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Bruney the only one shocked at postseason exclusion

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How far did Brian Bruney fall?

A year ago, he pitched in three of the four ALDS games. Yesterday, the Yankees told him to go home, opting to not include the right-handed reliever around like they did with Ross Ohlendorf, Chris Britton and Jose Veras. (sic)

“I was shocked,” Bruney said.

Never mind the sentence in that quote that isn’t English. That’s The New York Post for ya.

Instead let’s focus on the good news: After six months of trying, we finally got the Yankees to recognize that Chris Britton is better than Brian Bruney!

Inexplicably, Brian Bruney threw 50.0 innings for the Yanks this year. His 4.68 ERA isn’t terrible unti you consider the 10.61 ERA he’s sported since the beginning of August. He was sent down to the minors to work on his command and still managed to sport a K:BB ratio of nearly 1:1 this season. He didn’t show a willingness to work on his pitching but did sport a nifty bad attitude.

Meanwhile, while Jose Veras (5.79, 1:1 K:BB, 9.1 IP) didn’t show much, he seems to be one of Joe Torre’s Guys. Britton threw 12.2 innings with a 3.55 ERA, and Ohlendorf, very impressive in 6.1 innings, struck out 9 and threw strikes.

So as information about the postseason roster trickles out, at least we won’t be subjected to Brian Bruney in the postseason. No word yet on Ron “I let all my inherited runners score” Villone yet.

How to manage the bullpen without really trying

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I too would like to keep Brian Bruney an arm’s length away from pitching ever again for the Yanks. (Photo courtesy of Bombers Beat)

On the one hand, it’s hard to get too worked up over last night’s loss. On a night when the Yanks’ pitching staff hands out 11 walks and Kei Igawa throws the ugliest five shut-out innings you’ll ever see, it’s tough to expect a loss.

Furthermore, the Yanks, in need of just one win to clinch a postseason berth, will record that victory before the season is out. And seeing Alex Rodriguez crush a grand slam is a comforting thought for those of us a bit worried by his recent dearth of power.

But on the other hand, haven’t we seen this before? A Yanks starter struggles through five innings with the lead, and Joe Torre cannot once again put together a good combination of relievers to hold a five-run lead for four innings.

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Bruney up as Villone DL’d

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Roster changes abound before the Yanks face the Tigers this weekend. Brian Bruney’s exile to Scranton ended today as the Yanks recalled the righty. Bruney managed to give up 4 runs in 6 IP in AAA. In a corresponding move, the Yanks put Ron Villone on the DL with what Peter Abraham reports as a “lower back strain.” I prefer to call that a “You suck, but Joe Torre won’t let us release you” injury. Meanwhile, the Yanks’ best relief option continues to toil away at AAA while Bruney gets another chance to prove that he has no control.

Welcome back, Brian

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According to Pete Abraham, Brian Bruney is back. He wasn’t overly impressive in Scranton, but he’s certainly better than Villone and Henn, one of whom is the likely victim here. Bets are on Henn, clearly, because he can be sent to AAA without repercussion.

Update: PeteAbe says that Villone is not on the lineup card. He didn’t say whether Bruney was or not, but hopefully this means we’ve seen the last of “he who lets all inherited runners score.”