Only in baseball could an athlete reach a milestone like 500 career saves while simultaneously getting a first from the opposite side of the ball. What K-Rod was thinking when Mariano Rivera stepped to the plate in the top of the ninth inning I don't know, but you could tell he was afraid to give Mo something to hit. Maybe it was that mighty hack Rivera took on the 2-2 pitch that let Rodriguez know that Mo meant business.
Mariano is obviously a once in a lifetime talent. I doubt he will ever catch Trevor Hoffman for the all-time saves lead, but he is clearly the most dominant reliever in baseball history. Now I know the role has changed quite a bit from the days of Sparky Lyle, Goose Gossage and even Bruce Sutter and Dennis Eckersley, but Rivera's consistency coupled with his utter domination of the post season puts him above all others especially with his counter-parts from this generation like Hoffman or K-Rod.
Aside from Rivera's stand out performance last night and for his career, the Yankees played well against the Mets in the finale, but curiously only scored four runs while amassing 11 walks. The problem was one that has plagued the Yankees all season and that is getting hits with runners in scoring position. After Mark Teixeira's two-run double in the top of the first, the Yankees failed to deliever with a runner on for the rest of the game. It's something that the Yankees still need to work on.
The Yankees can also take away a win for Chien-Ming Wang, his first of the season. The numbers don't show it yet, but Wang is getting better with each outing. He pitched into the sixth inning for the first time this season and seems to be gaining more confidence each time out. He is again being efficient with his pitches and looks to be getting stronger with each outing. It will take longer than expected but it looks like Wang is starting to get back into his groove from last season and with him back at full strength the Yankees will finally have the opening day rotation they were expecting.
It will also mean Phil Hughes will be able to go back to the minors. It will be a big hit for the bullpen, but the reality is Hughes needs innings and he isn't getting them at the big league level. Hughes will be back at some other point in the season for a spot start or two and possibly more bullpen work when September rolls around.
After a dark and dreary two weeks it looks like the Yanks are turning this thing back around and can now enjoy an off day.
Showing posts with label Chien-Ming Wang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chien-Ming Wang. Show all posts
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Unacceptable
The Yankees play over the past two weeks has been down right terrible, especially for a team that thinks itself a World Series contender. After dominating in May the team as been in a swoon that has dropped them out of first and put them on the precipice of third place with the Jays charging through the Phillies this week.
It is unacceptable and embarrassing that the Yankees didn't sweep the lowly Nats. So you can imagine how bad it is for them to lose the series to them nevermind get shut out in one of the games.
Joba Chamberlain wasn't great over his six innings of work allowing 11 baserunners, but allowing three runs should have put him in line for a victory against the worst pitching team in baseball. The same goes for Chien-Ming Wang who wasn't that good. He wasn't helped by an awful call by the first base umpire or an awful play by Melky Cabrera in center. But all of the blame for these defeats has to fall on the bats. John Lannan pitched a good game on Wednesday as the Yankees failed to put together any at bats that lasted more than four pitches.
The same goes for Thursday as Craig Stammen shut down the Yankees for six innings before they finally started to take some pitches and work the count. If not for a great play by Willie Harris then the Yankees probably would have gotten back in the game.
The Yankees need to do something. Losing two out of three to the Nationals is unacceptable and if not for a rain shortened game for the Red Sox they would likely be four games back than three. I can imagine things getting much better for the Yanks though. The Marlins seem to be one of those teams that gets under their skin. They have good young pitching the Yankees haven't seen before and that seems to be the their kryptonite.
The Yanks were undefeated when allowing three runs or less. Who would have thought their first two losses would come against the Nats. Disgraceful.
It is unacceptable and embarrassing that the Yankees didn't sweep the lowly Nats. So you can imagine how bad it is for them to lose the series to them nevermind get shut out in one of the games.
Joba Chamberlain wasn't great over his six innings of work allowing 11 baserunners, but allowing three runs should have put him in line for a victory against the worst pitching team in baseball. The same goes for Chien-Ming Wang who wasn't that good. He wasn't helped by an awful call by the first base umpire or an awful play by Melky Cabrera in center. But all of the blame for these defeats has to fall on the bats. John Lannan pitched a good game on Wednesday as the Yankees failed to put together any at bats that lasted more than four pitches.
The same goes for Thursday as Craig Stammen shut down the Yankees for six innings before they finally started to take some pitches and work the count. If not for a great play by Willie Harris then the Yankees probably would have gotten back in the game.
The Yankees need to do something. Losing two out of three to the Nationals is unacceptable and if not for a rain shortened game for the Red Sox they would likely be four games back than three. I can imagine things getting much better for the Yanks though. The Marlins seem to be one of those teams that gets under their skin. They have good young pitching the Yankees haven't seen before and that seems to be the their kryptonite.
The Yanks were undefeated when allowing three runs or less. Who would have thought their first two losses would come against the Nats. Disgraceful.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Wang Slides Back
There was little to know doubt that game two of this series would go the Sox. Even when Wang has been at the top of his game he has had little to no effect against the Red Sox, especially in Fenway. I think even the Yankees knew that coming into the game, but what I'm sure they didn't expect was to perform so poorly against Tim Wakefield.
The most disappointing part of the Yankees batting against Wakefield was their hacking. They lacked any real discipline against the knuckleball and it cost them. Seven of their 28 plate appearances against Wakefield ended after one pitch with only one of those swings resulting in a hit.
Sure they scored a few runs, but this is Tim Wakefield we are talking about. With the offense the Yankees have they have absolutely no business hacking at the first pitch of that many at bats. That's pathetic.
But still Wang deserves some blame. You have to believe that this is now something that's in his head. If he isn't walking people then he is serving up meatballs. If you're Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi, it's really hard to send him out there again in five days. Phil Hughes wasn't lights out during his 3.2 innings, but he was sure as hell better than Wang.
The Yankees want to get Wang right, and really that would be the best thing for the team. But they also need to win games, and right now Hughes gives them a better chance to win every five days than does Wang.
Tonight it is CC Sabathia vs. Brad Penny. The pressure will be on CC in a game the Yankees absolutely need, simply so they don't have to carry 0-8 around until August. On paper it is the best match up they have had all series, and though Penny is no slouch right now, the bats need to wake up and get the job done. They were 2-15 with RISP. That won't win games against anybody.
The most disappointing part of the Yankees batting against Wakefield was their hacking. They lacked any real discipline against the knuckleball and it cost them. Seven of their 28 plate appearances against Wakefield ended after one pitch with only one of those swings resulting in a hit.
Sure they scored a few runs, but this is Tim Wakefield we are talking about. With the offense the Yankees have they have absolutely no business hacking at the first pitch of that many at bats. That's pathetic.
But still Wang deserves some blame. You have to believe that this is now something that's in his head. If he isn't walking people then he is serving up meatballs. If you're Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi, it's really hard to send him out there again in five days. Phil Hughes wasn't lights out during his 3.2 innings, but he was sure as hell better than Wang.
The Yankees want to get Wang right, and really that would be the best thing for the team. But they also need to win games, and right now Hughes gives them a better chance to win every five days than does Wang.
Tonight it is CC Sabathia vs. Brad Penny. The pressure will be on CC in a game the Yankees absolutely need, simply so they don't have to carry 0-8 around until August. On paper it is the best match up they have had all series, and though Penny is no slouch right now, the bats need to wake up and get the job done. They were 2-15 with RISP. That won't win games against anybody.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Pettitte Falters Again
Andy Pettitte claims his back is not an issue, but if you watched any bit of his start last night you would beg to differ. Pettitte was all over the place, allowing 13 base runners in just five innings of work, including six walks.
It might be the reason the Yankees decided to keep Phil Hughes in the bullpen as an insurance policy. I would also expect Hughes to get some innings tonight in Chien-Ming Wang's return to the rotation, considering Wang has yet to get really stretched out in the big league level.
Aside from Pettitte's poor effort on the mound the Yankees looked inept with the bat. A-Rod comes to the forefront of the discussion because his at bats were during the Yankees best chances to score and he did not look particularly good in any of them. His failure with the bases loaded and one out in the third inning is what stands out the most in game.
Today the Yankees will match up against the Rangers in the rubber match of the three game set. The two teams wont match up again until August. It will be Wang in his much anticipated return to the Yankee rotation against Brandon McCarthy. I would expect to at least see a competitive start out of Wang considering he has something to prove to the Yankees and Phil Hughes is sitting there waiting for a job.
Of note as well is that MLB has suspended A.J. Burnett for six games. As has been discussed on this blog before, suspending a player for something they weren't punished for during the game is ludicrous. Teixeira handled the situation himself and perhaps A.J.'s pitch near the head of Nelson Cruz was overkill but I would not expect for a second that the suspension would hold up for the full six games on appeal.
It might be the reason the Yankees decided to keep Phil Hughes in the bullpen as an insurance policy. I would also expect Hughes to get some innings tonight in Chien-Ming Wang's return to the rotation, considering Wang has yet to get really stretched out in the big league level.
Aside from Pettitte's poor effort on the mound the Yankees looked inept with the bat. A-Rod comes to the forefront of the discussion because his at bats were during the Yankees best chances to score and he did not look particularly good in any of them. His failure with the bases loaded and one out in the third inning is what stands out the most in game.
Today the Yankees will match up against the Rangers in the rubber match of the three game set. The two teams wont match up again until August. It will be Wang in his much anticipated return to the Yankee rotation against Brandon McCarthy. I would expect to at least see a competitive start out of Wang considering he has something to prove to the Yankees and Phil Hughes is sitting there waiting for a job.
Of note as well is that MLB has suspended A.J. Burnett for six games. As has been discussed on this blog before, suspending a player for something they weren't punished for during the game is ludicrous. Teixeira handled the situation himself and perhaps A.J.'s pitch near the head of Nelson Cruz was overkill but I would not expect for a second that the suspension would hold up for the full six games on appeal.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Hughes Struggles; Wang Continues Resurrection
Phil Hughes pitched well for four innings, but one bad one cost him and the Yankees a shot at winning game three of four against the Indians. Luckily Carl Pavano did not get the win, though he did pitch well enough to get it, because as a Yankee fan that's just too much to take.
While Hughes' start was far from what you would call good, it still contained signs of good things to come for his future at least. He was touching 94 with his fastball and averaging almost 93 for the game. Like Joba, Hughes needs to be more economical with his pitches as he topped 20 pitches on three of the five times he went to the mound.
At only 22, Hughes still has a long way to go with his development, but during this most recent stint with the Yankees we have seen what the young righty can do. Sure he had his ugly starts but spliced in between those were a few decent starts and one great start. He still has some growing to do and the reality is that growing can't really happen at the Triple-A level, but away he will probably go especially in light of Chien-Ming Wang's three solid innings in relief.
Wang's velocity has gone way up since his return to the big league squad. He was consistently hitting 92 during the game and looked much better than his April version. This latest appearance and Hughes' substandard performance is the likely the transition Cashman and Girardi have been looking for. Wang would be lined up for Hughes' turn and the Yanks don't need to deal with sending down a dominant Phil Hughes for a suspect Wang.
If Wang can be the pitcher the Yankees were expecting in the beginning of the season, and really there is no reason to expect he wont be in the long run, then the Yankee rotation may be much more consistent for the remainder of the season. His return will also ease the load on a weak bullpen that needs to be protected by starters that can go deep into games.
A turnaround for Wang would give the Yankees the deepest rotation in the game.
While Hughes' start was far from what you would call good, it still contained signs of good things to come for his future at least. He was touching 94 with his fastball and averaging almost 93 for the game. Like Joba, Hughes needs to be more economical with his pitches as he topped 20 pitches on three of the five times he went to the mound.
At only 22, Hughes still has a long way to go with his development, but during this most recent stint with the Yankees we have seen what the young righty can do. Sure he had his ugly starts but spliced in between those were a few decent starts and one great start. He still has some growing to do and the reality is that growing can't really happen at the Triple-A level, but away he will probably go especially in light of Chien-Ming Wang's three solid innings in relief.
Wang's velocity has gone way up since his return to the big league squad. He was consistently hitting 92 during the game and looked much better than his April version. This latest appearance and Hughes' substandard performance is the likely the transition Cashman and Girardi have been looking for. Wang would be lined up for Hughes' turn and the Yanks don't need to deal with sending down a dominant Phil Hughes for a suspect Wang.
If Wang can be the pitcher the Yankees were expecting in the beginning of the season, and really there is no reason to expect he wont be in the long run, then the Yankee rotation may be much more consistent for the remainder of the season. His return will also ease the load on a weak bullpen that needs to be protected by starters that can go deep into games.
A turnaround for Wang would give the Yankees the deepest rotation in the game.
Friday, May 22, 2009
That's One Way to Limit Joba's Innings
The Yankee fans have been worrying all season about what the Yankees will do to limit Joba's innings load for the season. You want him to stay healthy simply because you want him to be the ace of this staff in a couple of season but you can't afford to lump 180-200 innings on an arm that has yet to see 150.
Last night the Yanks were given some unintentional help in that department by a line drive off the bat of Adam Jones. Lucky Joba's knee appears to be fine and he swears he'll make his next start, but I'm inclined to believe that the Yankees will need that knee to be absolutely perfect before they let him loose again. Problems with your legs lead to problems your arm as you try to compensate, so I'd imagine the Yanks take extra care with the bruised knee.
With a creative pitch count during Wang's rehab start tonight, the Yankees could skip Joba and use Wang on Tuesday in Texas. It's probably something Cashman wouldn't want to do since you would want to ease Wang back into the bigs rather than throw him at such a dynamic offense in a park designed for homers.
If anything, last night proved how valuable Alfredo Aceves can be for the Yankees. Aceves looks like the exact kind of pitcher the Yankees had when Ramiro Mendoza was the long man out of the pen. He is the long man the Yanks have needed for a couple of seasons, and his ability to come out and throw up two or three innings of quality relief will be invaluable for a bullpen that is still searching for reliable arms.
As the season progresses Cashman and Girardi will slowly need to rebuild the bullpen from what little bit carried over from last season. Right now they have four arms that can be trusted: Aceves, Brian Bruney, Phil Coke and Mariano Rivera. I'm of the mind that Jose Veras is a lost cause and that Brett Tomko will eventually be Brett Tomko again. Hopefully David Robertson or Mark Melancon steps up to fill the void, or perhaps Damaso Marte remembers why the Yanks gave him a three-year deal.
There are options out there, and slowly but surely the Yanks are starting to piece together the rest of the arms needed to compliment all the bats they have.
Last night the Yanks were given some unintentional help in that department by a line drive off the bat of Adam Jones. Lucky Joba's knee appears to be fine and he swears he'll make his next start, but I'm inclined to believe that the Yankees will need that knee to be absolutely perfect before they let him loose again. Problems with your legs lead to problems your arm as you try to compensate, so I'd imagine the Yanks take extra care with the bruised knee.
With a creative pitch count during Wang's rehab start tonight, the Yankees could skip Joba and use Wang on Tuesday in Texas. It's probably something Cashman wouldn't want to do since you would want to ease Wang back into the bigs rather than throw him at such a dynamic offense in a park designed for homers.
If anything, last night proved how valuable Alfredo Aceves can be for the Yankees. Aceves looks like the exact kind of pitcher the Yankees had when Ramiro Mendoza was the long man out of the pen. He is the long man the Yanks have needed for a couple of seasons, and his ability to come out and throw up two or three innings of quality relief will be invaluable for a bullpen that is still searching for reliable arms.
As the season progresses Cashman and Girardi will slowly need to rebuild the bullpen from what little bit carried over from last season. Right now they have four arms that can be trusted: Aceves, Brian Bruney, Phil Coke and Mariano Rivera. I'm of the mind that Jose Veras is a lost cause and that Brett Tomko will eventually be Brett Tomko again. Hopefully David Robertson or Mark Melancon steps up to fill the void, or perhaps Damaso Marte remembers why the Yanks gave him a three-year deal.
There are options out there, and slowly but surely the Yanks are starting to piece together the rest of the arms needed to compliment all the bats they have.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Yanks vs. Sox: Round 1
Tonight is the night to really start getting excited about baseball. Everything up to this point has simply been prelude to Yanks and Sawks. Boston has been on a roll winning seven in a row albeit against inferior pitching. New York has won four of five with the one blemish a 22-4 lashing at the hands of the Indians.
Both teams are working out what their identities will be this season at this point. The Sox are adjusting to life without Manny in their first full season with out the world class hitter/malcontent. The Yanks are still figuring out how to use their new toys. Both teams are also dealing with confounding cases of stars under performing. David Ortiz has played better of late for Boston, but is still looking for his elusive power stroke (zero home runs). Chien-Ming Wang has been shelled for a ERA of 34.00 in three very brief starts. It will be interesting to see if either one of these stars figure anything out before the all-star break.
I am looking forward to tonight's match up between young pitchers Jon Lester and Joba Chamberlain. The genuine acrimony between Joba and Kevin Youkilis is just what this rivalry needs to get the fans blood boiling. The rivalry is always better when it's the players, not just the fans, who have a real, palatable dislike for each other.
The Saturday matinee will feature former teammates A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett in the battle of the angry little boys. And we'll finish up on Sunday with the vet vs. the kid in Andy Pettitte and Justin Masterson.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
State of the Rotation: Part III
Our third match up is Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. Chien-Ming Wang:
These guys are polar opposites. Though both arrived to their respective teams from the Pacific Rim, one was signed as an amateur free agent while the other was ransomed off for a grand total of $100 million dollars.
They also differ greatly in their pitching styles. Matsuzaka relies heavily on the strike out and Wang is a ground ball machine. That also means that Wang pounds the strike zone, never walking more than 59 batters in a season and even when one of those walks does occur, he usually can erase it with a double play ground out.
Contrasting Wang, Matsuzaka seemingly tries to walk the bases loaded every time out. In 2008 Matsuzaka had the fourth highest walk total in all of baseball while only throwing 167 2/3 innings. What saves him is his ability to limit hits and to strike out a ton of batters. Where Wang erases base runners with double plays, Matsuzaka strands them with a large amount of strike outs. The problem with this is the Japanese ace ends up expending himself early in the game and may only manage five or six innings a start.
If Wang has any fault it is that for a long time he never struck out batters. But over the last two years that seemed to change as his strike rate jumped up from 3.14 in 2006 to 4.70 in 2007 and 5.12 last season. If it rises anymore he may be able to take a step forward into the top echelon of pitchers in the league.
Verdict: Even though Matsuzaka has the better stuff and the higher upside, Wang is more reliable in terms of going deep into games. If Matsuzaka can stay around the plate a little more and avoid all those walks, then his raw ability will outshine Wang’s. Until then he runs the risk of the walks catching up to him. Wang may not provide as many dominating performances as Dice-K, but he provides more constistancy over the course of a season. Yanks jump back in front 2-1.
These guys are polar opposites. Though both arrived to their respective teams from the Pacific Rim, one was signed as an amateur free agent while the other was ransomed off for a grand total of $100 million dollars.
They also differ greatly in their pitching styles. Matsuzaka relies heavily on the strike out and Wang is a ground ball machine. That also means that Wang pounds the strike zone, never walking more than 59 batters in a season and even when one of those walks does occur, he usually can erase it with a double play ground out.
Contrasting Wang, Matsuzaka seemingly tries to walk the bases loaded every time out. In 2008 Matsuzaka had the fourth highest walk total in all of baseball while only throwing 167 2/3 innings. What saves him is his ability to limit hits and to strike out a ton of batters. Where Wang erases base runners with double plays, Matsuzaka strands them with a large amount of strike outs. The problem with this is the Japanese ace ends up expending himself early in the game and may only manage five or six innings a start.
If Wang has any fault it is that for a long time he never struck out batters. But over the last two years that seemed to change as his strike rate jumped up from 3.14 in 2006 to 4.70 in 2007 and 5.12 last season. If it rises anymore he may be able to take a step forward into the top echelon of pitchers in the league.
Verdict: Even though Matsuzaka has the better stuff and the higher upside, Wang is more reliable in terms of going deep into games. If Matsuzaka can stay around the plate a little more and avoid all those walks, then his raw ability will outshine Wang’s. Until then he runs the risk of the walks catching up to him. Wang may not provide as many dominating performances as Dice-K, but he provides more constistancy over the course of a season. Yanks jump back in front 2-1.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Wang and Yanks agree on 2009
Word coming now about the Yanks avoiding arbitration with Chien-Ming Wang. They have agreed to a one year deal at the pay rate of $5 million. Not much to say except that its good for the Yanks relationship with Wang that they avoid the messy process of arbitration hearings like they had last year. Those can only make future contract negotiations more difficult to work out.Wang was 8-2 last year with a 4.07 ERA. He has been the anchor of the staff since 2006 and when he went down last year it pretty much killed the Yanks rotation. He is kinda being forgotten about during this whole CC and A.J. mess, but he is a huge factor in the Yankees 2009 plans. If he can bounce back to be his reliable economic old-self, then the Yanks rotation will be formidable and it will take pressure off of Joba and the youngsters to eat innings.
Barring any major injury the Yanks will probably look to lock him up for a longer deal after the season. Something that will be economical and team friendly. Though, nothing is stopping Wang from looking to his left and right and wanting the same deal as the guy who weighs 300 pounds and the guy with his arm in a sling.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Cy Wang
I guess Chien-Ming Wang didn't like what he was hearing this winter. Wang is looking like a serious Cy Young candidate at the moment. Now obviously it is April so I know that anything can happen over the next six months, but it is hard to ignore what Wang has done in his first three starts. Tonight's start is by far the most impressive. Throwing a complete game with only 93 pitches is very Greg Maddux like and CMW has improved a lot of his peripheral numbers which show that he might be on his way to being the ace no one thought he could be.
Don't believe me? Well look at the numbers. Wang never strikes out a lot of batters, but last year his K/9 rate shot up by more than 1.50; from 3.14 in 2006 to 4.70 in '07 . This has also led to an increase in his strike out to walk ratio. His K/9 this year sits at 4.50 and with the development and increased usage of both his change up and slider he looks to have more options to get batters out rather than just making them pound the ball into the ground. CMW is an adaptive pitcher who didn't have a sinker ball until he came to America. It is entirely in the realm of possibility that he has evolved again into a more dynamic pitcher.
That of course is a question that will be answered over the course of the rest of the season, but for right now Wang is shutting the critics up and it's pretty nice to see it happen against the Sox in Fenway where he's had so much trouble. I really can't think of a better way to start off another year of Yanks vs. Sox. Can you?
Don't believe me? Well look at the numbers. Wang never strikes out a lot of batters, but last year his K/9 rate shot up by more than 1.50; from 3.14 in 2006 to 4.70 in '07 . This has also led to an increase in his strike out to walk ratio. His K/9 this year sits at 4.50 and with the development and increased usage of both his change up and slider he looks to have more options to get batters out rather than just making them pound the ball into the ground. CMW is an adaptive pitcher who didn't have a sinker ball until he came to America. It is entirely in the realm of possibility that he has evolved again into a more dynamic pitcher.
That of course is a question that will be answered over the course of the rest of the season, but for right now Wang is shutting the critics up and it's pretty nice to see it happen against the Sox in Fenway where he's had so much trouble. I really can't think of a better way to start off another year of Yanks vs. Sox. Can you?
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
1-0: The Perfect Season?
One down, 161 to go. For the Yanks and Girardi the season opener could not have been more formulaic. Wang looked strong and when he did struggle he was bailed out by some solid defense from the Melk man and, of all people, Giambi at first base. Girardi went down the check list tonight; Wang for seven, Joba in the 8th and Mo for the save. The Yanks didn't make Halladay work as much as they could have but give credit to the Doc for pounding the the strike zone. It was nice to see Cabrera sneak a home run inside the foul pole. Melky is going to need to show some kind of progress with his power numbers for the Yanks to keep their eyes on him and not towards the fast rising prospects Austin Jackson or Jose Tabata. But anyway baseball is here and it couldn't have been better or faster. 2:31 might be the fastest game the Yanks play all season.
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