Kat O’Brien notes that Jeff Karstens will start the season on the DL after straining his groin today. Having recently recovered from a similar injury, I can tell you that those take a while to heal. Meanwhile, I guess this means that either Darrell Rasner or Kei Igawa will win a spot in the bullpen. I think the Yanks would be better off with Ohlendorf or Patterson, but the tradition of having a long man — while seemingly foolish — seems to be carrying the day. We’ll know more soon.

Popularity: 2% [?]

From PeteAbe:

Karstens tossed seven innings in the World Cup quarter finals, striking out seven, walking none, and throwing 66 of 82 pitches for strikes.

So it’s USA vs. Netherlands in one semi, and Japan vs. Cuba in the other. I’m not sure of the schedule. Maybe Karstens will have enough rest to pitch the finals?

Popularity: 2% [?]

From The Times:

Starter Jeff Karstens will report to Arizona in October to train with the United States Olympic team. Karstens, who missed most of this season after breaking his leg in April, needs to build up his innings and expects to pitch for the team in an international tournament in Taiwan this fall.

Karstens hasn’t been officially named to the team, he’s just working out with them. I’ve never been able to figure out how all this Olympic stuff works; I swear, it seems like they name a team every year. I don’t know if Karstens is eligible for the team actually going to the games next summer. You can follow all the Olympic action on what USA Baseball is calling the Beijing Blog.

For a little history lesson, here’s the 2000 Olympic roster, which beat Cuba in a Gold Medal game for the ages.

(hat tip to Patrick)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Via Peter Abraham come roster moves. Edwar Ramirez and Sean Henn have been recalled while Jeff Karstens was sent down to Scranton and Jim Brower was probably DFA’d. Chris Britton continues to linger. In another move, the Yanks DFA’d Kevin Reese to clear a roster spot for Jose Veras at AAA.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Julio Lugo’s first-pitch comebacker off of Jeff Karstens’s leg end up fracturing his fibula. He stayed in to face Youkilis, but after that, it was apparent that he couldn’t continue. Yankee fans then collectively sighed as Kei Igawa was summoned from the bullpen. Our most recent memory of him was his 4.1 inning, seven earned run mess from Monday against the Devil Rays. Only the most optimistic of fans thought he stood a chance against the Red Sox. His wildness surely would have been his undoing.

Baseball is a funny game.

After somehow inducing a double play ball off the bat of Ortiz, Igawa went up 0-2 on Manny Ramirez. But, just as we thought Igawa was dealin’, he freaking walked him. Ten pitches just to put the guy on first base. If Igawa gained any fans with the double play, they were gone by the end of that at bat. J.D. Drew’s at bat involved plenty of grumbling on my part, but it ended with a swing and a miss. Go Kei.

We’re now at the part of the recap where I question a Joe Torre decision. With Jeter on second, Senor Hustle at first, and a full count on Alex with one out, Joe tries the play I despise the most: the hit and run. Well, I certainly hope it was a hit and run. Otherwise, Jeter got such a terrible jump that he should have just put on the brakes. But I digress. Alex Rodriguez has struck out in 17 of his 63 at bats vs. Wakefield. He has reached base safely 23 times. There are few times, if any, that a hit and run is a good idea. But to do it even when the numbers aren’t flush is just moronic.

So either Joe called a hit and run in a terrible station, or Jeter got a piss poor jump on a steal, and we’re into the second. Before I could say, “man, Igawa is fuckin’ us up,” he has two down. Five pitches, Lowell and Crisp. Not the best hitters in the order, but hey, you gotta get the bottom of the order out, too. But, as if he’s incapable of getting through an inning without pissing off an increasing number of fans, he walks Doug Mirabelli, a guy who walked 15 times in 202 plate appearances last year.

(more…)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Just got the scoop from Pete Abraham. It’ll be Pettitte vs. Schilling, Karstens vs. Beckett, and Wright vs. Dice-K.

I still don’t totally agree with starting Karstens in Boston after he missed the last part of Spring Training and had only one four-inning rehab start. But, when you’re stuck in situations like this, you’re forced to adjust accordingly.

Just so it doesn’t go to waste:

Popularity: 1% [?]

Gary Thorne and Buck Martinez are interviewing Gator in the Yanks dugout in regards to the state of the pitching staff. His response began: “Obviously, Wanger is out. Karstens is out…” He then went on to say that they still have Pavano, Mussina, Pettitte, and Igawa, and that they’re looking at Darrell Rasner for the fifth rotation spot. That’s not good news for Karstens, especially after hearing that there’s no real damage to his elbow.

Meanwhile, Phelps just hit a monster ball over the fence in dead center. His performance was immediately followed by an Andy Phillips strikeout. If Phelps isn’t going to make this team, one has to wonder why the Yanks even bothered to take him as a Rule V selection.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Ouch. Granderson led off by legging out a double, Polanco singled him in, Craig Monroe walked, and Sheffield hit a bomb. Karstens finally recorded his first out on a warning-track fly by Magglio.

Yeah, I know, results aren’t everything in Spring Training. But we’re nearing the end, and Karstens has come back to earth.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Jeff Karstens wasn’t supposed to do this. He wasn’t an All Star in Japan; he doesn’t have an onerous four-year, $39.95 million contract. Karstens, a 19th-round draft pick in 2003, is 24 and doesn’t even make a dent on the Yankees top prospect list.

But Jeff Karstens is making things very difficult for the Yankees this Spring Training. It is a difficulty that many teams would love to have.

In three appearances - two starts, one relief showing - Karstens in 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He’s thrown 9 innings of 5-hit baseball racking up 9 strike outs and walking no one. And after an off-season of tough condition, Karstens is hitting his spots with a fastball in the 90s. Last night, during a one-hit, four-inning effort against the Twins, he was flashing two effective off-speed pitches as well.

For the Yanks, their rotation - while shaky - is seemingly filled. Some combination of Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina will fill out the top three slots, and the expensive duo of Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano are slated for the last three slots. But Karstens has shown better poise and better stuff this Spring than Pavano and Igawa.

While Spring Training stats are by and large meaningless, some numbers are telling. Karstens’ zero walks shows he’s not afraid to pound the strike zone and that his control has been stellar so far. Meanwhile, Pavano has looked merely pedestrian in two trips to the Hill, and Igawa hasn’t shown any control even if his strike out rate is high in few innings.

Of course, none of this pitchers has thrown anything close to a significant number of innings. But Karstens looks strong out of the gate. He’s throwing, as Newsday’s new beat reporter Kat O’Brien noted, with a purpose, and he seems comfortable in Big League camp. He doesn’t need to earn his teammates’ trust or the fans’ belief that he can be good. We saw him last year; we know that he can throw.

As Peter Abraham noted, all eyes will be on Kei Igawa this evening. If he can’t show some command and effectiveness today, the Yanks may consider long and hard giving Karstens a rotation spot. He’s certainly earned it.

If nothing else, Karstens is yet another reminder that the Yankees don’t need to and shouldn’t be spending obscene amounts of money on fringe pitchers. Their signing of Igawa was a knee-jerk reaction to the Matsuzaka bidding war, but they have an ample number of candidates to fill out that five slot in the rotation. I hope money and that so-called veteran presence that Joe Torre seems to favor doesn’t trump ability.

Based on cash considerations, the Yankees have invested a lot in Pavano and Igawa. Based on Spring Training performance - indeed an unreliable indicator - Karstens deserves that rotation spot.

Image of Jeff Karstens pitching during the 2006 season courtesy of MLB.com.

Popularity: 1% [?]