I'm a little concerned with our pitching right now -- with Pettitte's elbow hurting (they're saying he's in line for his next start as of right now but I doubt it esp. if he still has discomfort), the team choosing to skip Vasquez in Boston and Chan Ho Park still not available, do we call up a prospect for a spot start here instead of giving the ball to Sergio Mitre or Ace in Boston on Sunday or Monday in Detroit? I think I might -- remember, the bullpen's been good for the most part but we've got our problems down there too (Mo has the mysterious stiffness in his left side forcing Joba to close, Robertson's pitching poorly, Park's not ready yet...). Do we further weaken the pen by going with Mitre or Al Aceves? Ace was just called upon a few times recently to get some big outs for us. Right now he's kinda leapfrogged Robertson as the primary set-up man for Joba until Mo's ready, esp. against righthanders...If it turns out to be an issue, I'd leave the pen alone and call up either Ivan Nova or lefty Jeremy Bleich for a start. Nova's been excellent so far for SWB (2-0 in 6 starts, 2.43 ERA, 32 Ks in 37 innings) and after watching young lefty Brian Matusz throw a good game against us the other day, I think Bleich might be ready to make a start in the majors despite some uneven stats so far (1-2, 4.50 ERA with a whopping 23 walks in 30 innings). He's got similar if not better stuff than Matusz -- reports I read from last year were good on Bleich, saying his stuff got better as the year went on -- fastball velocity increased from 89-91 to 90-94 consistently and just comparing secondary pitches, I think Bleich has better off-speed stuff than this kid Matusz (kid featured a decent changeup but he really didn't show much of a curveball at all the other night). I kinda like the idea of calling up another lefty if Pettitte can't go as well...There are guy's with premier stuff in our organization that we've heard about for awhile now that just aren't ready yet for one reason or another (Brackman finally appears healthy but he's been hit very hard so far, George Kontos & Christian Garcia have a lot of promise but they're both hurt and on the DL right now, Dellin Betances still can't seem to get his act together, lefty Wilkins De LaRosa looks to be a full-time reliever now..... Out of all our starters down on the farm, Nova and Bleich might be the top candidates that look primed for a call up. Possibly big, hard-throwing Romulo Sanchez too (this kid's been around for awhile now)...And look out for this kid David Phelps btw -- 2-0, 1.52 ERA in 4 starts, 23 Ks in 23.2 innings for AA Trenton after combining to go 13-4 with a 2.38 ERA last year in A ball & 8-2 with a 2.72 ERA for the Staten Island Yankees the year before in '08. This kid could move quickly -- he might be right there with Nova & Bleich. Just curious what you guys think - do we bring up a prospect to make a start for us? I like Ace right where he is in the pen right now and to me, pitching Mitre in Boston (or against Det. on Monday) is giving the game away..Why give Boston any momentum?
Otherwise, I like what I'm seeing so far from the club overall. Some of these other minor issues will work themselves out: we'll get Grandy back soon (in the meantime, there appears to be enough OF depth - I'd look to go more Marcus Thames over Winn right now myself but regardless, there's depth there to hold it down for now), Posada's problem doesn't seem that serious (he's day to day), A-Rod and Tex are great players and will get it going soon (we're what, 19-8 and these two really haven't done a thing yet. Even Nick Johnson isn't really hitting yet...Think about that for a sec. -- the 2, 3 & 4 hitters are performing far below expectations and we're still right there for the division lead) & Mo's still one of the best in the business and is said to be OK to go if needed...In the meantime, Gardner's been great (I love what he brings to the table) & Swish is just locked in - Swish looks so much better to me his 2nd year in pinstripes - his swing looks much better esp. lefthanded and despite not having the greatest arm, he's a pretty damn good OFer imo...Nick Johnson had a great game yesterday - hopefully he's turned the corner...The top of the rotation has been phenomenal as has Phil Hughes...Joba's been very good in late relief, either setting up or closing himself...I absolutely love everything about Cervelli - great behind the plate, good speed for a catcher, better hitter than you think, tremendous enthusiasm and we're even good with Ramiro Pena as a solid utility infielder with some nice speed, a decent bat and a tremendous glove...We've got a real nice mix and a good chemistry going right now -- I hope we continue to roll right through Boston...
4/30/2010 12:15 PM
