One of the reasons Dave Eiland was the choice to replace Ron Guidry as pitching coach was because Eiland had worked with Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy in the minor leagues and had solid relationships with the neophyte right-handers.
However, Eiland’s rotation has been without Hughes and Kennedy due to injuries. That hasn’t stopped the former Yankees right-hander from teaching and developing, and his work is paying off in the bullpen, where the relievers, especially Jose Veras, are dealing.
In the last dozen games, Yankees relievers have posted a 1.34 ERA and have allowed 16 hits in 332/3 innings. If manager Joe Girardi dials the pen tonight against the Padres, he will be calling a unit that has allowed one run and four hits in the past four games (11 innings).
When Joba Chamberlain went into the rotation on June 3, the favorite to replace him in the set-up role was Kyle Farnsworth, but Veras has worked his way into the picture due to improved control of his breaking balls.
“The hitters aren’t picking up the breaking ball early,” Girardi said of the 27-year-old right-hander, who is 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA in 17 games. “And his (mid-90s) fastball has a little run to it.”
In Veras’ last five outings (seven innings) he has allowed two hits, no runs, fanned eight, walked three, hit a batter and held batters hitless in six at-bats with runners in scoring position. Not bad for a pitcher who didn’t make the team out of spring training, had 21 games of big league experience prior to this season and earns in the area of $400,000.
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If Brian Cashman has had his fill of being GM of the Yankees, he might have an option after the season.
When the Mariners fired GM Bill Bavasi yesterday, Cashman immediately was at the top of the charts to replace him if Mariners brass decides interim GM Lee Pelekoudas isn’t the long-term choice.
Cashman’s name was linked to the Mariners’ job, considered a plum position by many administrators, in 2005. Granted permission to run the entire organization by George Steinbrenner, Cashman signed a three-year deal to stay in The Bronx.
While Hank and Hal Steinbrenner have made overtures to Cashman about returning, Cashman has said his focus is on the 2008 season.
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Alex Rodriguez has one AL batting title on his Hall of Fame resume (.358 in 1996) and will shortly join the race for a second.
With 217 plate appearances going into tonight’s action, Rodriguez needs four more to qualify for the title. And because he is hitting .326, Rodriguez would have been third behind Johnny Damon‘s league-leading .332 and Milton Bradley‘s .329, and ahead of Hideki Matsui‘s .325.
A player has to average 3.1 plate appearances for each of his teams’ games to qualify for the batting title.
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Starting tonight against the lowly Padres, the Yankees play 16 games against teams (Padres, Reds, Pirates, Mets and Rangers) who had less than .500 records going into last night’s action.
So, after taking three straight from the putrid Astros, the Yankees had a chance to take advantage of the softest part of their schedule that arrives just as staff ace Chien-Ming Wang leaves. Yet, the players weren’t thinking this is a chance to get fat.
“You can’t look at it that way because teams always get up for us, it’s been happening for years,” Derek Jeter said. “Guys pitch well against us. Everybody wants to do well against us.”
Helping the Yankees curb their enthusiasm for the parade of softies on the slate is knowing they split four games with the lowly Royals during the last homestand.