Kenny R on the playoff pitching rotations
ByKen Rosenthal took a look at the playoff pitching rotations for all of the teams currently holding playoff spots, and he comes off sounding rather bearish on, well, everyone. Most teams, according to the Fox Sports reporter, have a great 1-2 combination, but beyond that, it’s a toss up.
The Yankees, as we noted earlier this week, will have a choice to make between the longer and shorter ALDS schedule. One will allow them to start CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte or A.J. Burnett in four of the five games while the other will force them to rely on Joba Chamberlain for one outing. At the same time, if the Yanks play the Tigers — and with the Red Sox holding a three-game Wild Card lead, Detroit is looming large for the Yanks — Detroit would benefit from the short series as well.
Anyway, take a look at what Rosenthal has to say. I don’t agree with his assessment:
Joe Torre favored using Pettitte in Game 2 when he managed the Yankees. Left-handers rate an edge at the new Yankee Stadium, just as they did at the old. While Joe Girardi might be reluctant to go with two lefties back-to-back, Pettitte currently is pitching much better than Burnett. The Tigers hit lefties about the same as righties, which is to say, not all that well.
As for Chamberlain, if the Yankees started him in Game 4, they almost certainly would be forced to use their bullpen early. If they skipped him, they might further reduce his chances of pitching deep into a game in the American League Championship Series.
Two years after developing Chamberlain into a bullpen weapon, the Yankees have effectively squandered him as an asset, overmanaging him while restricting his innings, transforming him from an aggressive intimidator into a confused kid.
The B-Jobber talk is, simply put, absurd. Chamberlain isn’t a “confused kid.” In fact, the Yankees have been very clear with Joba about his role for much of the last two seasons. In fact, the only time he didn’t make his regularly scheduled turn in the rotation was last month when he got some extra rest. Joba’s problems this year — reduced velocity, reduced control — have absolutely nothing to do with some false narrative that he was “jerked around.”
In the end, the Yanks’ playoff hopes are going to fall a little more heavily on the arm of A.J. Burnett than we would hope. Pettitte and Sabathia have acquitted themselves well lately, and the two lefties will be well-rested come October. If Burnett straightens himself out and finds his groove, the Yanks will have as a good a 1-2-3 punch as any team out there, and Joba won’t matter as much. The Yanks have won the World Series with Kenny Rogers in their four spot, and they’re a better team this year than they have been in a while.
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It never ceases to amaze me that the best the sportswriting world can give us are Heyman, Rosenthal, et. al.
Joba certainly looked confused to me when he was on the mound the last few starts….
but that has nothing to do with the question (solely discussed among fans and the media) of what his role on the team is.
Oh, no not at all…just a playful jab at the frustrating and ineffective Joba.
Oh and btw…can’t wait to do this all over again next year with Philthy…
ive been thinking that too, about doing this next year with Phil, and all the media bitching, fun fun
And then IPK right behind him…
IPK has thrown more innings in a season than either so his innings limit won’t be quite as restrictive plus, he really needs to show he can succeed on the mlb level. Joba and Phil has demonstrated potential in the majors white IPK largely has not had the chance.
I love how the Yanks have the best record by a few games and no one writes about the weakness of those other teams.
Rosenthal doesn’t spend as much time harping on the other team’s problems, but his piece overall is rather skeptical. None of the playoff contenders has a lock-down rotation top to bottom. That’s his overall point, but it’s not a groundbreaking one by any means.
Two years after developing Chamberlain into a bullpen weapon…
I don’t think that is the correct word, Mr Rosenthal.
If the Yankees consistently telling him “we think your future is as an ace starter, and we’re going to manage your workload so you can fulfill that potential” was enough to “confuse” Joba and make him unable to pitch effectively, I doubt that he’d be psychologically capable of pitching in the Major Leagues, let alone in New York.
To me, the only mistake the Yankees have made in their handling of Joba is not skipping his starts enough earlier in the season when they had the opportunity. If they had skipped his turn a few times when they had an off day, they wouldn’t have to ration his innings so strictly now.
As a side note, I’ve been trying to find pitchers with similar development schedules as Joba. So far, I’ve only managed to come up with two pitchers who pitched 100 major league innings before pitching 100 minor league innings (which is how I’m searching for guys who became full-time starters without much time in the minors); Tim Lincecum and Mark Prior. Can you guys think of anyone else?