MINNEAPOLIS – With Joba on the mound for the first pitch and jobs on the line, the Yankees hope they won’t need the patience of Job.
On May 21 the Yankees decided it was time for Joba Chamberlain to move from being the best set-up man in baseball to a starter.
It’s a strategy that has been heavily dissected everywhere, including the clubhouse, where the topic is so hot Alex Rodriguez refuses to comment on it.
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Tonight, Chamberlain climbs the Yankee Stadium mound against the Blue Jays for his first big-league start.
Following three “stretch out” relief appearances, Chamberlain will be limited to 60 to 70 pitches and won’t go more than four innings no matter the pitch count.
The Yankees’ front office believes Chamberlain is a staff ace in the making. Others are aghast that a pitcher who dominated the eighth inning in his brief big-league career will be working only every fifth day.
It’s a debate that won’t end soon.
“I don’t read anything,” the 22-year-old Chamberlain said. “I don’t get caught up in [the debate]. If [people] talk and argue about it, so be it.”
It’s not an overstatement to believe the move will define the Yankees’ season. They were 15-5 in games Chamberlain came out of the bullpen and 13-24 when he didn’t work. With four months remaining, figure Chamberlain to get 20 to 24 starts.
Even if he dominates with a 98-mph fastball and filthy slider, and there is a chance he will when allowed to throw 100 or so pitches, how the Yankees do in the late innings will determine if the move was the right one.
“It’s something I have always done and I wanted to give it a shot,” Chamberlain said of starting. “It’s a chance to be dominant for seven innings and not one. I have had challenges all my life. I hate to leave the bullpen, but when I hand them the ball they will be fine.”
Will they? Kyle Farnsworth is pitching better than he has in his two-plus years in pinstripes. But the bulk of his innings were before the eighth inning, when the pressure mounts. Edwar Ramirez has been very effective, especially against lefties, but not in the eighth frame. Ditto Jose Veras.
It’s not out of question to believe GM Brian Cashman’s future is tied to the move. Or that of organizational pitching guru Nardi Contreras, the architect of last year’s “Joba Rules.”
Much has been made of Chamberlain needing a third and fourth pitch to go with the fastball and slider. He throws a curveball and change-up, but as a set-up man he didn’t get much chance to use them.
“I can’t go away from my strength,” Chamberlain said before flying ahead of the team in order to be rested for tonight. “Fastball and slider and pitch off my fastball.”
The name you hear around the Yankees when Chamberlain is compared to other pitchers is Boston’s Josh Beckett. That’s how electric his stuff is. However, it would be naive to believe Chamberlain is going to parachute into the rotation and immediately dominate.
“I want to see him compete, I don’t want to see him get into long innings,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I want him to approach it like he is when he comes out of the bullpen. I want to make sure he throws his best pitches in tough situations.”