Posts Tagged ‘Chad Gaudin’

The question of who will be the Yankees fifth starting pitcher is sure to be a hot topic until a decision is reached later this Spring. The leading candidates are the obvious suspects, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, followed by Sergio Mitre, Alfredo Aceves and Chad Gaudin (in no specific order).

Early spring training starts aside, who is better suited to be the Yankees fifth starter? I don’t think I’m going out on the limb by saying that the spot will be given to either Joba or Hughes. The Yankees have visions of one of them being a starter this season, although, could you imagine how good their bullpen would be all season if they had both guys in there? They’d lock down the 7th and 8th innings before handing it off to Mariano Rivera. This was the case in the 2009 postseason and although Hughes didn’t pitch well then, I’d still be extremely content with having them both in the bullpen this coming October. 

The NY Daily News wrote a good article about Alfredo Aceves winning the starting spot and having Joba and Hughes in the bullpen. Although I can’t see it happening, the Yankees would turn their baseball games into six inning games. With Joba and Hughes working out of the bullpen, the Yankees may rarely lose games when having a lead after six innings. It would similar to 1996 when the Yankees were almost unbeatable when they had a lead after six innings. Mariano pitched the 7th and 8th innings and John Wetteland closed the door in the 9th. 

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If Joba Chamberlain wins the fifth starting spot in the Yankees’ rotation he won’t have any inning restrictions. “Joba Rules” have been called off and the young pitcher will be able to let it fly in 2010.

Yankees pitching coach, Dave Eiland, told the NY Daily News, “He’s just going to go out and pitch and he’ll be the one who’ll dictate when he comes out as far as getting hit or getting tired or losing his stuff. He’s not going to have any restrictions, so Joe (Girardi) and I are not going to have to go into the game thinking, ‘Oh, he’s got 85 pitches or six innings or whatever comes first.’ We don’t have to game plan it out. The kid gloves are off, and he’s just going to go out and pitch and he knows that and he’s going to come in and be all geared up to win that job, as are the other guys. Competition should bring out the best in everyone.”

Joba will be competing with Phil Hughes, Chad Gaudin, and Sergio Mitre for the fifth starting spot, but Hughes poses the biggest threat for Joba. If Hughes wins the spot expect him to be on an inning limits. Joba will pitch out of the bullpen in that case.

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Who do the Yankees trust coming out of the bullpen? The first and most obvious answer; Mariano Rivera. After Mariano the level of trust drops substantially. Here are the various confidence levels the Yankees have in their bullpen.

Most Confidence: Mariano Rivera
Mr. Reliable has a 0.71 ERA this postseason. Girardi has called on Mo to get six out saves in game six of the ALCS and game two of the World Series. Girardi won’t have the luxury of using Mo for two inning saves in Philadelphia since there are no days off between any of the three games. Mo is one of the best, if not the best, postseason pitchers of all-time.

Gaining Confidence: Damaso Marte, Joba Chamberlain, David Robertson
Damaso Marte made 21 appearances and gave up 14 earned runs during an injury plagued 2009 regular season (9.45 ERA). The lefty specialist has gotten some big outs against left-handed hitters for the Yankees in the postseason. He hasn’t given up a run in five appearances although his last three appearances have come in Yankee losses.
Joba Chamberlain looks to have taken over as setup man. Joba has given up seven hits in 3.1 innings but has given up only one earned run. He’s been hit hard in a couple of outings against the Angels but the Yankees remain confident in Joba. Look for Girardi to go to Joba instead of Phil Hughes in the 8th inning.
David Robertson is 2-0 and hasn’t given up a run so far this postseason. Girardi’s not afraid to hand the ball to Robertson in a big spot. Robertson has put together strong efforts in tough spots this postseason including getting out of a bases loaded jam in extra innings against Minnesota that set up a Mark Teixeira walk-off  home run.

In the Middle: Phil Coke, Chad Gaudin
Phil Coke was once Girardi’s go-to-guy but has now become the second lefty Girardi calls upon. He hasn’t done anything to cause the demotion so it’s hard to understand. Some situations have called for a lefty pitcher but Girardi decided to stick with a right hander. Coke hasn’t given up any runs in two innings of work this postseason. 
Chad Gaudin is in limbo. He’s pitched one inning this postseason and it was the 9th inning of a 10-1 blowout win over the Angels. Gaudin awaits word of whether he’ll start a game in the World Series.

Losing Confidence: Phil Hughes, Brian Bruney, Alfredo Aceves
Phil Hughes had an unbelievable regular season as the Yankees setup man and bridge to Mariano. Hughes has been rocked this postseason. An inflamed 9.64 ERA and his inability to record an out in game one of the World Series doesn’t show Girardi he can be that 8th inning guy.
Brian Bruney won’t touch the mound unless there is a blowout. Not after he gave up two runs on three hits and recorded just one out in game one of the World Series. Bruney was left off the Yankees ALDS and ALCS rosters and for good reason. 
Alfredo Aceves hasn’t pitched since game three of the ALDS. Tied at 4-4, Aceves gave up the game winning run the 11th inning. In game two of the ALDS he gave up a run in the 11th inning but was saved by A-Rod’s game tying home run. Aceves has dropped in the pecking order.

Neither team has confirmed their starters throughout the entire series but here are the probable starters. Game one starters have been confirmed by both teams.

Game 1 Wed, Oct 28. Cliff Lee @ CC Sabathia (Phillies won 6-1)
Game 2 Thurs, Oct 29. Pedro Martinez @ AJ Burnett (Yankees won 3-1)
Game 3 Sat, Oct 31. Andy Pettitte @ Cole Hamels

The Yankees will most like go with just three starting pitchers in the World Series.

The rest of the series could look something like this:

Game 4 Sun, Nov 1. CC Sabathia @ Joe Blanton
Game 5 Mon, Nov 2. AJ Burnett @ Cliff Lee
Game 6 Wed, Nov 4. Pedro Martinez @ Andy Pettitte
Game 7* Thurs, Nov 5. Cole Hamels @ CC Sabathia

* if necessary

With a 2-1 series advantage, the Yankees turn to CC Sabathia in game four of the ALCS on three days rest. Sabathia started game one against the Angels and pitched eight strong innings giving up just one run on four hits.

Coming off a game three loss in 11 innings, this game is important for Yankees. Not to say that other postseason games are not important, but winning the game puts the Yankees up 3-1 and losing the game puts the series at 2-2. This game is a little bit more important for Joe Girardi especially. Girardi took some heat for the way he used his bullpen in game three. Now the fate of game four sits in the hands of Sabathia, who Girardi chose to pitch on short rest.

Some people are torn on whether the choice of pitching Sabathia on short rest instead of going with a well-rested Chad Gaudin is a smart idea. I agree with Girardi’s choice of pitching Sabathia on short rest. First of all, the short rest period won’t phase Sabathia. The guy is a horse. He could have thrown in game two if he ahd to. Sabathia on three days is better than Gaudin on full rest. Also, having Sabathia start game four sets the Yankees pitching staff up for the last three games of the series. Game five goes to Burnett, game six to Pettitte and game seven would be pitched by Sabathia again. Those three starts would all be on full rest.

If Sabathia lays an egg in game four, Girardi is going to take severe heat, especially after the way he managed in game three. If Sabathia has a strong outing, he puts the Yankees in great position to win the series and Girardi’s game three mismanagement may be forgotten.

No decision has been cemented yet by he Yankees concerning their rotation for the ALCS against the Angels. We know CC Sabathia will get the ball in game one, followed by AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte. Game four remains up in the air. Joe Girardi is leaning toward going with a three man rotation and starting Sabathia for game four on three days rest, setting him up to pitch game seven on full rest. The day off between games four and five in Anaheim allows Burnett and Pettitte to pitch the series on regular rest even if Sabathia goes on three days rest. Sabathia’s game seven start would also be on full rest thanks to the off day in Anaheim.

Weather could become a factor in the Yankees decision plans. They may choose a plan then have to change it if a game is cancelled or postponed. The outcome of games could also be a factor. Some people think with a 3-0 or 2-1 game lead, the Yankees should go to a fourth man and let Sabathia pitch game five on full rest. 

If the Yankees choose a four man rotation, questions will arise about who will be that fourth man. Will it be Joba Chamberlain, who worked out of the bullpen in each game of the ALDS, or Chad Gaudin, who hasn’t made an appearance yet this postseason but turned some heads on the regular season with unexpected strong pitching? I prefer keeping Joba in the ‘pen for the rest of the postseason and giving Gaudin the ball in game four with long reliever Alfredo Aceves waiting in the wings.

Once again, no decision has been made yet whether the Yankees are going with a three or four man rotation. All signs point toward a three man rotation right now.

Joba Chamberlain has been anything but dominating in the last two months of the season. Now as the Yankees wait to see who they will play in the ALDS, questions arise whether Joba will be on the Yankees postseason roster. With Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte notched as starters, Joba will not be in the Yankees’ starting rotation for the postseason. If he fits anywhere it would be in the bullpen but some people don’t think the Yankees will put him on their postseason roster at all.

With Phil Hughes as the setup man and Mariano Rivera as the closer, Joba’s only chances of pitching are in the middle innings. The Yankees will most likely put 10 pitchers on the ALDS roster and with the three starters, setup man and closer, that leaves five spots remaining. I’d have to believe that lefty Phil Coke has a spot and so does Alfredo Aceves, who can pitch in long relief. That leaves three spots remaining for four pitchers. Either Damaso Marte, Dave Robertson, Chad Gaudin or Joba Chamberlain will be left off the roster.

Even after seeing Joba’s struggles this season he has be on that roster. That’s just my opinion. He can be dominating. His upside is incredible, especially for just one inning. We’ve seen him have success out of the bullpen before. Give him the ball and tell him to let it fly. I can see him flourishing out of the bullpen for an inning before handing it over to Hughes in the eight. Could you imagine adding the Joba of old (2007 setup man Joba) into the mix with Hughes and Mariano? They would be lights out. Add a dominating Sabathia start to the mix and you can chalk up a win. 

Joba can still be dominating and using him for an inning or even an out can be beneficial for the Yankees in the postseason.

Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, who was slated to start Wednesday’s game at Toronto, will be skipped over due to what manager Joe Girardi calls “shoulder fatigue”. The Yankees big division lead gives them the ability to rest some players down the final stretch of the season. Pettitte is 37 years old and has had some shoulder problems in the past but this is just to give him some rest before the playoffs. There are some people who are speculating this may be more serious but it is logical that the Yankees are just resting a 37 year old pitcher who has racked up a lot of miles on his arm over the years.

Chad Gaudin, who has pitched well with the Yankees since being acquired from San Diego, will start in place of Pettitte.