Joba hasn’t been the same pitcher that roared out of the all-star break since the Yankees changed his routine and pitched Joba on extended rest.  He was phenomenal in his starts on regular rest coming out of the break and now he is struggling as he follows Yankee management’s plans.  Six and seven days rest is too much for Joba.  He can’t find a groove, can’t get a rhythm, and can’t get a static schedule.  When Yankee management first implemented the “Joba Rules”, Joba didn’t even know when exactly he was going to pitch.  It messes with his mind and messes with his daily routine.  

The Yankees have done away with the rules and will pitch Joba on regular rest, every fifth game, for the remainder of the season.  Joba will stick to a routine and know exactly when he is pitching.  

The Yanks don’t want to wear Joba out by having him pitch a ton of innings early in his career but the “Joba Rules” haven’t worked.  As the Yankees get Joba back to starting every fifth game, they’ll ease him back in.  Pitch him four innings in a start then go up from there.  

I applaud the Yankees for realizing their plan for Joba hasn’t worked and probably won’t work. I applaud them for coming out and basically saying it was a mistake to extend Joba’s rest period between starts.  Pitching Joba on normal rest will keep him sharp and we should see positive results.  I think he’ll get reacclimatized to pitching every fifth day and start pitching like he did after the all-star break.

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