Which pitcher has appeared in the most games in July? Answer: Luis Vizcaino, with 16. The guy has been lights-out this month, with 17 K and a 1.62 ERA. Vizcaino is also tied for second for the most appearances all season, with 54.
But the question is, how long will Vizcaino stay hot? The guy looked like the second coming of Gabe White earlier in the year. He reportedly had Rivera help him out with some mechanical issues, but how long will Vizcaino stay hot?
More importantly, will his arm hold up to Torre's abuse? He's projected to pitch 80 innings (probably more, now that he's been so effective), and has only done that once in his career.
- I'm hoping the Yanks don't get Gagne, but even if they do, I'm not worried. I don't see Gagne having the same impact as Abreu had last summer.
Showing posts with label bullpen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bullpen. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Can't Panic Yet - Yankees 6, Blue Jays 1
At the break, I was worried about the Yankees and their soft schedule. Well so far, they're 6-1 since the all-star break, and they're 7 out of the division and 6 from the wild card.
And tonight was a solid win. Clemens gave up nine hits and had only three Ks, but 1 run in 6 innings is very good. And he's gotten his ERA down from 5.32 to 3.88. A-Rod put the Yanks up front, and they didn't look back.
One positive from this game: 4 walks from the bullpen. Let's face it - nobody is reliable in the pen this year. Even Mariano is no longer Mr. Automatic - batters are hitting .247 off Rivera - not bad, but it's his highest since '95. (His career BAA is .215.) Sometimes I think I'd rather see the Yanks get a first baseman than a guy like Otsuka or Gagne - their pen is very shaky.
As I said in a comment, I'm not worrying until the Red Sox lead is cut to 4. Obviously, the past few days have stunk - the Yanks have won three against the Jays, and the Sox lost two of three to KC. But the Yanks still have their fair share of question-marks, especially the bullpen, the bench, and whether Abreu and Matsui will stay hot. And I'm hoping this streak fades as quickly as the one in May did.
And tonight was a solid win. Clemens gave up nine hits and had only three Ks, but 1 run in 6 innings is very good. And he's gotten his ERA down from 5.32 to 3.88. A-Rod put the Yanks up front, and they didn't look back.
One positive from this game: 4 walks from the bullpen. Let's face it - nobody is reliable in the pen this year. Even Mariano is no longer Mr. Automatic - batters are hitting .247 off Rivera - not bad, but it's his highest since '95. (His career BAA is .215.) Sometimes I think I'd rather see the Yanks get a first baseman than a guy like Otsuka or Gagne - their pen is very shaky.
As I said in a comment, I'm not worrying until the Red Sox lead is cut to 4. Obviously, the past few days have stunk - the Yanks have won three against the Jays, and the Sox lost two of three to KC. But the Yanks still have their fair share of question-marks, especially the bullpen, the bench, and whether Abreu and Matsui will stay hot. And I'm hoping this streak fades as quickly as the one in May did.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Top Ten Reasons The Yankees Missed the Playoffs in 2007
I know, I know, premature. But it's not looking too good right now, and I guess I should preface the title with "If they miss the playoffs, here's why." But I'm in an optimistic mood right now, so let's go with the flow.
(10) Relying on Pavano: Carl Pavano has had a total of one good year in his career, and that came in 2004 as a member of the Marlins. Since joining the Yankees in '05, he's been perhaps the worst signing for Old York this century. As a Yankee, he's won a grand total of five games. Yet Ca$hman was talking about Pavano coming back and having a big year in '07, probably to get some of the $39 million worth. They could have traded him and gotten a better pitcher but kept Carl, and relied on him to be an ace. Ha. He's on the shelf, and may never throw another pitch as a Yankee.
(9) Dropoffs for Melky and Cano: In 2006, Melky Cabrera batted .280, with a .360 OBP. In 2007, he's hitting .259 with a .320 OBP. In 2006, Robinson Cano batted .342, nearly won the AL batting title, and had an OPS of .890. In 2007, Cano is hitting .265 and has an OPS of .701. Had these guys maintained their '06 form, who knows. But all those extra outs add up.
(8) As Manny wrote a few weeks ago, once you get past the regulars, who do you have? Miguel Cairo, Kevin Thompson, Wil Nieves ... a joke. Granted, in the AL the bench is not as important as in the NL, but you figure that there will be injuries, there will be doubleheaders where you want to rest a regular, and Ca$hman was terrible in not acquiring any bench help. And that's killed them.
(7) Ringo's Arm: The guy can't throw anyone out anymore, it's psyching out the pitchers and giving the opponents a lot of extra bases.
(6) Johnny Damon's Injuries: The guy's been a bust in 2007, mostly because he's been playing injured, and refuses to go on the DL! So he wastes a roster spot, has terrible power for a DH, and is slow in the outfield. Had the guy taken a couple of weeks off in early May, perhaps he'd come back and do better.
(5) Charlie Brown and the Yankee Bullpen: This was finally the year we'd all been waiting for - the year he became just another pitcher. Horrible in April, decent in May, mediocre in June... and the team gave him very few save opportunities, but that's because the rest of the pen couldn't hold leads! Lefties are hitting over .300 against Mike Myers, Vizcaino was a bust, Farnsworthless is just that, and even guys like Brian Bruney are walking a ton of guys. As Manny pointed out, the K/BB ratio for the Yankee pen may be the worst in recent history. Snorre's boyfriend Scott Proctor hasn't gotten the job done, and it'll only get worse in August when their arms fall off.
(4) Outfield defense: In a word, pathetic. Shemp, Damon, and Abreu have terrible arms, and smart teams have been taking advantage of that all season long. Cabrera has a decent arm, but he misplays so many balls that he's worthless as well. Matsui is good at getting a read on fly balls and tracking them down, but he's still lost a step or two from his first couple of years here. Extra hits and extra bases taken lead to extra runs and extra losses. It's that simple.
(3) Moose: Re-signing Mike Mussina was a disaster. Every once in a while he pitches a brilliant game, so Old York figures that as long as they can straighten him out, he'll be a Cy Young winner. In 2007, however, his brilliant games have been few and far between. Nearly halfway through the season, he's got a grand total of 4 wins and an ERA of 4.63. And get this - he's on pace to strike out about 90 batters. Ca$hman, I know the market for starting pitching was thin, but what the hell were you thinking?
(2) First base mess: Relying on Doug Mienkiewicz was silly, considering the guy hasn't hit a lick in years, but at least he was great defensively. After Doug came Josh Phelps, Andy Phillips, and Miguel Cairo. Nada. Junkee first basemen rank 10th in the AL in OPS, and in the bottom half of just about every category. Had they gotten someone decent, we might not be dreaming of a Yankee-free October.
(1) Abreu over Sheffield: We've gone through this many times, but to me, this is the move that killed them more than anything else. Other than A-Schmuck, they don't have a legit home run hitter. A-Rod's hit 28 home runs. The next best is Ringo at 9. Abreu is at 4. Sheffield, meanwhile, over in Detroit has hit 18 dingers, and has an OPS of .931. Abreu's OPS? Only 200+ points lower at .689. Ca$hman may have had enough of Sheff's antics and thus let him go, but Abreu was yet another bust, and this was the bust that broke the camel's back. So bye bye Yankees.
- Feel free to add your own in the comments section.
(10) Relying on Pavano: Carl Pavano has had a total of one good year in his career, and that came in 2004 as a member of the Marlins. Since joining the Yankees in '05, he's been perhaps the worst signing for Old York this century. As a Yankee, he's won a grand total of five games. Yet Ca$hman was talking about Pavano coming back and having a big year in '07, probably to get some of the $39 million worth. They could have traded him and gotten a better pitcher but kept Carl, and relied on him to be an ace. Ha. He's on the shelf, and may never throw another pitch as a Yankee.
(9) Dropoffs for Melky and Cano: In 2006, Melky Cabrera batted .280, with a .360 OBP. In 2007, he's hitting .259 with a .320 OBP. In 2006, Robinson Cano batted .342, nearly won the AL batting title, and had an OPS of .890. In 2007, Cano is hitting .265 and has an OPS of .701. Had these guys maintained their '06 form, who knows. But all those extra outs add up.
(8) As Manny wrote a few weeks ago, once you get past the regulars, who do you have? Miguel Cairo, Kevin Thompson, Wil Nieves ... a joke. Granted, in the AL the bench is not as important as in the NL, but you figure that there will be injuries, there will be doubleheaders where you want to rest a regular, and Ca$hman was terrible in not acquiring any bench help. And that's killed them.
(7) Ringo's Arm: The guy can't throw anyone out anymore, it's psyching out the pitchers and giving the opponents a lot of extra bases.
(6) Johnny Damon's Injuries: The guy's been a bust in 2007, mostly because he's been playing injured, and refuses to go on the DL! So he wastes a roster spot, has terrible power for a DH, and is slow in the outfield. Had the guy taken a couple of weeks off in early May, perhaps he'd come back and do better.
(5) Charlie Brown and the Yankee Bullpen: This was finally the year we'd all been waiting for - the year he became just another pitcher. Horrible in April, decent in May, mediocre in June... and the team gave him very few save opportunities, but that's because the rest of the pen couldn't hold leads! Lefties are hitting over .300 against Mike Myers, Vizcaino was a bust, Farnsworthless is just that, and even guys like Brian Bruney are walking a ton of guys. As Manny pointed out, the K/BB ratio for the Yankee pen may be the worst in recent history. Snorre's boyfriend Scott Proctor hasn't gotten the job done, and it'll only get worse in August when their arms fall off.
(4) Outfield defense: In a word, pathetic. Shemp, Damon, and Abreu have terrible arms, and smart teams have been taking advantage of that all season long. Cabrera has a decent arm, but he misplays so many balls that he's worthless as well. Matsui is good at getting a read on fly balls and tracking them down, but he's still lost a step or two from his first couple of years here. Extra hits and extra bases taken lead to extra runs and extra losses. It's that simple.
(3) Moose: Re-signing Mike Mussina was a disaster. Every once in a while he pitches a brilliant game, so Old York figures that as long as they can straighten him out, he'll be a Cy Young winner. In 2007, however, his brilliant games have been few and far between. Nearly halfway through the season, he's got a grand total of 4 wins and an ERA of 4.63. And get this - he's on pace to strike out about 90 batters. Ca$hman, I know the market for starting pitching was thin, but what the hell were you thinking?
(2) First base mess: Relying on Doug Mienkiewicz was silly, considering the guy hasn't hit a lick in years, but at least he was great defensively. After Doug came Josh Phelps, Andy Phillips, and Miguel Cairo. Nada. Junkee first basemen rank 10th in the AL in OPS, and in the bottom half of just about every category. Had they gotten someone decent, we might not be dreaming of a Yankee-free October.
(1) Abreu over Sheffield: We've gone through this many times, but to me, this is the move that killed them more than anything else. Other than A-Schmuck, they don't have a legit home run hitter. A-Rod's hit 28 home runs. The next best is Ringo at 9. Abreu is at 4. Sheffield, meanwhile, over in Detroit has hit 18 dingers, and has an OPS of .931. Abreu's OPS? Only 200+ points lower at .689. Ca$hman may have had enough of Sheff's antics and thus let him go, but Abreu was yet another bust, and this was the bust that broke the camel's back. So bye bye Yankees.
- Feel free to add your own in the comments section.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The Bullpen's Control Issues
Just wanted to build on a point in Despiser's recap of last night's game. The Yankee bullpen has allowed the most walks in the game, more than any other pen in baseball.
The Yankee relievers have allowed 138 walks, the most in baseball - Florida is second with 127. By contrast, in '01 and '03, when the Yanks made the World Series, their bullpen had the second-fewest walks allowed in baseball.
The '07 Yankee bullpen has an atrocious K-BB ratio - 1.18. By contrast, the Dodgers are at 3.36, and the Brewers at 2.47. The lowest K/BB ratio by any pen in the last 5 years? Tampa Bay, with a 1.34 mark in 2005.
And thanks to guys like Wang and Clemens last night, the Yanks pitching as a whole (including starters) has the worst K/BB ratio in the game, at 1.44. The only teams with lower marks in recent memory are the Royals, Rockies, Devil Rays, and the '03 119-loss Tigers.
- Why have the Yankee arms deteriorated so much in this department? I think it's because Cashman and Torre have fallen in love with power pitchers who have bad control. Farnsworth has always thrown 100 MPH but with lousy control, going back to his Cubs days. And Bruney throws gas too, but he's allowed 26 K and 24 BB. Not good.
The other guys are somewhat more surprising. Proctor had 33 BB allowed last year, but has 22 already. Luis Vizcaino's struggles are also surprising, at first glance - he allowed 29 BB all of last year, and is up to 27 BB this year already. I would blame the NL-AL switch here. Even the Devil Rays have a more daunting lineup than the Dodgers and Giants.
Many have discussed the causes of the Yanks' underacheiving, and focused on Abreu, Damon, and other struggling veterans. But in addition to having the worst bench in recent memory, the '07 Yanks might have the worst bullpen.
The Yankee relievers have allowed 138 walks, the most in baseball - Florida is second with 127. By contrast, in '01 and '03, when the Yanks made the World Series, their bullpen had the second-fewest walks allowed in baseball.
The '07 Yankee bullpen has an atrocious K-BB ratio - 1.18. By contrast, the Dodgers are at 3.36, and the Brewers at 2.47. The lowest K/BB ratio by any pen in the last 5 years? Tampa Bay, with a 1.34 mark in 2005.
And thanks to guys like Wang and Clemens last night, the Yanks pitching as a whole (including starters) has the worst K/BB ratio in the game, at 1.44. The only teams with lower marks in recent memory are the Royals, Rockies, Devil Rays, and the '03 119-loss Tigers.
- Why have the Yankee arms deteriorated so much in this department? I think it's because Cashman and Torre have fallen in love with power pitchers who have bad control. Farnsworth has always thrown 100 MPH but with lousy control, going back to his Cubs days. And Bruney throws gas too, but he's allowed 26 K and 24 BB. Not good.
The other guys are somewhat more surprising. Proctor had 33 BB allowed last year, but has 22 already. Luis Vizcaino's struggles are also surprising, at first glance - he allowed 29 BB all of last year, and is up to 27 BB this year already. I would blame the NL-AL switch here. Even the Devil Rays have a more daunting lineup than the Dodgers and Giants.
Many have discussed the causes of the Yanks' underacheiving, and focused on Abreu, Damon, and other struggling veterans. But in addition to having the worst bench in recent memory, the '07 Yanks might have the worst bullpen.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Pen Does It Again - Orioles 3, Yankees 2
In case there were any Yankee fans still believing that this team was the second coming of 1978, nights like tonight make it very hard to believe this team will go far.
The Yankee bullpen stinks this year. In fact, it really hasn't been the same since the Nelson and Stanton era. Karsay did keep things under control in '02, but after that, it's been a total disaster. Flash Gordon was a good reliever until October, when Torre's abuse caught up with him at the worst possible time.
You can't rely on Proctor. Big game, small game. He's above average, but you never know what you'll get from him. And at some point, Torre's abuse will catch up to the guy. Bruney's been a pleasant surprise, but Yankee fans wouldn't trust him in a big game. Vizcaino and Farnsworth have been terrible. And as mentioned in my Sunday column, Mike Myers can't get lefties out.
Hard to believe that just two weeks ago, the Yankees were making our worst nightmares come true. If they lose to the O's again, maybe we'll start hearing rumblings about Torre and Cashman again. And based on the bullpen's performance, some well-deserved rumblings.
The Yankee bullpen stinks this year. In fact, it really hasn't been the same since the Nelson and Stanton era. Karsay did keep things under control in '02, but after that, it's been a total disaster. Flash Gordon was a good reliever until October, when Torre's abuse caught up with him at the worst possible time.
You can't rely on Proctor. Big game, small game. He's above average, but you never know what you'll get from him. And at some point, Torre's abuse will catch up to the guy. Bruney's been a pleasant surprise, but Yankee fans wouldn't trust him in a big game. Vizcaino and Farnsworth have been terrible. And as mentioned in my Sunday column, Mike Myers can't get lefties out.
Hard to believe that just two weeks ago, the Yankees were making our worst nightmares come true. If they lose to the O's again, maybe we'll start hearing rumblings about Torre and Cashman again. And based on the bullpen's performance, some well-deserved rumblings.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Yankees Sweep Texas
All the talk of Joe Snorre's job security has faded, as the Yanks swept Texas. I know a win's a win, but you can't get too excited here.
First off, Texas, as a team, is all about their hitting. Their pitching has been terrible for years; even when they made the playoffs, they had no shot with also-rans like Aaron Sele, Rick Helling, and Darren Oliver. And in '07, Kameron Loe and Vincente Padilla are nothing to write home about. So if they can't score 7 runs, they're done. And with the exception of rookie Ian Kinsler, the hitting has stunk. Young, Blalock, and Teixera have struggled, and Brad Wilkerson and Kenny Lofton don't scare anyone.
So their getting hammered by the Yankees doesn't mean anything. To Texas's credit, they still got Mussina and Pettitte to throw a lot of pitches and leave early. And at this rate, Luis Vizcaino will last about as long as Carlos Almanzar.
- The saga with conditioning coach Marty Miller reminds me of the last Yankees strength and conditioning fiasco - the "Bronx Burners" of 1982. Which, of course, was the first year of a 13-year playoff drought in the Bronx.
- Next up, Yanks and Seattle. Seattle has played decent ball thus far, but if Felix Hernandez doesn't stay healthy, they're done. Especially with Weaver and Batista in the rotation. Bill Bavasi can duke it out with Kevin Malone for "worst GM in the west."
- Kei Igawa goes tonight. Let's see if last week's performance was just a fluke.
First off, Texas, as a team, is all about their hitting. Their pitching has been terrible for years; even when they made the playoffs, they had no shot with also-rans like Aaron Sele, Rick Helling, and Darren Oliver. And in '07, Kameron Loe and Vincente Padilla are nothing to write home about. So if they can't score 7 runs, they're done. And with the exception of rookie Ian Kinsler, the hitting has stunk. Young, Blalock, and Teixera have struggled, and Brad Wilkerson and Kenny Lofton don't scare anyone.
So their getting hammered by the Yankees doesn't mean anything. To Texas's credit, they still got Mussina and Pettitte to throw a lot of pitches and leave early. And at this rate, Luis Vizcaino will last about as long as Carlos Almanzar.
- The saga with conditioning coach Marty Miller reminds me of the last Yankees strength and conditioning fiasco - the "Bronx Burners" of 1982. Which, of course, was the first year of a 13-year playoff drought in the Bronx.
- Next up, Yanks and Seattle. Seattle has played decent ball thus far, but if Felix Hernandez doesn't stay healthy, they're done. Especially with Weaver and Batista in the rotation. Bill Bavasi can duke it out with Kevin Malone for "worst GM in the west."
- Kei Igawa goes tonight. Let's see if last week's performance was just a fluke.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Which Pitcher Will Snorre NOT Abuse?
Recently, I had planned to write a piece entitled "who will Snorre abuse this year?" in trying to figure out who would be the '07 version of Villone, Sturtze, or Quantrill. Apparently, it seems like those three are the only ones who Snorre plans to give any rest at all.
In the AL leaderboard for games pitched, the Yankees have 3 of the top 5 players: Myers, Proctor, and Luis Vizcaino (who has allowed a Heredia-esque 10 walks in 12 innings). Bruney is right behind with 12 appearances, and Sean Henn has appeared in 10 games so far. Snorre must like Farnsworthless - he's only pitched in 9 games. And of course, Snorre's promise not to use Rivera in the 8th inning lasted about as long as George's pledge to have Bob Lemon manage the entire 1982 season.
It seems like every night, another reliever has a bad night. Whether it's Proctor, Myers, Bruney, or Henn. And it's only April.
I know the Yankee fans will say that things will change when Mussina comes back, but I doubt it. Mussina has been inconsistent, and at 38, he's not gonna throw as many pitches as he used to. Wang is okay, but he gives up a lot of hits. And Igawa and Karstens? You have no idea what they'll give you.
Besides, as the pressure builds for the Yanks to get on a hot streak, you'll see Snorre going to the pen to try to lock up a win. He did that in Boston, and I think we'll see it again.
-- Phil Hughes provided no rest for the weary Yankee bullpen. He threw 91 pitches in less than 5 innings, and I told you they wouldn't leave Hughes out to dry. The Yanks could use a guy like Livan Hernandez, someone who can throw 175 pitches without a problem.
- Yankees-Red Sox again this weekend. Last weekend's series was a thriller, but I am not looking forward to Julian Tavarez on Sunday.
In the AL leaderboard for games pitched, the Yankees have 3 of the top 5 players: Myers, Proctor, and Luis Vizcaino (who has allowed a Heredia-esque 10 walks in 12 innings). Bruney is right behind with 12 appearances, and Sean Henn has appeared in 10 games so far. Snorre must like Farnsworthless - he's only pitched in 9 games. And of course, Snorre's promise not to use Rivera in the 8th inning lasted about as long as George's pledge to have Bob Lemon manage the entire 1982 season.
It seems like every night, another reliever has a bad night. Whether it's Proctor, Myers, Bruney, or Henn. And it's only April.
I know the Yankee fans will say that things will change when Mussina comes back, but I doubt it. Mussina has been inconsistent, and at 38, he's not gonna throw as many pitches as he used to. Wang is okay, but he gives up a lot of hits. And Igawa and Karstens? You have no idea what they'll give you.
Besides, as the pressure builds for the Yanks to get on a hot streak, you'll see Snorre going to the pen to try to lock up a win. He did that in Boston, and I think we'll see it again.
-- Phil Hughes provided no rest for the weary Yankee bullpen. He threw 91 pitches in less than 5 innings, and I told you they wouldn't leave Hughes out to dry. The Yanks could use a guy like Livan Hernandez, someone who can throw 175 pitches without a problem.
- Yankees-Red Sox again this weekend. Last weekend's series was a thriller, but I am not looking forward to Julian Tavarez on Sunday.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Cellar Dwelling
Yeah, it's only April, but there's never a bad time to see the Yankees in last place. Even the return of Wang couldn't save them tonight. Kazmir pitched well for Tampa Bay. Did a good job keeping A-Rod's bat quiet.
And the Yankees pen was bad again, with Myers giving up the big hit to Crawford.
If the Yanks are worried about preserving the arms of the bullpen, then bringing up Phil Hughes is a dumb move. The guy will be on a serious pitch count, and as soon as he hits 80 pitches, they'll be warming guys up. For all I know, Hughes might turn out to be one of those guys who's very efficient and can throw a 75-pitch complete game. As a raw rookie, I highly doubt that will happen. Instead, Hughes will likely contribute to the bullpen woes.
And the Yankees pen was bad again, with Myers giving up the big hit to Crawford.
If the Yanks are worried about preserving the arms of the bullpen, then bringing up Phil Hughes is a dumb move. The guy will be on a serious pitch count, and as soon as he hits 80 pitches, they'll be warming guys up. For all I know, Hughes might turn out to be one of those guys who's very efficient and can throw a 75-pitch complete game. As a raw rookie, I highly doubt that will happen. Instead, Hughes will likely contribute to the bullpen woes.
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