Game 2: Yanks VS. Orioles

Lineup courtesy of PA:

YANKEES
Damon LF
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Rodriguez DH
Posada 1B
Matsui RF
Ensberg 3B
Cano 2B
Molina C
Kennedy RHP

Giambi takes a load off (thank God). Posada is at 1B which may help him build some arm strength throughout the game before he catches next week.

Hughesian Analysis

So, I was interested in Phil Hughes’ performance yesterday because it was, in many ways, encouraging, especially when one compares it to his previous outings (this year). Hughes seemed to have more command of his fastball and was getting ahead of hitters. His pitch count was manageable (about 98 pitches total), but my biggest complaint is that when he threw strikes, they were blatant strikes. They weren’t on the corners really and were very hittable. His fastball has good movement on it though so he was still able to overpower hitters and they didn’t really catch up to it until the sixth inning rolled around. 

In order to, not necessarily explain, but understand why Hughes got lit up in the sixth, here’s a summary of what Hughes threw in each inning (and how many times he threw it), courtesy of MLB’s Gameday:

1. 13 pitches total — 1 curveball — 1 changeup — 11 fastballs
2. 27 pitches total — 7 curveballs — 1 changeup — 19 fastballs
3. 13 pitches total — 7 curveballs — 0 changeups — 6 fastballs
4. 14 pitches total — 3 curveballs — 0 changeups — 1 slider — 10 fastballs
5. 13 pitches total — 2 curveballs — 0 changeups — 11 fastballs
6. 18 pitches total — 2 curveballs – 1 changeup — 15 fastballs

Notice that, in the beginning innings, Hughes was utilizing 3 of his pitches (curve, fb, change). The effectiveness of his curve and his change are all contingent upon his fastball (it sets them up), so obviously he uses the fastball more than the other pitches. However, after the 3rd inning, Hughes pretty much threw nothing but fastballs. In the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings, Hughes threw a total of 45 pitches. 36 of those pitches ended up being fastballs while the other 9 were breaking balls (7 curves, 1 slider, 1 change). He basically abandoned his changeup and rarely used the curve.

The Orioles obviously made adjustments and were sitting on the fastball because, essentially that’s all he threw. This is all part of the learning process for Hughes and he’ll have to keep changing what he throws and how often he throws it during the game. It seems like it would be best for him to throw more fastballs in the beginning of the game and less breaking stuff. Then, as the game goes on, and after facing the lineup multiple times, it would probably be best for him to use his curveball some more while mixing in his changeup a bit and maybe even his slider (he actually did the opposite in this performance). It’ll be interesting to see how he pitches in his next outing.

Farnsworth suspended, but help is on the way…

Kyle Farnsworth has been suspended for 3 games, which is okay since he can’t pitch on back-to-back days anyway. He’s appealing the decision so he’ll have to wait before serving any time. Even if Farnsworth decides to rescind his appeal and begin his suspension sooner rather than later, that’s okay, because Joba Chamberlain is reportedly returning to the team tonight. PA states that he’ll rejoin the club in Camden Yards and will likely pitch if the Yanks need him in a big spot. That’s good news for the Yankees and that definitely means that Harlan Chamberlain is doing a lot better.

Molina’s Return

Earlier this morning I posted information about Jorge Posada’s injury. Jorge’s “shoulder strain” is preventing him from catching this weekend, but Jose Molina’s return is drawing near. He could, in fact, catch tonight against Baltimore, although Moeller has done a good enough job to give both Molina and Posada some extra time.

Farnsworth Could Be Suspended?

Mark Feinsand is reporting that Kyle Farnsworth could actually be suspended for throwing at (well, it was behind) Manny Ramirez. What is wrong with the MLB? If he had hit the guy then maybe I could understand the suspension (which is still a rumor at this point). Then it would have been warranted (I guess). They also have no clear indication that Farnsworth threw at Manny intentionally (which we all know he did, including Curt Schilling, but it’s not like they can definitively prove that). How about suspending David Aardsma who hit Alex Rodriguez the night before? I mean, he did hit a homer that night so maybe that was a message too? See, the situation is just too open-ended and there’s really no reason to start suspending guys unless they’re all plunking each other in the same game.

 

(Thanks to RAB for the info.)

No Catching for Posada

According to Pete Kerzel (MLB), who spoke with Joe Girardi, Jorge Posada will not catch in Saturday’s game. He’s considered “day-to-day” (ah, what an insightful phrase) and the Yankees will be very careful with him before rushing him back. The backup catchers have been doing a tremendous job as of late (we even witnessed a Moeller homer), so right now the pressure to catch is relatively minimal.