Gaudin's Start: Don't Expect A Disaster

In the first game of the current series with Oakland, the Yankees seemingly had a huge advantage in the pitching matchup, as it was Yankee castoff Brett Tomko locking horns with AJ Burnett. However, as John Sterling is wont to say, you just cannot predict baseball, and the Yankees fell to the A’s 3-0. On that note, I would like to point out tonight’s pitching matchup is less disastrous than it seems, despite Chad Gaudin making his first start against Oakland “ace” Brett Anderson.

The Yankees selected a perfect location for Gaudin’s first start in pinstripes. Gaudin spent 3 seasons in Oakland, and pitched fairly well in Network Associates Coliseum. He walked too many batters, which is his most noticeable flaw, but was otherwise pretty successful. In 165 innings, he went 12-9 with a 3.71 ERA, K’d 6.2/9, allowed just 16 homers, and held hitters to a .258/.348/.404 line. While those numbers are not spectacular, they are solid, and suggest that Gaudin might be able to provide a quality start tonight. Conversely, Brett Anderson’s ERA in 55 IP at NAC is 4.55. This matchup is much closer than it appears.

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