At least Joba, Thames don't make excuses

by Ed Valentine on May 19, 2010 7:57 AM EDT in New York Yankees News

After Tuesday night just about the only good thing you can say about Joba Chamberlain and Marcus Thames is that each guy accepted responsibility for screwing up what should have been an easy Yankee victory.

Here is Joba after being booed.

"They have a right to (boo)," Chamberlain said. "They spend their hard-earned money and I didn't do my job. I made terrible pitches. That one is on me, nobody else. We don't have to fight back if I do my job."

Here is Thames on his crucial drop.

"I was coming in and I just took my eye off the ball," Thames said. "I looked at Robbie, but I called him off, and that has to be caught. I'm a major-league player and I have to catch that ball. It cost the team the win and it sucks. There's no excuses at all."

The guy who really worries me is Chamberlain. His ERA is 4.91 now, and all those hopes that being back in the bullpen would help Joba find the dominant form of yesteryear seem to be fading. He will get the job done more often than not, and once in a while the electric stuff and fist-pumping personality will show up, but there seem to be many nights now when Chamberlain is just another guy coming out of the pen.

As for Thames, that's unquestionably a ball he has to catch. I can't kill the guy, though. Fact is, he is in the big leagues because of his bat and he does not belong out there in right field. The problem isn't really Thames, it's the fact that the Yankees have no one else to put out there.

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Agreed about Thames

We know he shouldn’t be playing in the field but we keep putting him out there, obviously injuries have forced our hand but we probably should have called up an OF instead of Miranda.

by andrew21 on May 19, 2010 8:23 AM EDT reply actions

Let's face it...

The Yanks have played three ugly games in a row. I am not expecting role players to perform above their capabilities, I am expecting star players to perform, and a set up man and closers to do their job…We can blame Thames for being a butcher, but Joba time blew a four run lead, c’mon do your damn job. Rivera, not quite as culpable has not done it either lately, he is rusty, and needs work. Why was Winn playing about 250 ft. away from home plate, blame the coaching staff, they are the ones who position the players, can’t let a ball get over your head in that situation.

Stay thirsty my friends.

by Great Gatsby on May 19, 2010 8:26 AM EDT reply actions

Damn...

I mean, I kinda felt that a split of these games was fine with me considering how banged up the team is, but did they have to do it like this?

I ain’t used to teh pen, a Joba and MO fueled pen, throwing away a gem from the starter.

Its baseball, something like this is gonna happen. Lets try and not doing this again, mkay?

Just keep winning

by FreeBradshaw on May 19, 2010 8:26 AM EDT reply actions

ERA is a shitty way of evaluating a reliever, especially because of the small number of innings they pitch

Try FIP, or xFIP

by benderbrodriguez on May 19, 2010 8:59 AM EDT reply actions

There is no excuse for the pitching. Having Thames, Winn, and Miranda hitting 7-9 is essentially fielding a National League lineup.

by designatedquitter on May 19, 2010 9:06 AM EDT reply actions

But Girardi is

I wonder if he will go through with filing a protest to the league.

by Hardscores on May 19, 2010 9:25 AM EDT reply actions

Doubt that. Girardi is old school and him and Tito Francona have pretty good mutual respect.

by Scooby Snacks on May 19, 2010 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Protest bound to lose = sour grapes

by designatedquitter on May 19, 2010 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions

just gotta put it behind us...

move onto the rays. they’re more of a threat than the sox are, and the rays will be there with us till the end of the season. focus on the next two, take both of these games, and pull within a game of them by friday.

by Little Joe Gould on May 19, 2010 9:43 AM EDT reply actions

They are Major league "Journeymen"...

for a reason. Sometimes they’re good. Sometimes they suck. We know that of Thames and Winn, Chan Ho and (soon) Logan. I hope we’re not finding that out about Joba.

In just the last 3 games, our vaunted “lights out” pen gave up 14 runs in the 8th and 9th innings. Maybe its just a bad week. Or…(uh oh)

by rosebud on May 19, 2010 10:17 AM EDT reply actions

Thames played the previous six years as a Tiger and Winn 5 with the Mariners. I wouldnt exactly all them journeymen.

by Yankees10 on May 19, 2010 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Winn=Giants not Mariners

by Yankees10 on May 19, 2010 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Winn played for the Marriners too....

Just keep winning

by FreeBradshaw on May 19, 2010 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah I know

by Yankees10 on May 19, 2010 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Tough lost last night. Couldn't sleep after watching that crap.

In the end, it’s the bullpen that fucked up. The hitters should have come through in the 9th to at least tie the game. But, it shouldn’t have even come to that point.

by Ooofa on May 19, 2010 10:17 AM EDT reply actions

Not to mention that 12 runners were left on base

In spite of Joba’s ineffectiveness and Mo being human, I’m more peeved by the shoddy defense and the failed opportunities to score more runs. This was a game where the Yankees should’ve out-slugged the other team. It was a sloppy all around.

by Scooby Snacks on May 19, 2010 10:57 AM EDT reply actions

You can totally tell Thames new he blew the game

by Yankees10 on May 19, 2010 11:44 AM EDT reply actions

At one point, they were more than Journeymen, but now they are at best fringe players who do not belong on a potential championship team. At some point, someone needs to accept responsibility for the so-called budget restrictions which allowed quality players to leave & left us with inadequate replacements

by yankee319 on May 19, 2010 12:57 PM EDT reply actions

They're the bench.

the problem is having Posada and Swisher on the team but not able to play. With 13 pitchers, 2 guys you can’t use, and 9 starters, you are left with one substitute, Pena. He is a non- hitter.
In a perfect (healthy) world, Granderson, Swisher, and Gardner hit 7-9. Even with Gardner hitting #2, you should be able to field a lineup of say, Granderson Swisher + Cervelli.

On the other hand, I don’t know what it will take to sort out the bullpen. I am available to give a good swift kick in the ass to anyone who needs one, if that will help.

by designatedquitter on May 19, 2010 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions

sigh since everyone is arguing ppl we lost okay lets see...we lost

Damon: Replaced by Grandy….if grandy was healthy he’s better than damon
Matsui: NJ…okay here i would go with Matsui mainly since he isn’t made of glass
Melky: Gardner…Gardner this year has been good…near all star good. GGBG> Melkman
Scott hariston jr. : pena + winn. Hairston has a better bat but pena has a better glove in the infield. Hairston also is better than winn in hitting but Winn is faster and is here for defensive purposes only. about equal.
Hinske: Thames: not much of a loss here both have power, both can;t play the OF for their lives.
Gaudin: Javy: don;t make me laugh..even with javy’s struggles.
Coke: marte: coke is slightly better but his post season struggles makes less than desired. Marte was great in the postseason but inconsistent in the regular. hard to pick
I’m nto gonna talk about AJax or IPK since they weren’t part of “our championship team”.

so in the end we didn;t lose much from our “championship team” in fact u can argue we got better…

by lololol on May 19, 2010 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions