The Yankees brought out the big bats yesterday as they hit five homers en route to an 11-5 victory over the Blue Jays in Toronto.
Here are some notes:
- Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada both went 4-for-5 with a homer, 2 runs, and 2 RBI’s.
- Marcus Thames and Curtis Granderson both went 3-for-4 with homers.
- Derek Jeter had the other home run, his 10th of the year.
- Dustin Moseley started, went 6 IP and allowed 2 ER.
- Nick Swisher left the game early when he fouled a ball off his knee in the 7th inning. He’s day-to-day with some swelling.
- After the game manager Joe Girardi announced that he might use Javier Vazquez or Ivan Nova to shorten one or more of Phil Hughes‘ starts or to skip him altogether.
- Alfredo Aceves had a minor league rehab appearance last night and got rocked, 1.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
Every year for the past three years, the Yankees claim to have a plan to limit their young pitchers innings and every time it looks like a total disaster. I’m counting this year in those three years because it really seems like they just make this stuff up as they go along. Right now it appears they might do the same thing with Hughes this year as they did with Joba Chamberlain last year that didn’t work out, shorten his starts. I really don’t like that because Hughes will be on the mound feeling like he can’t control his own start. They are probably a lot better off just skipping him altogether.
I guess the innings limits are designed to avoid premature burnouts, such as the traumatic arthritis which cut Sandy Koufax's career short. But is there any science behind the limits? For instance, do the innings limits rules take into account the pitcher's physique, and the stresses his particular pitching mechanics place on his arm?
Anyway, the Yankees' execution of the "Joba Rules," and now the presumed "Hughes Rules," over the past few years seems pretty arbitrary. I agree with Rob that if you insist on innings limits, it makes sense to just skip a start.
Better safe than sorry. Despite the Nats watching over Strasburg, it now appears as if he will need Tommy John surgery.
Sometimes, an arm injury is going to happen no matter what your precautions. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't take the precautions.
That's true Mike. I hear a lot of people say that the Yankees handling of Joba didn't work and that's just not true. He's 100 percent healthy and that was the point. So essentially the rules worked. His results, well they are another story.