Game 162: Return of the B-Jobber
ByToday, for the first time in over a year, Joba Chamberlain will pitch out of the bullpen. You might think this saddens us at RAB, who firmly believe Joba should get every chance as a starter — and that every chance extends beyond his first full season with the gig. This move, however, makes all the sense in the world. The Yanks could need a fourth starter* in the ALCS and World Series, so it’s better to keep Joba working, rather than sitting him for a whole series.
* They might not even need a fourth starter in the ALCS, if they’re willing to pitch CC once on three days’ rest. There’s an off-day after that, so they could then pitch Pettitte, Burnett, and CC on regular rest in Games 5, 6, and 7.
A.J. Burnett will try to pitch better in his final tune-up than Sabathia and Pettitte, but it really doesn’t matter. He’ll have Jose Molina behind the dish, and unless Girardi is setting up one enormous smoke screen, it appears that this will also be the Game 2 or 3 battery.
The A-lineup, minus Posada, gets a look today, though they’ll probably only get two to three at bats each. The team is still tied with the 04 squad for most home runs by a Yankee team, and Mark Teixeira is still tied with Carlos Pena for the AL lead in home runs. C’mon, Mark. Just get it done.
Lineup:
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Johnny Damon, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Nick Swisher, RF
7. Robinson Cano, 2B
8. Melky Cabrera, CF
9. Jose Molina, C
And on the mound, number thirty-four, A.J. Burnett.
333 Comments
RAB Info
The Founders
Mike Axisa, Ben Kabak, Joe Pawlikowski
Editor-In-Chief
Mike Axisa Archives | Email
Managing Editors
Ben Kabak Archives | E-mail
Joe Pawlikowski Archives | E-mail
Contributing Editors
Larry Koestler (Archives)
Moshe Mandel (Archives)
Eric Schultz (Archives)
Weekend Writers
Hannah Ehrlich (Archives)
Matthew Warden (Archives)
Special Contributor
J.R. O'Grady (Archives)
Technical Consultant
Jay Gordon
Subscribe to RAB by RSS
Follow @RiverAveBlues
Search RAB
Yankees News from YESNetwork.com
- Postgame notebook: Hiroki Kuroda delivers against former team in opener of doubleheader
- Ichiro powers Yankees to Game 1 win
- Jeter takes batting practice in Tampa
- Zoilo Almonte expected to make MLB debut Wednesday night
- Yankees sign draft picks Clarkin, Katoh
- Francisco agrees to terms with San Diego Padres
- Yankees acquire Fernando Martinez from Houston
- Dodgers-Yankees rained out, doubleheader set
- Yankees put 1B Mark Teixeira back on disabled list
- Two Charleston RiverDogs pitchers added to SAL All-Star Game
Banner Design By
The Tyler Austin Watch
I’m shocked Jorge didn’t put himself in as catcher to prove he could catch AJ….
Anyways, go J-E-T-S JETS! JETS!! JETS!!! BEAT N.O.!!!!
I’m surprised he didn’t force Girardi to dress up as Cervelli and make him catch Burnett.
haha now that would be effing hilarious
I am hopeful that Posada is managing this game. Have Pettitte as the pitching coach.
wow, danks is in trouble early. bases loaded, 1 out
Walked in a run.
cmon danks, gain some effing composure
thank you for getting outta that one mr danks
Verlander throwing 96 MPH fastballs. How many days rest is he on?
he’s on full rest i believe, right?
Yeah, you are right. For some reason I thought he was on short rest.
jeter on base in the first? in other news, the sun rises on the east…
damn, wade davis has a wicked pickoff move
Haha Zaun’s chest protector says Z-Man. I guess he’s got the hookup.
Listening to the Rays announcers, it seems if there were two or three breaks this year, the Rays would have won it all. Don’t worry that they are 18 games out.
don’t mind that 11 game losing streak they went on either
attaboy alex
Nice little emergency hack by A-Rod.
that’s the second catcher’s interference for matsui in 2 weeks!
i’ll take it… haha
Zaun is getting beat up today. Falling into the dugout, now his glove hit with the bat.
Now they ar harping on Carlos Pena getting hit…..ON A FUCKING SWING!!! They conveniently leave that part out.
Kay says that a lot too, although he is Michael Kay so take that as you will.
The comment about how Pena must’ve been pleased to see Tex get hit was pathetic.
Exactly. Such maturity on David Price’s part.
cmon swish, keep a good eye here
damn that sucked
at least they made him work
boy that had me skurred
It’s okay. Molina’s behind the plate, so A.J. won’t be giving up any runs today.
Perfect through .2 IP Posada would never have called the game this way.
God dammit, now you know Posada is calling these pitches from the dugout.
What a bastard.
steep decline
Oh yeah, Jose Molina really helped AJ Burnett there…
Posada is the manager, he called that pitch selection from the dugout against Molina’s wishes.
and evan almighty killed that ball
why does he always murder the yankees
cuz he’s good at baseball
dang
Third ball hit to the track (or beyond) off Burnett. By all means, start Molina. He’s such a help.
if AJ cant hit the inside corner to lefties/outside to righties with the fastball he gets smacked.
cmon AJ
hmm maybe we need more of the curveball or change up please?
No no no, don’t doubt Molina.
my bad, i forgot he’s as holy as mo
cano hr right here
you almost got your wish my man
well thats dumb
Matt Cassel: 3 for 7, 9 yards. A mighty 1.286 yards per attempt. McDaniels was right, this guy would have been way better then Cutler.
i tell you, it’s the system, not the QB. That guy is a product of videotape bill
moss + welker = overrated qb
I know I shouldn’t worry about this, but after watching CC and Andy pitch poorly, and now Burnett get hit hard in the first inning, I can’t help but worry that we’ll get 2002 playoff style pitching performances this postseason. I doubt it, but I’m not as confident as I was before this weekend.
This weekend has no bearing. All three guys could have pitched beautifully this weekend and ended up getting lit up in the ALDS, just as easily as they could have gone from crappy to lights-out.
If you’re going to rationalize, try this old theater adage: “Bad dress rehearsal means a great opening night.”
Nah, it’ll be fine. These guys are just getting there work in, trying not to get hurt.
Have you watched Edwin Jackson post ASB? Verlander has given up 4 or more runs in 3 of his last 4 starts (not counting today).
This is horrible, but a part of me wants AJ to continue to pitch mediocre today, just so this whole Molina nonsense is put to rest and his name is nowhere near a lineup card in the playoffs
see? molina even strikes out to get the ball back in AJ’s hand so that he can keep his rhythm!
ietc
I never worry about the last series of the season…see Detroit in 2006, but I would like end the season with a win.
It’s good to see Molina getting his rhythm back at the plate.
Id rather see Molina find his rhythm on a dance floor down in the DR.
Jose should call his brother Yadi and ask him how not to suck.
did anyone else’s mlb.tv go out for this game?
i missed the entire bottom of the 2nd
Not just you. I logged out and then back in –now the game is back.
there we go jeter
*got the MLB.tv back online*
my favorite jeter season ever
cant wait to see him leading off in the post-season
what the hell??
that wasn’t even close?
any theories on cabrera’s bruised face?
he prolly had dinner with chuck knoblauch friday…
And Mary Carey’s husband on Saturday…
tex why would you swing at those??
Jason Kubel FTW!!!
i hope every twins player goes ice cold if they make the playoffs
Delmon Young FTW too!!!
Jose Molina has the second lowest SLG (.261) of any player this year with 150 PA. The only player lower is Alexi Casilla (.256).
DELMON YOUNG FTW!!
4-0 twins!!
so what is the matchup tuesday…porcello vs baker?
porcello will prolly dominate too… ugh, this is where i wish they had 2006 francisco liriano
but if porcello pitches tuesday that means jackson wed, verlander friday, porcello sunday?
that sounds about right since everyone would then be on regular rest
while if minnesota wins it is probably blackburn, pavano, baker for games 1, 2, 3?
wouldn’t they go to duensing before baker in game three? baker has been a huge disappointment in my book
i guess we would find out by who they throw on tuesday.
agreed my man
One game playoff plz.
buchholz just allowed a bases loaded 2 run single
4-4 indians top 3rd, 1 out i believe
he got a gift from the umpire there for out #2
waaaaay outside called K
damn, AJ did some wicked ass houdini shit there
attaboy aj
i’m assuming melky’s arm had something to do w/ the lack of scoring in that inning? (gameday)
no, the ball hit by evan almighty barely escaped cano’s glove and went into shallow center field, which is why no runners could score and bases were instead loaded
no, runners had to hold to see if the ball would get threw the middle or be caught by cano so they couldnt score.
Pavano starting to get into trouble.
god i hate carl pavano
get outta this plz?
And he does.
That Trivia question is easy, it’s the Cardnals.
wow, pavano got out of the jam
very lucky man
Buchholz has given up 6 runs.
loving every second of it
Michael Kay: Why of course I’ll aid in committing a felony. Here’s my autograph! Say, what are you doing for dinner? Who but?!
Verlander is throwing straight filth right now!…i’m starting to buy into the hype about not wanting to face him in a short series.
that would be an epic looking stadium
European soccer team with 27 titles? You mean Juventus, Kay?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.....nal_titles
Or Real Madrid, who have 31?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_madrid#Domestic
Or are you talking about these two clubs from Scotland?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.....al_honours
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangers_F.C.#League
At least you did a little bit of research.
So if Minneosta wins a probable playoff game on Tuesday, who would their Game 1 starter be? Assuming Baker, their best pitcher, gets the ball on Tuesday, and Blackburn doesn’t start on 3-days rest, would it be Liriano?
I can’t imagine any Yankees fan rooting for Detroit in Tuesday’s hypothetical game.
whomever it is, i hope that guy gets rocked
Duensing? He was lined up to start today.
Jose Molina at the plate= dividing by zero.
I must be a prophet…STRIKEOUT
he looks like trash at the plate
But for all RAB’s mocking, AJ is pitching well and not melting down when guys get on base. Girardi and Cone mentioned how some guys need a catcher to guide them through a game when they don’t have their best stuff, and apparently Posada can’t do that with Burnett. I usually hate when people say things like this, but I’ll trust a former MLB catcher and former MLB pitcher over some commentators.
Greg Maddux demanded Eddie Perez catch him over the formidable bat of Javy Lopez – how many titles did that get the Braves?
Really? This is your counterpoint?
I’m sure the fact that Eddie Perez instead of Javy Lopez was in the lineup was a significant reason why the Braves only won one title (it’s not).
The point is it certainly didnt help when Eddie Perez’s triple slash numbers in 5 WS games were .111/.200/.111.
You know what completely overshadows that? Maddux’s 2.09 ERA in 5 WS starts.
Perhaps it was the lack of run support that didnt get him a win in any of Perez’ starts?
I do see that Maddux did beat the Yanks in Game 2 of the 96 series with Javy Lopez behind the plate.
Hmmm…
Except Lopez was 1-4 with no runs and no RBI in that victory. You mean there are other batters in the lineup?
Again, I think I’ll trust one of the greatest (and most intelligent) pitchers in baseball history over commentators who never played the game at a professional level.
I agree that Cone is very good at what he does and I trust Girardi and Cash 99% of the time.
However, I part ways like the Red Sea, with them, on Molina.
I only made mention of his hitting.
I wouldn’t ball eight baserunners and 84 pitches in five innings “pitching well”, particularly against a Rays lineup minus Bartlett and Crawford.
This doesn’t mean I support a one-game sample as anything decisive, but is not pitching well. Decently, or adequately, perhaps.
The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins will play a one-game playoff — game 163 — to determine who earns the right to be slaughtered by the best team in baseball…the Boston Red Sox, in the ALCS.
/ESPN’d
Somewhere Enrique Wilson is looking on with envy.
Torre still asleep at the wheel?
At this point Id rather see Enrique Wilson start against Brian Duensing than Jose Molina catch AJ Burnett.
I wouldn’t go that far. It’s like saying, “Ya know, I’d rather have full-blown AIDS than Ebola.” Sure, maybe it’s a bit better, but the result is still the same.
Excellent point. Lets agree to disagree that neither player belong/ed on their respective playoff rosters.
JASON KUBEL FTW AGAIN!!
2 3run homers today!
7-0 twins
Just to get a general opinion of everyone here…does kubel really scare anyone?
A lefty pitching to him doesn’t scare me at all. Only 2 of his 27 homers have come off lefties.
my thoughts exactly. and with him and mauer back to back in the lineup the yankees will have 2 lefty starters and possibly 2 lefties in the pen.
scare isnt the right word
pujols scares me, kubel makes me think a little
No, but he’s a great hitter.
He’s very good, not great. He’d have to be able to hit lefties to qualify as great. Unless my sarcasm meter is broken…
Is Joe Mauer stealing signs from the catcher and giving it to him?
5-3 detroit
verlander tiring and choking
Oh snap, Verlander’s giving it back.
You gotta keep him in there, right?
Detroit wouldn’t have this problem if they properly utilized Verlander in the 8th inning. All those other innings tired him out for when the game really matters.
Well played, sir.
how does verlander consistently throw 96-100 with that hammer curve through an entire game? He reminds me of nolan ryan
He reminds me of Gumby. Not in a weird way, though.
lol he does have a rubber arm though
I love MST3K!
boy they cannot get longoria out
hooray! verlander is out. 2 outs, 2 men on base top 8.
great game for him
This is gonna be good. Here comes Rodney.
one more out AJ
Ugh.
ugh that sucked
Wow, C-Grand with the sickness.
Shout out to Jamal G.
wow granderson with the super clutch catch
meanwhile, pavano is starting to wear down
7-1
one game palyoff means tigers will have to use jackson and so the yanks have CC facing porcello in game 1 right.similar situation for the twins
hey johnny damon got on base via a hit!
awesomeness
finally… he’s been killing me for a while
Hakeem Nicks FTW. Eli Manning looks hurt, though. Possibly his achilles.
Yo Al, handle this shit real quick.
Gracias amigo.
A-Bomb! New record to boot!
A ROD IS SOOO FUCKING CLUTCH!!
FUCK YEAH!!
**loves it**
Stat padding even in the last game of the season.
/shakes head
Jason Campbell is not a starting pitcher…
Guzman—that shit isn’t going to cut it in the playoffs.
It will in the Sox/Yanks ALCS.
Heh. Matsui could steal against them.
6th – K-Rob
7th – Joba
8th – Phil
9th – Mo
I can’t believe the Tigers didn’t score there. Still, two-run lead should hold up, right…?
their closer is not that good in my opinion
we’ll see
I totally forgot it was Rodney. This could be fun.
I’m just rooting for a tiebraker on Tuesday.
Let’s hope that tiebreaker goes 15 innings.
And he gets the DP. If MIN can make a six-run lead against the Royals stand up, we got a tiebreaker!
With both teams burning their potential Game 1 starter for 5 innings.
damn, guzy barely got in there
lol
leave it to cano to get the first out without moving runners
melky cabrera SPEEEEEEED!
Tigers win.
Twins need to hold on.
6 runs vs. KC. Doable.
carl pavano sucks
so it could be possible he screws it up
Melkman, bitches!
And… Thats that for Chicago. ONE GAME PLAYOFF
If I were Jorge, I would have myself pinch hit right now.
yeah
Molina GIDP?
Prediction: Molina will GiDP.
Hah. Divine intervention?
It was tailor made…
Mo is benevolent
Mosannah in the highest. I will be in church with my Mosary beads and my Phible.
andy sonnanstine FTL!
wow
I wonder if this is the situation in the playoffs, will Girardi pinch-hit for Molina?
If not, hopefully something like that will happen.
Molina should start every game in the postseason. Proving it today.
Edwar should also be our closer.
Thirty dingers and 100 ribbies! I love it!
Molina should go warm up Banuelos and Heredia down in the September instructionals.
damn jetes, that was right down the middle
Don’t strike out/get an out Johnny!
wow molina is slow as hell
6-2 yanks!
johnny damon gettin out of teh funk
Damon getting out of his slump. We needed to see this.
Damon is back!
wow
they want to pitch to a-rod?
lol this should be good
Why are they intentionally walking Tex to get to A-Rod who homered………….
Johnny Dizzle!!
that’s BS that they don’t want Tex to get the league lead
maddon, someone should slap you in the face
A-rod hits number 30 knocks in 100 after this.
called that shit.
Classy Rays. Walking Tex so he doesnt get a chance to pass Pena.
Molina not scoring on that play is a prime example of what could happen in a big playoff game.
Wow TB is a bunch of pricks.
That first pitch was right down the middle. Shoulda shadomped it.
100 Grand. You’ve just won 100 Grand!!!!
A grand slam here gets him to 30/100.
YEAH BOIIIII!
30 HOME RUNS!!!!!!!
A-Rod. Bitches.
That’s what you get for taking stats away from Tex.
I LOVE IT.
oh holy shit
A ROD IS FUCKING BOSS!!
It would be awesome if A-Rod goes 30/100 right here
just as i typed it… awesome!
Fuck you, TB, you worthless bunch of cowards.
Fuck. You.
Gamesmanship. Not cowardice.
PWNED motherfuckers!!!!
A ROD IS THE FUCKING MAN AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT!!!
oh man Guzman almost got that one too!
Did he just get 7 rbi in one inning? What’s the record?
at least 8 since fernando tatis has two grand slams in one inning.
fernando vina hit 2 grand slams in an inning, so it has to be at least 8
Wow. Thanks guys.
LOL, I dont think Vina has ever hit two home runs in the same WEEK
haha yeah i meant tatis
You’re on beer bitch duty, again, Dela.
man i suck this week
Better get on top of your shit. Playoffs start Wednesday!
well at least you got the first name right.
Record is 8, Fernando Tatis.
Wait till next week when we are begging for his beheading.
i love a-rod. a lot
Okay I can understand them walking tex so he cant pass pena, but saying that hitting him the other day was retaliation for pena getting hit is ridiculous. he swung at an inside pitch therefore swinging his hands into the pitch. It is pena’s fault that he is injured and no one elses.
May not have been intentional. They had 3 games in YS to retaliate (including a start by Price) and they didn’t do it. I’m thinking poorly timed accident.
that was amazing.
A-ROD, A-GOD!! MANCRUSH FOR LYFE!!
Cone has shown himself through this broadcast and others, I would say, to be a pretty smart guy. WHY DOES HE KEEP SAYING HEIGHTH?
30/100 for the 12th (?) straight season
amazing inning!!!
That. Was. Awesome.
He… Is… So… Amazing… Coming into that at-bat 29 HR 96 RBI and hits a GRAND SLAM. Missing a month and a half, he’s still got the 30/100 streak going. Definitely breaking the record.
Hell, coming into the game with 28 HR and 93 RBI.
you mean the inning.
Hell, coming into the
gameinning with 28 HR and 93 RBI.Fixed that for you.
I was watching it on Gameday after I got home and I saw the game from Tex’s at-bat pretty much. I thought the homer was the inning before. HE IS AMAZING
His name is Alex, and he is a Man!
He’s forty!
HE’S
FORTY!THIRTY-FIVE!Mosannah in the highest. You will find me in my place of worship with my Mosary beads and my Phible.
Praise be to A-Rod.
Two Homeruns in one inning…
The whole key to that inning, was Miranda pinch running.
wow AL record 7RBI in one inning
holy shit
will Ian Kennedy be on the postseason roster?
No.
He has as good a chance as I do.
So, yes, he will be on the roster.
Chances are zero to nil.
/redundancy
How is that redundant? I said he’ll be on the roster. We disagree!
This is true. I retract.
/retraction
30/100 and he missed a month! Simply awesome!
guys you don’t fuck with:
A-rod
k-rob
why the hell is pavano still in there
take him out and prevent injury
No, ruin him for the ALDS.
He won’t be starting in the ALDS. Baker, Blackburn and my grandmother are better pitchers than Pavano.
That inning made me smile.
DRob FTK
Cleveland really does suck!
What gave it away?
I thought it was just that Tomo Ohka guy, but damn the rest of them are shit….
A GS to Lowrie of all people?
Highlight of Posada’s managing day = calling for Joba to warm up in the pen.
i think it was the look on harkey’s face as he tried to understand what jorge was telling him during the call.
They see me trollin’, they hatin’…
A-Rod is just a washed up stat-padder
This has got to be ARod’s most impressive 30-100 season yet… He’s soo gonna bLow it up this month!!!
bruney also gets an inning with this blowout…its a last day contest for spots.
8-4 twins
this is why i take pavano out
he is terrible
Aaaand Pavano chokes.
Don’t throw this away, Minny.
You just know if the Yanks draw the Twins, Pavano will hurt himself on the cab ride to the stadium.
uhm… who took a shit on Joba’s hat…
It looks like bird shit.
Joba pitching in relief makes me sad.
2010 ftw?
someone give joba a new hat plz?
something george sherrill-esqe please?
I can’t wait for Kay to microanalyze the shit out of Joba’s one inning relief appearance.
Kay was ready to jizz himself if Joba got anywhere near 98mph.
Is that salt all over Jobber’s hat?
Questions we don’t want to know the answer to:
What is this filth on Joba’s cap?
Midge repellent?
Winner.
Salt/Sweat stains?
Grit.
Question I don’t want to the answer to:
What is the filth on Kershaw’s cap? Looks like a semen stain to me….
96!! there is teh speed!
The Minnesota/KC game on Extra Innings looks like its being broadcast over the internet circa 1995.
nice to see him aggressive.
Definitely
If A-Rod gets less then 100 percent in this poll, the voters are on crack.
Strongly agree.
Joba to teh postseason!
BRING JOBA BACK FOR THE 8th plz?
So, he still doesn’t have his best stuff.
I’m guessing, health permitting, we’ll see much better stuff next year.
But I hope Joba doesn’t supplant Robertson as the ’7th-inning guy’.
how did he not have his best stuff?
you blind?
He was throwing 95, in relief. This makes sense, because he throws 91/92 as a starter this year. That’s not his best stuff.
I tend to agree with Andrew. I think his stuff could be Verlander-like next season. I don’t believe he’s 100% with his arm. The injury last season in August has dropped his velocity. It’s my hope that he’ll be throwing (as a starter) 95+ with consistency next year.
This.
His velocity was not as high as it was when he was a reliever in 2007 or early in 2008.
Did Joba have his hat mailed to him from Staten Island? Is that seagull shit?
I am happy, but I am also sad.
gameday still isn’t updating and I want to see JOber’s velocity and ish.
93-96. mostly 94.
gameday no work
Thanks Joba. Now all the B-Jobbers will have something to talk about again.
=/
Joba is still my boo.
I’ll be happy to see him in the postseason doing more than towel folding. Would have been much better to see him start but it just wasn’t meant to be this year.
We can hang out at tha mall, shawty.
wow molina with a double and an error gift from god via sonnanstine
it’s his lucky day
Ho-zay can you see…
since it will now be the talk for the next week…do we start gaudin in a game 4 and leave the power 4 of k-rob, joba, phil and mo out there with the 2 lefties to make it a 5-6 inning game?
They might go with a 3 pitcher rotation and have CC start once on short rest.
i think that would depend on the series score.
Aceves?
i’m loving hairston more and more every day
That was good to see. Still don’t want him throwing postseason innings out of the pen unless Mo, Phil, Ace, DRob, and Coke are unavailable.
coke over joba is laughable
I agree. Joba plz.
Coke vs. LHB: .584 OPS against
Joba vs. LHB: .800 OPS against
twins are trying hard to blow the game
bases loaded 2 outs 8-4 twins
the twins escape
8-4 through 6.5
Who the hell blew the foghorn while the pitch was coming in, that’s fucked up.
Have you ever been to Tampa/St. Pete’s area? It’s proof that Darwin was wrong. No offense to Andy.
Of course Coney likes it marathon style.
lol I can see Coney getting wasted watching a 10 hour marathon of Entourage.
Another 120 pitches for Verlander. I love what’s happening in the AL Central.