So Javy's return to the starting rotation this Saturday seems to indicate two things:
First, Javy has pitched well enough in his long-relief role to earn another look in the starting rotation.
Second, AJ Burnett is on notice. There is a point at which even a $16.5 salary for 2010 does not buy you indefinite status as a starter, and that point might just be after you've had 5 starts in a row in the middle of a divisional race that yield the following line: 0-4; 7.80 ERA; 1.700 WHIP; .311 BAA; 6.0 IP/G. I used to think that the worst thing about AJ was how inconsistent he was. I now realize that one step worse than that is being consistently horrible. If current performance is any indication, I'd be fine with a rotation the rest of the way that goes CC; Andy; Javy; Phil; Ivan. If AJ doesn't get better before Andy returns – which is to say in his next three starts beginning tonight – that may very well be the Yankees' rotation for the rest of the regular season.
25 replies on “Rotation in Flux”
AJ:
K
4 pitch walk
Single
K
19 pitches with 2 outs…
SCORELESS FIRST INNING FOR AJ!!!! THANK FUCKING SCIENCE!!!
Of course, he can implode at any moment so we aren’t out of the woods…
JETER GOT A HIT!!!! What the hell is going on here…
Tex is on fire. Doubles in Jeter…love it.
1-0 after 1…
So far so good…(fingers crossed)…
2-0 thanks to an error…
Here we go…the AJ implosion begins…4-2. Fucking worthless piece of shit. The worst thing about him is that he is a feeble-minded redneck and once he starts to fall apart, he can’t come back. Loser.
This game is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay to close…thanks to AJ’s worthlessness.
Not a bad start for AJ.
It is sad how low our expectations are of him. He is the worst but…
5TH WIN IN A ROW!!! Woo hoo.
Anyone see the brawl in Florida???
I agree Dusty – he was around the strike zone much more tonight and his stuff looked good. Plenty of Ks too and he could have easily pitched the 7th if Girardi wasn’t so (understandably) anxious to get him out before another psyche-crushing implosion. The MVPs of this team for the past few weeks have been Teixeira, Cano, Thames, and the entire bullpen. Tonight Teix and the pen did it again. In truth, if Jeter doesn’t reach on an error the Yankees likely don’t win the game. Unfortunately TB edged out Toronto so nothing gained tonight, but you gotta like CC on the mound to go for the 4-game sweep tomorrow.
Let’s get out the brooms!!!
Man, the Sox have gotten everything they could have expected out of Beltre and more. The guy has been a monster. While I haven’t seen many Sox games, it seems from the headlines and boxscores I scan that he has delivered at least a few games almost single-handedly to them.
I wonder if they will re-sign him??? Will have to spend some serious loot…
not quite 2004 with LA, but yeah, this guy has been on fire for the sox…but, the sox will do as they always do, place a value on him, with an eye on the future, and walk away if his perceived value does not match theirs…that approach makes a lot of sense to me…the biggest consideration the sox will have to make is whether this is the real beltre, who if you remember, the sox picked up for his defense, willing to sacrifce his lack of offense, or if it’s an anomaly, a la jose bautista…where the hell did that guy come from?…looks like the jays will have to make a similar offseason decision as the sox…would be funny if they end up swapping FA 3b’s…
The important thing about last night’s start for AJ is the strikeouts (8 in 6 innings). It tied his season high and in he racked them up in fewer innings than the previous 8K outings. The bad news that starts following outings of 7+ strikeouts have been among the worst starts for him this season. That’s the enigma of A.J. Burnett. So it goes…
What the hell happened to Swish??? He’s out of the game???
Did Braden get hurt too? Or did he get ejected for hitting Jeter? Watching on GameDay in a meeting….
I’m gameday too…no idea?????
Was at the game. Very hot at the Stadium and I assumed that was what took Swisher and Braden out. Turns out that was right in Braden’s case (heat-induced leg cramps) but for Swish it was stiffness in his leg where he was hit a couple days ago. Anyway, turned out great for the Yankees – Braden was pitching extraordinarily well and Granderson replaced Swisher with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs. His first landed 8 rows to the left of whre we were.
CC is the definition of an ace. Guy eats innings, dominates especially during the late months of the season, and keeps the Yanks in the game eve on his worst days. Yesterday’s performance was masterful. Curious to see how Nova does today against the homer-happy Jays. Hopefully he and Bautista won’t get into it with each other again.
A-Rod broke up with Scott Boras. He claims he’s learned everything he needs to know from his old master and is ready to claim the throne of the underworld on his own.*
*not verbatim
CC is a golden god. It was hot as balls when I was in the Stadium in July too IH! Lucky for us it was a night game so it got better. The subway was like a sauna, if you filled a sauna with garbage.
4 DAY WEEKEND BABY!!! Got the place cleaned, hit the store and made it home for 1st pitch! Nova gives up a solo shot. 0-1. Lame.
LET’S GO YANKEES!!!! WIN OUT THE REST OF THESE GAMES BABY!!!
Gamer up top just for you Krueg. And Sterling with another missed-HR-call on Teix’s hot. Sterling is infuriating. And Teix is absurdly hot at the plate.
Tex is on fire. RBI’s for Tex and Cano and just like that…2-1 CHAMPS!!!