MLB

JOBA’S LIKELY TO STAY IN PEN

ST. PETERSBURG – The Yankees haven’t set their 2009 plans for Joba Chamberlain yet, but look for the face of the franchise’s pitching future to open next season in the bullpen.

That’s where Chamberlain came out of last night and supplied 11/3 scoreless innings to help the Yankees beat the Rays 7-2 at Tropicana Field.

Since their plan of using Chamberlain for 140 innings this year was thwarted by rotator cuff tendinitis and the Yankees leery of adding significant additional innings on Chamberlain’s valuable soon-to-be 23-year-old arm, expect them to repeat the plan they hatched this season when Chamberlain opened in the bullpen and was converted to a starter during the season.

“He had an innings limit he didn’t reach,” Cashman said. “Would he exceed that next year? No.”

Chamberlain has pitched 901/3 innings, so there is no way he will reach 140.

Chamberlain’s first 20 games were as a reliever and he was stretched out in the final three pen appearances. He made the first start on June 3 and a dozen starts before walking off a Texas mound on Aug. 4 with what was diagnosed as rotator cuff tendinitis.

Chamberlain last night required one pitch to dispatch pinch-hitter Rocco Baldelli in the seventh to strand two runners and worked out of a self-induced jam in the eighth.

“Physically, I feel great,” Chamberlain said after the 19-pitch effort that didn’t feel smooth due to poor mechanics. “I was not over the rubber and my hands were late breaking. You name it, it was pretty bad.”

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It sounds like if the Yankees replace struggling starter Sidney Ponson Saturday in Seattle it will be with Alfredo Aceves and not Phil Hughes.

“He is an option,” Joe Girardi said of the right-handed Aceves, who was promoted from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A) last week and has worked one game in relief. “From an innings standpoint he is OK.”

According to Cashman, Hughes is throwing better at SWB, but . . . “He will stay there unless we have a need,” Cashman said.

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Johnny Damon was named the Yankees’ recipient of the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award yesterday. Damon is one of 30 major league players nominated for the award that goes to the player who combines talent on the field with devoted work in the community.