The Captain's Blog

Joba Chamberlain blew another game. Don’t stop the presses. Apparently, the only person who hasn’t gotten the news is Joe Girardi.

Javier Vazquez had every reason to smile until watching Joba Chamberlain blow his victory in the eighth inning (Photo: AP).

This game should have been about Javy Vazquez’ strong seven innings of shutout ball or Nick Swisher’s continued hot streak heading into the All Star Break, but the stubborn absurdity of Girardi once again made Joba’s ineffectiveness the headline.

Before the season started, Girardi talked about Chamberlain needing to prove that he belonged in the 8^th inning, but then inexplicably installed him in the role at the start of the season. Since then, Joba has done nothing to warrant such a high profile position in the late innings, but for some reason Girardi continues to mindlessly call on the erratic right hander with the game on the line.

When Joba burst on the scene at the end of the 2007 season, he immediately became a fan favorite and had many envisioning him as either a future closer or dominant starter. Since then, however, expectations for Joba have plummeted. Unfortunately, Girardi hasn’t gotten the message. After yet another disastrous outing, it’s time for him to finally wake up.

Whether it’s moving him down in the bullpen pecking order, or demoting him to Scranton to either rebuild his mechanics or his trade value, the Yankees organization cannot allow its desire to make something out of Joba get in the way of the team’s ultimate success. If Girardi wont acknowledge the reality, then Brian Cashman needs to take control. It’s time for a new set of Joba Rules…ones that don’t have him pitching anywhere near eighth inning until he proves himself worthy of the role.

Joba’s 2010 Meltdowns

Javier Vazquez’ Pitch Breakdown

Cliff Lee went from facing the Yankees, to pitching for them and finally to boarding a plane bound for Texas all within the span of 12 hours. So, even though some Yankee fans and executives might be suffering from a tinge of disappointment over the team’s failure to land the ace lefty, not having to face him tonight isn’t a bad consolation prize.

In place of Lee, the Mariners will start David Pauley, a journeyman minor leaguer who has had a few cups of coffee in the majors. The Yankees have seen Pauley before when he was with the Red Sox, but the lineup has had very little experience against him.

Meanwhile, the Yankees counter with Phil Hughes, who perhaps gets a reprieve by the Yankees’ failure to land Lee. Amid speculation that Hughes might be returning to the bullpen, the Yankees All Star righty will look to rebound from a string of less than impressive starts. Over his last four outings, Hughes has pitched to a 7.03 ERA in 24 1/3 innings, including a season high seven runs surrendered last time out against the very same Mariners.

With Cliff Lee in the rear view mirror, the Yankees can now look ahead to extending their winning streak to a season high seven games. You couldn’t blame the Mariners if they are a bit of a deflated team, so if the Yankees can jump out early, they might be able to coast to another road victory. Now, if only they can figure out a way to dodge King Felix tomorrow?

On the day after Lebron James announced his intentions to form an NBA powerhouse in Miami, the Yankees seem intent on bolstering their very own juggernaut, but at what cost?

Will Cliff Lee be pitching against or for the Yankees tonight?

According to Buster Olney, and numerous other sources, the Yankees have all but completed a deal for ace pitcher Cliff Lee. The reported acquisition is expected to come at a heavy cost, however, as the Yankees’ top prospect Jesus Montero is the centerpiece of the package going to Seattle.

One the one hand, acquiring Lee makes sense from multiple avenues. Even though the Yankees’ rotation is firing on all cylinders now, there are reasons for concern. Both AJ Burnett and Javier Vazquez have had long spells of ineffectiveness, and their career histories suggest that such struggles could easily return. If that were to happen down the stretch or in the post season, the impact would be costly. Not many have pitched better than Andy Pettitte this season, but the veteran lefty is 38, making him prone to injury at just about any time. If Pettitte’s shoulder were to start barking again, the Yankees would find themselves with a huge hole in the rotation. Finally, Phil Hughes, who has struggled of late, is eventually going to run into his innings limit. If the fatigue of his first full season doesn’t get to him, the Hughes Rules likely will. 

On the other hand, the Yankees won the World Series with a similar rotation. In fact, the components in place now are even better than last season (Hughes is better than Joba and Vazquez is better than Guadin/Mitre/etc.). With C.C. Sabathia pitching like the ace that he is, the Yankees could ride the big man to another title without acquiring the likes of Lee. In other words, the Yankees just might be able to have their cake and eat it too. 

In this case, the “cake” is Jesus Montero. Despite his struggles in Scranton this season, the 20-year old Montero is still a bonafide hitting prospect who has the potential to be a future All Star. Even if he doesn’t stick as a catcher, Montero’s bat projects well at any position. With their core of Jeter, Posada and Arod getting older, the Yankees may need another infusion of youth in the lineup, and Montero may be just the guy to give it them. 

In many ways, this is a robbing Peter to pay Paul scenario with a few extra wrinkles. For starters, we don’t really know if Montero will emerge as a top flight hitter. The baseball landscape is littered with prospects who never lived up to their potential, so Montero could very well wind up with a similar fate. Secondly, if the Yankees don’t get Lee, someone else will. In fact, there is a great chance that someone else will be a direct contender for the AL Pennant (the Rays and Twins have been rumored to be landing spots for Lee). Finally, if the Yankees can sign him to an extension, the benefit to the Yankees doesn’t have to be short term. 

Weighing both sides of the argument, it seems as if the merits of the deal center around one’s evaluation of Montero. If you are of the mindset that he is the next Manny Ramirez, then it makes no sense to trade for three months of a 31 year old pitcher. If the organization’s internal evaluation falls short of that hype, however, then it makes perfect sense for the Yankees to pursue the hottest commodity on the market. 

Also worth noting are the other ramifications from acquiring Lee. Off the bat, the Yankees will need to shift someone from the rotation. Hughes, who has an innings limit, seems the most likely candidate. If the Yankees transition Hughes back to being a reliever, he would not only help solidify the back end of the bullpen, but could also stay on track to permanently join the rotation next season. The second most likely candidate to depart would be Javier Vazquez, who has restored his trade value by pitching exceptionally well since mid-May. If the Yankees could flip Vazquez to an NL team for either prospects (to help replenish the farm) or a proven bat (to help bolster a lineup that has been worn down by age and injuries), the net result of the trade could wind up being even more favorable to the Yankees. 

Once all the pieces to the puzzle take shape, it will be easier to assess the net results of this rumored deal. In the meantime, you can bet the rest of the baseball world is fuming from the ears at the thought of another ace landing in the Yankees’ loaded deck.

The Yankees begin the second half by returning to the 510 for the first time since Alex Rodriguez infamously ran across Dallas Braden’s mound. The much anticipated rematch between these two arch enemies will have to wait for another time, however, as Braden was just recently placed on the disabled list.

Surprisingly, Ben Sheets has managed to avoid being disabled, but his 3-7 record with an ERA near 5.00 has been a disappointment. Sheets, who pitched well despite losing to the Yankees back in April, has achieved a level of consistency over his past seven starts, surrendering either three or four earned runs over six or seven innings in each start.

Joe Girardi has resisted the urge to juggle the lineup despite watching it underperform for the better part of the last five weeks. Against Sheets, however, Girardi has decided to move Brett Gardner to the lead off spot and shift the struggling Derek Jeter down to the two hole. According to Girardi, the lineup change was prompted by yesterday’s injury to Jorge Posada (who is only available in an emergency situation) and his desire to have Nick Swisher break up the lefty bats of Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson. With Francisco Cervelli and Colin Curtis rounding out a weak bottom of the order, Gardner’s promotion also helps consolidate the team’s better hitters atop the lineup.

Javier Vazquez’ first win of the season was recorded in Oakland, but this time around he isn’t a pitcher desperate for a win, but an established member of the Yankees rotation. The A’s rank dead last in HRs, so Vazquez’ penchant for giving up the long ball should be mitigated.

• Javier Vazquez is making the 400th start of his major league career.
• Earlier in the day, Andy Pettitte was named to the American League All Star roster as an injury replacement for the now disabled Clay Buchholz.
• The Yankees recorded 50 wins in their first 81 games for the first time since 2004, which was also the last time the team was in first place at the nominal half way mark.