June 1, 2008

Home games: Yankees look to Joba for a new start

NewYorkology contributor Scott Ross keeps you abreast of upcoming Mets and Yankees home games in New York City. Ross toils in anonymity for a giant online news aggregator. Here's your look at major league baseball in New York City this week:

With the season one-third over, the Yankees find themselves at .500 and in fourth place, but things are looking up in the Bronx. Despite the injuries to Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada and the disappointing performances of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, the Bombers find themselves only 6 ½ games out of first place. And help is on the way.

Game of the week: Joba Chamberlain makes his first big league start Tuesday, after having made a couple of extended appearances out of the bullpen in preparation. In his brief career he has pitched 47 2/3 big league innings, striking out 64 and posting a WHIP of .944 and ERA of 1.32. He has been nothing short of great. Will this success translate to the starting rotation? The Yankees’ season depends on it.

Unfortunately, Chamberlain will face Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays, one of the best starters in baseball. And Yankee manager Joe Girardi plans to keep the hulking righty on a short leash, limiting Chamberlain to 65 to 70 pitches. This seems like an odd spot to put oneself in, as that likely won’t be enough to get through 5 innings, requiring Girardi to lean on a bullpen depleted by the absence of … Joba Chamberlain! Regardless, he’s bound to be an improvement over fellow phenoms Hughes and Kennedy, who have combined to go 0-7 with an ERA north of 8.00 in 14 starts.

And on Thursday – possibly Tuesday – the Yanks will likely welcome back catcher Jorge Posada, who last played April 26. Assuming he’s healthy, the return of Posada should give the Yankees’ offense a huge shot in the arm.

If you miss Joba’s first start,on Sunday he’s due to make his second, against Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals, who’s been nearly as good as Halladay this season. Luckily for Chamberlain, the Royals offense is even worse than Toronto’s.

Even if Joba manages to pitch effectively for six or seven innings every fifth day, sometime soon the Yankees will have to find someone they trust to pitch the eighth inning. And looking forward, as painful as it may be face, Mariano Rivera has likely signed his last contract and will be retired after the 2010 season. What then? Does Joba go back to the pen? Or do they try to find someone else to replace Mo? My heart goes out to whomever it is that gets that job, cuz they are gonna hear from the fans. …

The Yankees will be giving away a cornucopia of goodies this week, except Wednesday, when the feature a promotion by Dunkin’ Donuts, the same morons who let some nutters force them to end an ad campaign because of a scarf.

Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees
Tuesday @ 7:05 p.m. Roy Halladay (6-5) vs. Joba Chamberlain (1-2), Yankees Notepad Night
Wednesday @ 7:05 p.m. Pat Litsch (7-1) vs. Mike Mussina (8-4), Dunkin’ Donuts Card Night
Thursday @ 1:05 p.m. Dustin McGowan (4-4) vs. Chien-Ming Wang (6-2), Uno Card Pack Day

Kansas City Royals at New York Yankees
Friday @ 7:05 p.m. Kyle Davies (1-0) vs. Darrell Rasner (3-2), Stadium Figurine Night
Saturday @ 1:05 p.m. Brian Bannister (5-6) vs. Andy Pettitte (5-5), Cap Day
Sunday @ 1:05 p.m. Zack Greinke (5-2) vs. Joba Chamberlain (1-2), All-Star Game Bat Day

Tickets to Yankees games can be purchased here. See NewYorkology's guide to Yankee Stadium for the rundown on how to get there, where to meet, eat and eventually, sit.

Image source: Joba Chamberlain's rookie Topps card.

June 1, 2008 9:18 PM in Sports

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