly righting the ship (though I have never been part of the group that viewed him as a consistently elite reliever). I don’t mind letting Bruney start an inning, particularly if the lead is more than 1 or they’re down a couple runs. But I don’t think your plan is to have him work a full inning, with the case in point being his recent Toronto outing–quickly gets two outs, then boom, 4 pitch walk to Bautista, the nine hitter. If I’m Joe, if I run Bruney out there, I’m hoping he gets an out, maybe two–and then I’m taking the ball. I don’t trust the command enough.

Here’s my premise: hopefully, you’re only talking about this situation twice–once in a seven game ALCS and once in a seven game WS. I think it’s certainly been demonstrated–and while certainly not optimal–that a club can win a playoff game in which it gets a short, but decently effective outing from its starter. See, e.g., 2001 Game 5 ALDS v. Oakland (Clemens goes 4 decently effective innings) or 2004 Game 7 ALCS (Lowe doesn’t last that long, but pitches effectively) or even 2004 Game 5 ALCS (worst example since the Yanks pen blew it, but El Duque labored through 5 IP, 3 ER and left them with the lead).

It’a clear to me, given what he’s been dialed back down to, his efficiency in general, his current level of effectiveness, and potential fatigue as he continues to eclipse his career highs in IP, is that the best you’ll get from Joba is a 6 inning outing. Maybe it will be a sensational one. But I’d say the more reasonable scenario is 4-5 IP. And honestly, throwing out any pre-conceived notions–and I’m looking at numbers, though very SSS–not just the ole “what my eyes tell me”–I see no reason to believe that Gaudin can’t be equally if not more effective at preventing runs over a 3-5 IP stretch than Joba can right now.

If you accept that premise even theory, then I think you have to at least see whether putting in the pen, asking him to get no more than 3-4 outs, kicks something in that the Yanks can ride for a few weeks.

Particularly against a lineup where the dangerous guys are predominantly right-handed, I think Gaudin gives you a decent shot at 4-5 IP, 1-2 ER allowed. And I’m not saying that Joba can’t replicate that–he probably can. But if that’s all you’re going to get, isn’t at least worth seeing if Joba in a relief role would be more effective than Gaudin in a relief role? You can probably use Gaudin as a situational righty–but you do worry about those walks. I would at least be curious to see whether if Joba knows he’s got one inning, he nibbles less, becomes less afraid to use his FB as his out pitch–and just so we’re clear, Joba in my book is 100% a starting pitcher going forward, no questions asked. And as I said above, it’d take exigent circumstances for me to argue that you should even consider using him in the pen. But those circumstances just may exist now.

I don’t think there are any good choices here–but I think it’s manageable, and I think this team is good enough to win in spite of it.