A Troublesome First Inning

Oh Joba. What could have been!

You were brilliant Tuesday, absolutely electric. Your fastball touched 96 mph. Your slider was devastating. Your curve was sharp. And your change was special, the best it has ever been. You struck out 12 and were dazzling.

Too bad you forgot to show up for the first inning.

Joba Chamberlain allowed five straight hits to start the game and surrendered four first-inning runs, including Jason Bay's three-run homer, and the Yankees dropped to 0-5 against the Red Sox this season with a 7-3 loss at Yankee Stadium.

After that disastrous first, Chamberlain showed why the Yankees believe he could be not just a starter, but a special starter. He was nearly unhittable after the first and allowing just one more hit and two walks. He also made sure to drill Bay in the fifth. Bay homered three times against the Yanks in the five games and was looking just a bit too comfortable. That's old-time baseball. And I'm sure Mark Teixeira or Alex Rodriguez can expect payback in August when these teams next meet.

But there just is no escaping how damaging that first inning was. Never mind the four runs. Just as big of a problem was that Chamberlain had to throw 23 pitches. So while he was dominant for the rest of his outing, he couldn't get through the sixth, leaving after 5-2/3 inning and 108 pitches (65 strikes).

That meant, of course, it was up to the bullpen to keep the Yankees in it. And the pen just wasn't up to the task. Veras got out of the sixth and got the first out of the seventh. Phil Coke remained the only truly reliable middle reliever the Yankees have by finishing off the seventh. Then it all came apart.

Jonathan Albaladejo was burnt by an error by Ramiro Pena, but didn't help himself when, after intentionally walking J.D. Drew, he hit Jeff Bailey (hitting .118) to load the bases. Jason Varitek followed with a sacrifice fly, Nick Green singled in another run and all life was drained from the Yankees dugout.

The Yankees went down in order in the eighth, and after Mark Melancon, who hadn't pitched in a week, couldn't find his control in the ninth and allowed another run to cross, the game just needed a little book keeping before it could become official.

It's unfair to blame Joba for this. Every pitcher is going to run into a rough inning from time-to-time. I absolutely loved how he responded, stabilized the game and gave the Yankees a chance to come back. He couldn't have pitched better from the second inning on.

But that's the Yankees' problem right now. The starters have no margin for error. If they don't get into the seventh inning or beyond, the outcome become a crap shoot because, with the exception of Coke and Mariano Rivera, you just don't know what you're going to get. And more often than not, what we're getting is horrible.

So after being embarrassingly swept for the second time by the Red Sox this season, the ball rests in Brian Cashman's hands. It's still early in the season and we have seen how quickly things can turn around, both in the standings and in the series. But simply waiting and hoping that Brian Bruney's return from his injury will be enough to fix this bullpen is foolish. There just isn't enough quality or depth there.

In the offseason, Cashman spent about $425 million to bring in CC Sabathia, Teixeira and A.J. Burnett. All good moves. But he didn't address the bullpen. Meanwhile the Sox spent about $14 million and brought in Ramon Ramirez and Takashi Saito to fortify an already strong bullpen. And that's the ONLY real difference between these teams right now.

If the Yankees are going to get anywhere this season, the key will be whether Cashman can find an effective reliever or two in what's should be a buyer's market. Veras and Edwar Ramirez are not the answers. And if Cashman can't find better options then them, I don't think he'll find much support from the fan base and possibly ownership to remain as GM.

It's time to make a move Cash, hopefully sooner than later.

A Little More Bad
Johnny Damon got the Yankees back in the game with a three-run homer in the third to cut the deficit to one, but once again, the Yankees' inability to drive in runners in scoring position came back to bite them. They went 1-for-5, stranding seven, and are 8-for-54 (.148) with RISP in the five games against the Red Sox this season.

The big missed opportunity was in the sixth and I can't help but wonder if the Yankees missed Jorge Posada (hamstring, placed on the 15-day DL). With one out, Nick Swisher walked, Melky Cabrera hit his second double of the night and the Yankees were set up to tie the score. Pena, however, couldn't lift a fly ball, striking out against Josh Beckett, and Jose Molina, who would have been on the bench if Posada was healthy, grounded out. The Yankees had a golden opportunity to erase the deficit and seize the moment after being down 4-0 ... and failed again. Bet the Sox would have gotten in the run there.

What We Learned
For much of his tenure, one of Joe Girardi's strength was how he handled the bullpen, making sure to get everyone work while not burning anyone out. So how is that Melancon was allowed to go a full week without making an appearance? Melancon is a stud prospect. If he's going to be in the majors, he needs to pitch and Girardi has to start testing him in big spots. But if he's not going to be used, just send him down and bring up a bat to strengthen the bench. Thirteen pitchers is too many to be carrying anyway.

Hey Dave ...
After watching Joba's display from the second inning on, are you starting see why the Yankees think he has the potential to be as special as a starter as he was a a reliever? What reliever has that kind of deep repertoire? He showed us command of four, devastating plus pitches, which is something Goose Gossage, Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon and Joe Nathan never did. Are you sure maybe the Yankees shouldn't give Joba just a little more time to see what he develops into?

Runners In Scoring Position
Tuesday
1-for-5
(.200)
Season
63-for-248 (.254)

Up Next
Wednesday vs. Rays, 7:05 p.m., YES
Andy Sonnanstine (1-3, 6.75 ERA) vs. Burnett (2-0, 5.40)

Burnett was the stopper early in the season. He needs to become that again.