Yankees baseball blog

Super Tuesday: Chamberlain ready to make long-awaited starting debut

The long-awaited moment is nearly here: Joba Chamberlain will make his first major-league start Tuesday against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.He'll have a strict limit of 65 to 70 pitches his first time out. "I'm excited, just the opportunity to help this team continue to win ballgames," said Chamberlain, 22, who has compiled a 1.32 ERA, struck out 64 and allowed 28 hits in 47 2/3 innings in his major-league career.

He could have pitched Monday in Minneapolis to lessen the attention on him, but general manager Brian Cashman said he'd have to pitch at home soon anyway. This way, Chamberlain will follow Andy Pettitte in the rotation, so the bullpen is likely to be relatively rested. Continue

Mike Mussina picks up eighth win, Yankees beat Twins 6-5

As the Twins scored their fourth run of the first inning Friday night, Mike Mussina flashed back to two starts ago, when an error opened the door for him to give up seven runs in the first en route to the Yankees' worst loss of the season.

But even as another error led to a big Minnesota rally in last night's opening frame, Mussina knew something was different. Balls weren't being hit hard, but more importantly, he knew where his pitches were going and he felt good on the mound. Continue

Full-time Joba

In a conversation with Brian Cashman yesterday, Hank Steinbrenner forgot to ask his GM when Joba Chamberlain will debut in the Yankees' rotation. However, don't take that as indifference when it comes to converting baseball's premier set-up man into a starter, a move Steinbrenner championed long ago and one that will define the 26-27 Yankees' season.

As of late afternoon, Joe Girardi and Cashman were undecided whether Chamberlain would start Monday or Tuesday. Because Monday's game is against the Twins at the Metrodome and would provide a calmer setting than Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium against the Blue Jays, and because it would provide Andy Pettitte with an extra day of rest when he goes Tuesday, that seemed a stronger option. Continue

Yankees put Kennedy on DL

The news on Ian Kennedy was reasonably good after he had an MRI and was examined in New York yesterday. He has a mild right lat muscle strain and bursitis in his shoulder. Kennedy, who was placed on the disabled list before last night's game, could be cleared to begin throwing again in seven to 14 days. Manager Joe Girardi said that Kennedy would need to face batters before rejoining the Yankees, and that could come in an extended spring training game or on a rehab assignment. As to whether Kennedy (0-3, 7.41 ERA) will be back in the rotation then, Girardi said: "No guarantees." Continue

Andy Pettitte, Joba and Mariano Rivera shut down Orioles in 4-2 Yankee win

Starting next week, there might be some new Joba Rules. Joba Chamberlain made what was likely his final relief appearance Wednesday night, combining with Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera to lead the Yankees to a 4-2 win over the Orioles.

Chamberlain had been scheduled to throw 50-55 pitches, which would line him up to throw 65-70 early next week. After throwing 28 in the game, Chamberlain ran out to the bullpen before the bottom of the ninth, finishing off his day's work with another 27 pitches there to bring his total to 55. "It was a little weird at first," Chamberlain said of returning to the bullpen after he left the game. "The adrenaline was a little different in the bullpen, but everything felt pretty good." Continue

Yankees' Kennedy sustains muscle strain

New York Yankees right-hander Ian Kennedy left Tuesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles after three innings with a slightly strained muscle near his right rib cage. Kennedy allowed four runs -- three earned -- on four hits and struck out three when he departed with the injury to his latissimus dorsi muscle. He surrendered concecutive home runs to Baltimore's Kevin Millar and Ramon Hernandez during a four-run second inning. Continue

LaTroy Hawkins implodes, Yankees fall to Orioles after taking lead in 11th

The Yankees brought out the bats Tuesday night, but unfortunately they also brought LaTroy Hawkins back out of the bullpen. For the second straight game, Hawkins - pressed into a more important role with Joba Chamberlain being converted into a starter - gave it up against his former team, this time giving up two runs in the bottom of the 11th in a disheartening 10-9 loss at Camden Yards.

After Hideki Matsui singled in the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th, Hawkins came in for the bottom of the inning to try to pick up his first save of the season. Three hits, two intentional walks and two runs later, the Orioles had the win, knocking the Yankees further back into last place in the American League East. Continue

Little relief in Joe's sight

Sean Henn is with the Padres. Billy Traber is pitching poorly for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Mike Stanton is home in New Jersey.

There are no guarantees that any of those left-handed relievers with Yankees New York Yankees connections would have done better than right-hander Jose Veras Jose Veras did yesterday against lefty swingers Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff in the decisive seventh inning of the Yanks' 6-1 loss to the Orioles. However, it's likely they couldn't have done worse. In three pitches, Veras gave up an RBI single to Markakis and a three-run homer to Huff. Continue

Yankee bats go cold as bullpen implodes to snap win streak at five

It was a Memorial Day to forget for the Yankees. Just five days after beating up Orioles starter Garrett Olson to start their season-high five-game winning streak, the Bombers were shut down by the very same lefthander in a 6-1 loss, dropping the Yankees back under the .500 mark and into last place in the AL East.

Darrell Rasner (3-1) took his first loss of the season, though it's hard to pin the blame on the 27-year-old righthander. Rasner allowed one run in six innings, his lone mistake coming in the sixth on Nick Markakis' homer to center field. Continue

A-Rod root of recent run

The Mariners wound up flat on their faces, literally. J.J. Putz made a diving stop of Hideki Matsui's trickler and buried his nose in the grass after overthrowing Rich Sexson, admittedly a hard mistake to make.

"When he throws it too high for the tallest first baseman in the league, I was ecstatic," said Joe Girardi about the biggest play of the Yankees' eighth, unless it was Bobby Abreu's full-count double, unless it was Robbie Cano's game-tying RBI sacrifice fly, unless it was Jose Molina's fly ball to right center that kept carrying and carrying the Yankees to Baltimore as no longer a losing team. Continue