I wish I could tell you that a dominating performance by Sir Philip of Hughes would cement his place in the rotation and banish AJ Burnett to the bullpen. But if you listened to Brian Cashman yesterday, it sure sounds like AJ is the lead horse in this race. I know that Brian was simply addressing what he considers to be the unfair criticism of Burnett, and only touched on Hughes and the rotation competition briefly, but he made a pretty impassioned plea for AJs case to stay in the starting five. He sounded to me like a man preparing to defend a decision that’s already been made.
Phil’s early struggles and dead arm will be their excuse, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that Phil throws a 2 hitter this afternoon and makes them look as bad as possible if/when they pull the trigger on this. Moving Phil to the bullpen means losing him as a starting option come October, since his arm won’t be stretched out. Maybe they’ll swap him out for Noesi and have him prepare as the long man. But that just means he’ll never pitch, and if he’s not getting any game action you can’t expect him to be sharp. They can call this “a good problem to have” all they want, but watching Phil ride the pine while AJ wets his pants every time someone turns around one of his ‘electric’ fastballs is going to be rough. The bullpen doesn’t need Phil, it’s the best in the AL without him and Rafael Soriano has looked terrific since coming off the DL. Ugh, hopefully I’m wrong about all of this, but I doubt it.
Use this as your thread for this afternoon’s game. Hughes will be facing Jeremy Hellickson, so we get to watch to of the game’s bright young stars face off against each other.
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24 Responses to Game 118-Big start for Hughes
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Burnett is the lead horse in the race huh? Cuz he makes $16.5M this year, the same next, and the same in 2013, what else?
So lemme get this straight: If Hughes posts 6 IP 1-2 ER ball today, win for him or not, Yanks win or not, Hughes is out of the rotation since the Yanks aren’t going with a six-man rotation from hereonin?
Cashman is a moron. I am sick of him. I want the Yanks to fire him before his contract expires if they miss the postseason, get swept in the ALDS, or lose badly in 4 games in the ALDS. If the Yanks lose the ALCS, especially to Boston, I want the Yanks to let go of Cashman. I would be confident in-house man Damon Oppenheimer holding down the GM job for 2012 (I’m guessing the Yanks would want to see what he could do before giving him a contract of two years or more.)
Yes, I clamored for Nova to remain in the rotation and for Hughes to stay out of it, but that was before Burnett started to really suck and you know what? I cut Burnett no slack. He was decent at best in 2009, awful in 2010, and he is closer to awful than decent this year, so I don’t consider this bad run by him a random bad spell. This is him.
If Hughes is better than Burnett from today on, Hughes should stay in the rotation and Burnett should go to the bullpen when it’s time to go back to a five-man rotation. If the ALDS roster had to be submitted today, I would leave Burnett off of it. I don’t want him anywhere near the mound in the ALDS. I’m all about the best rotation for the Yanks folks, and the tide has turned. Nova was never a problem. Hughes was and might still be a problem, but maybe he’s turned a corner with his last start. Burnett overall has been a problem and gets only so much credit with his win in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series. You have to go with the hot hand for the fifth starter slot, and Hughes looks like that right now. He could cement himself as that with a good start today. Even a textbook quality start (6 IP 3 ER) by Hughes would be enough for me to say the Yanks should leave him alone.
In fairness to Burnett, I would give him one last start to show he belongs in the rotation over Hughes but that’s it. IfBurnett sucks in it, he should be out of the rotation.
Posada! 2 ribbies.
Can’t argue with the decision to bench him,but I like it when he does well.
What if the Yanks called up Montero 8/22 (off-day), sent Cervelli to AAA 8/23, and called him back up 8/31?
Cervelli starts tomorrow and next Sunday 8/21, Martin 8/23-24 & 26-31. Montero gets the day game after night game start 8/25 (one start, big deal.) You just hope Martin doesn’t get hurt 8/23-30 where they have to call Cervelli back up and send Montero back down only to call Montero back up again.
Martin gets four rest days 8/14, 21, 22, and 25 before the Baltimore-Boston roadtrip. Montero gets 10 starts including 9 at DH and one at C 8/22-9/1, and stays in the lineup as the DH if he hits well enough. Chavez can still get starts at 3B and 1B, Jones starts in the OF. Cervelli’s bat is off the Yanks for 8 games.
This also forces Sabathia to pitch to Martin for two starts. I do not want to see Cervelli’s bat in the lineup Games 1 and 5 of the ALDS and him to be the Yanks backup for the next x years a la Maddux-Bako because Sabathia prefers to pitch to him, nuh-uh. It starts with this year and snowballs into years. Martin is a better all-around player than Cervelli and the Yanks need him in all postseason games.
bring montero leave cervelli..
Three catchers? Martin, Cervelli, Montero. Too many.
Montero can’t play anywhere but catcher.
Sabathia-Martin Games 1 and 5 of the ALDS and all Sabathia postseason starts. I don’t want Cervelli’s bad bat anywhere near the postseason.
BOOM! Grand slam, Posada!
Who says the Yanks don’t give Jorge any chances?
Maybe he’ll thrive playing once a week. That would be really nice.
Sure can shoot ducks on a pond. Be loverly.
Ouch, Phil has caught what AJ’s got.
Great to see Teix ripping off that double. He has been hammering the ball all day.
Phil Hughes should remain in the rotation for at least two starts depsite his shaky but two-run hiccup last inning on a homerun, triple, and RBI groundout (6 IP 2 ER) and Burnett should be given one more start against Kansas City Monday to show he can remain in the rotation also.
Enough with the talk of Jose Bautista being an ALMVP candidate only because of his damn homeruns and he’s the only fearsome hitter on the Blue Jays. All I ever hear about that guy is he just hit homerun number this and homerun number that, but Granderson has done plenty more than just hit now 33 homeruns. Just because no one on the Blue Jays is as dangerous a hitter as Bautista doesn’t mean he should be looked at as more valuable than Granderson who is a better all-around player than he is. Bautista is a 1B thus expected to hit that amount of homeruns. Granderson has as many homeruns as him as of today and 33 HR from the CF position is wayyyy more impressive than 33 from 1B where again it’s expected. Granderson also drives in runs, plays Gold Glove-caliber defense, and steals bases. He’s about as un-homerun hitter a homerun hitter can be. Granderson for 2011 ALMVP and nevermind his BA and he plays for the Yankees. The guy gets it done all over the lineup.
Grand slam and 6 RBI for Posada who now joins the double-digit homerun total club with 10 HR, nice! I won’t get too excited though. It definitely merits him starts tomorrow and against hapless KC. The nice thing about his performance today is it helps the Yanks erase the game the Rays gained last night and puts the onus on the Rays to gain it back tomorrow. It also helps the Yanks gain a game on the Angels who lost today and possibly helps the Yanks gain a game on Boston as well if Felix Hernandez is his usual very good to great self tonight. That’s no gimme as he had his second-worst start against Boston 7/24.
Erin Robertson is not only beautiful physically, she is even more beautiful for starting the “High Socks For Hope Foundation” with her husband Dave. I am impressed that he has donated $7100 to HSFHF so far considering who knows how much he’ll earn as a pitcher? He is a lucky man to draw such an all-around beautiful wife – so keep treating her right Dave :) I’m only guessing the Yanks have privately donated to the Foundation or have they made a publicly known donation? I donated $25 awhile back a day or two after D-Rob announced the organization.
‘Just checked and see D-Rob is making only $460,250 this year (at least $230,125 after taxes???), and he’s donated $7100. It’s great a guy making so little money relative to most players and certainly most on the Yankees is raising the money he’s raised and donating the money he’s donated.
highsocksforhope.com
Very nice on the donation, Duh. I squeeze my wad too tight: a matter of policy, requires a hard heart.
On Bautista: he plays right, very well, rocket arm, like Roberto Clemente. Also plays a dandy third base, whatever they need. By definition, a valuable trait.
Yo smurfy, truce bro re: the other day. I’m a nut I know LOL but it’s only cuz I adore the Yanks (even Burnett who I’m more baffled/perplexed by than angry at.)
Bautista is a fine player don’t get me wrong, but he’s one-dimensional or it seems like he is cuz all I ever hear about the guy is his homeruns. I meant Bautista plays RF, I was thinking about Carlos Pena and what a force he used to be at 1B (man has he tailed off.) 33 HR from a CF is more impressive than 33 from a RF, too. Maybe it’s the media harping on Bautista’s homeruns and not talking about the other stuff he does, but I see Granderson as a more dynamic player. I just think where would the Yanks be without Granderson. Bautista? I think Toronto would still be so-so (obviously worse record-wise but by how much?)
Sure, Duh, truce. Watch bautista closer when they play the Yanks, he’s pretty dynamic on the bases, in the field, and at bat. I know what you mean about homers. Some people are homer happy and strikeout-happy, to my annoyance: as if it were all-important, Gotta admit tho, it is exciting when one of your boys does it!
PS Toronto is stacking up on talent. His candidacy will be all the stronger, going forward.
Granderson / Bautista through yesterday:
CF / Primarily a RF, some 3B
G – 115 / 107
PA – 509 / 473
AB – 433 / 375
R – 105 / 83 – Granderson has batted all over the lineup.
H – 118 / 115
D – 19 / 18
T – 9 / 1
HR – 33 (includes one he hit today) / 33
RBI – 93 / 76
SB – 22 / 5
CS – 10 / 3
BB – 59 (0 IBB) / 92 but 18 IBB so 74 UIBB
SO – 124 / 74
BA – .273 / .307
OBP – .364 / .444
SLG – .577 / .627
OPS – .941 / .1.071
OPS+ – 148 / 189
TB – 250 / 235
SH – 3 / 0
SF – 7 / 3
Bautista’s BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, and OPS+ are inflated by his inflated walk total, less at-bats than Granderson, and playing on artificial turf 90 games a year (81 at home + 9 at Tampa Bay) which has to help your hitting with the ball moving faster on the turf which is quirkier than grass. Also he is pitched to more than he should be as you can’t always pitch around him. He has collected a league-high (major-league high?) 18 intentional passes but has only 92 walks (a nice sum but not Barry Bonds-esque.)
Right now I give the ALMVP to Granderson because he’s more dynamic. He plays a harder position than Bautista and one where it’s rare when you post power numbers from it. The Yanks have had subpar offense at C, 3B, SS, and DH most of the year. Swisher has been decent at best offensively. Teixiera hits alot of homeruns and drives in runs but doesn’t hit in general much. Gardner has hit well but I wouldn’t call him The Second Coming Of Rickey Henderson yet. Cano has had a very nice season. Granderson has been the Yanks all-around best player and the one who’s been in the mix the most or so it seems he’s that, and has done it on the biggest stage in baseball whereas Bautista is doing what he’s doing in the relative anonymity of Toronto pressure-free. Bautista’s homeruns mean nothing because he hit 54 last year and still finished only fourth in the ALMVP voting and he drove in 124 runs, too. Who expected Granderson to have 33 HR let alone 23 through 8/13 / Game 118? He has 44 more games to play. Who’s to say Granderson couldn’t finish with as many as 45-48 HR (hit 12-15 more HR)?
Boy, did Sean Rodriguez smoke that liner to Brett. Cory’s been a bit more hittable lately.
Well, Phil didn’t dominate like in his last start, but he pitched very competently. He had 92 early, tho I didn’t observe later. He mixed pitches a lot this time, rather than focus on his fastball, like in Chicago.
Hellickson was good, but trying to be too fine. He should learn to pitch to contact more, rather than try continually for strikeouts. It ran his pitch count up too much, dragged on his game.
Wow, Freddie gets a break: doesn’t have to beat another ace, because of a cut finger that dosn’t let him throw his splitter. AJ is facing Complete Game James.
Shields isn’t pitching tomorrow huh? That IS a break for the Yanks haha.
So it’s Garcia tomorrow? Cuz I did a search and Burnett draws KC with Paulino (1-4, 3.45) starting for KC Monday.
Girardi should take Burnett out after five if he allows 0-2 runs. A “quit while you’re ahead start”. That way Burnett has more confidence against the Twins.
Whoops! FREDDY GARCIA cut his hand, Burnett against Shields. I just found out about this from the Yankes Lohud Blogs. I thought you said Shields’ hand was cut LOL.
Weeeell…I still say take Burnett out after five if he pitches 0-2 runs well regardless of his pitch count.
Fun fact:
If Toronto loses tomorrow to go 60-60, the Yankees will face only two teams with records over .500 after tomorrow and before the final nine games of the season (when they draw Tampa Bay 3 games, Boston 3, and 3 more with Tampa Bay): the Red Sox 8/30-9/1 and the Angels 9/9-11.
LOL @ Josh Beckett getting slammed for five runs in the first inning by a team who can’t hit.
Too bad the odds aren’t in the Yanks favor to be tied for first with Boston tomorrow between the Yanks facing Shields and the Red Sox never seeming to lose two games in a row plus is Seattle really taking two of three from them?
Bigger LOL @ Carlos Zambrano for blowing up to the point where the Cubs have placed him on the 30-day DISQUALIFIED list.