The Yankee blogging circuit is abuzz over Joe Girardi’s decision to throw Kyle Farnsworth into the 8th inning fire against the Twins in yesterday’s game, as Farnsworth’s ineffective stuff basically cost the team the game. In his last 7 appearances Farnsworth has given up 7 runs and we’re all wondering, what gives? This shouldn’t even be a debate about “missing Joba” and it instead should be a debate on “why Farnsworth”, seriously. There really seems to be a substantial problem with Joe Girardi, our manager.
Joe Girardi has stuck with his players at all of the wrong times this year (except for Giambi), plugging Shelley Duncan into the lineup when he’s been terrible, sending Kyle Farnsworth out there when he’s proven that he can’t handle pitching for the Yankees (or at least in high leverage situations)– it’s like a broken record. At least Joe Torre figured out that some guys just couldn’t do the job, but while they were with the team they had to see some time just because the main guys couldn’t do it every night. The Yankees simply cannot sit and wait as the teams around them fly by in the AL East.
Joe Girardi cannot keep sitting his regulars, even if they are old and need time off. He cannot keep sending Kyle Farnsworth out there in the 8th inning and, as the guys at RAB have stated, he (and others) should have handled Joba’s transition better by finding another 8th inning guy (outside of the Farnsworth-Hawkins tandem). Joe Girardi is throwing games away, games that could have easily been won and we have to question his management tactics and techniques in the same way that we questioned Joe Torre. At least he stuck with stable lineups and allocated certain roles for players. Granted, he did have guys that were unfairly put into his doghouse but Joe Girardi seems to be a bit too positive about guys that have had a track record that is littered with failures. If he’s wondering why the team isn’t doing well, he’s going to have to look at his own decisions first.
