Yankees Coasting to Division Title

We all know there have been teams that have blown leads in September as the pennant races heat up in Major League Baseball.
The Mets did it just two years ago, when the Phillies came back from seven behind with 17 to play to steal the National League East division title. In 1964, the Phillies blew a big lead and lost the National League pennant by a game to the St. Louis Cardinals.
But don’t expect that to happen to the Yankees this year.
Heading into the final 32 games of the season, the Bronx Bombers have a commanding six game lead on Boston in the American League East race. They have 32 games left in the season, but the way the Yankees are playing, they would need a total collapse for the Red Sox to catch them. It’s not going to happen. Neither manager Joe Girardi nor anbody else on the team will say it, but this race is over.
There are some issues worth monitoring as the team heads down the stretch.
The most critical one is their pitching as the Yankees try to get their rotation set for the postseason. CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are a formidable frontline, but Sabathia’s postseason history is not good (2-3 with a 7.92 ERA in five starts) and Burnett has not thrown a postseason pitch in 11 years in the majors. No one knows how he’ll do in October.
Andy Pettitte (14-9 postseason, 3.96 ERA) has a good history, but he’s not the lock that he was in his prime. The fourth starter will likely be Joba Chamberlain, and good luck trying to figure out what the Yankees have planned for him. He pitched three innings yesterday, giving up two runs and four hits, and wasn’t even in long enough to get the victory. The way the Yankees seem to be tinkering with the Joba Rules on the fly, there is no way to ascertain how effective the right-hander will be during the postseason.
The Yankees seem to have steadied their bullpen by inserting Phil Hughes into the set-up role for Mariano Rivera (36 saves, 1.83 ERA). If the starters are effective in getting the ball to Hughes, the Yankees will be fine. If they have to rely on other pitchers to get key outs in the sixth and seventh innings, they could be in trouble.
The other issue the Yankees will face is a difficult September stretch. They have six games left against a Tampa Bay squad that is fighting to make the playoffs. They also have a six-game trip to the West Coast that includes three games against the Angels, who have given the Yankees fits over the past few years. They also have three games at home against Boston in late September, and the Red Sox won’t concede the division easily.
With six games each against Baltimore and Toronto, and games against Seattle and Kansas City, the Yankees should have a big enough cushion to secure the division title.
That will put them back into the postseason after a one-year hiatus, and with them, that’s what will determine whether this season was ultimately successful. The Yankees can’t afford another early exit, and nothing less than a World Series victory will satisfy an ownership that has paid handsomely to win its 27th championship.

The division title may be within reach, and for some teams, that may be enough. The Yankees need to do more. October will be the time for the ultimate judgment on this team.

Sanchez and Manning Square Off

Never has a game that has meant so little meant so much for the quarterbacks in Saturday’s preseason game between the Giants and Jets.
The third preseason game is always the most critical of NFL schedule, because it is when the starters get the most reps. The final preseason game is almost pointless, because teams rarely let starters play more than one or two series for a fear of injuries.
So it is that tomorrow’s 8 p.m. contest is important not only for Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, but also Giants quarterback Eli Manning. There is much more at stake for Sanchez, the highly-heralded rookie from USC who was anointed the starter earlier this week by coach Rex Ryan. But Manning will also be under pressure to perform, if for no other reason than to show he’s still the top quarterback in town.
Sanchez got his first start on Monday against the Ravens and looked shaky. His first pass was returned for a touchdown and he completed 3-of-8 attempts for 43 yards and one touchdown
It came as no surprise that Ryan decided to go with the rookie Sanchez over four-year veteran Kellen Clemens, who was also competing for the starting job. Of course, the competition was like the Globetrotters going up against the Washington Generals. The outcome was pretty much decided when training camp began, despite what Ryan or anyone else connected with the Jets will say. Now, Sanchez has to go out and prove he was worth taking as the No. 5 pick in April’s draft.
“This comes with a lot of responsibility,” Sanchez said on NewYorkJets.com. “I know as happy as I am, this is just the beginning and I’m really excited to get the chance to play with such great players.”
Sanchez won’t be able to do it by himself. He’ll need a strong running game led by Leon Washington and a veteran offensive line that should be one of the team’s strengths. The Jets also need to improve on the defensive side of the ball, and they should under Ryan and his aggressive schemes.
Look for the Jets to play a lot of their games like last year’s Ravens’ team, where Ryan was an assistant, and the team used its running attack to take the pressure of rookie quarterback Joe Flacco.
Manning’s situation is altogether different. He’s now the highest paid player in the NFL, and is in his fifth full season as the team’s starter. He already has a Super Bowl victory in his pocket, and is clearly the face of the franchise.
But there is also pressure on him to perform well in the contest against the Jets. Sure it’s preseason, but neither team likes to lose this game. If Manning struggles and gets outplayed by Sanchez, there will be more than a few Giants fans who will wonder if Eli is worth all the money.
Manning, for his part, knows the struggles that Sanchez will face. He didn’t get the starting nod as a rookie, but he was a starter by midseason during the 2004 season.
"The hardest thing about it is learning the game," Manning said in the New York Daily News. "It takes time. The media is going to play a role because if you play well, they will promote you and say you are the greatest. If you don't play real well, then you will be the worst. It is about believing in yourself and listening to your coaches and earning the confidence and respect of your teammates. That is what you kind of have to learn."
Manning and Sanchez will face off for the first time against each other Saturday, and there is a lot riding on it for both of them. It’s rare, but it is actually a preseason game that has a compelling angle.

Joba Frustrates Again

Well now, this whole Joba Chamberlain move to the Yankees starting rotation is working out swimmingly, don’t you think?
Watching the big right-hander with the even bigger attitude during last night’s 10-9 debacle of a loss to the Texas Rangers was like seeing someone without a clue trying to hang wallpaper. It was ponderous, frustrating and, just when you thought success was at hand, the whole thing came unraveling and he had to start over.
Last night’s outing may have been the most frustrating of his career. Staked to a four-run lead in the first inning, Chamberlain quickly proceeded to give it all back and then some. He labored through four innings on 96 pitches, giving up nine hits, seven earned runs and three walks.
He was removed after a brutal fourth inning when the Rangers scored five times to take a 7-4 lead. He threw 44 pitches in the inning, which began to unravel with a two-out walk to Ivan Rodriguez. He then allowed five straight singles.
The seven earned runs were a career-high against Joba, and all of them came with two outs. Chris Davis, hitting eighth in the Texas lineup with a .206 average, had two hits against Chamberlain, who never seemed to find his rhythm.
"It's frustrating [to not get that third out], but at the end of the day I just didn't do what I needed to do to help this team win," Chamberlain said. "And that's the frustrating part: I just didn't have it to finish [the inning]."
The Yankees have to bear some of the responsibility for the struggles of Chamberlain, who had his fourth straight subpar start. He has not pitched beyond the sixth inning in those starts, and has allowed 19 earned runs in 20 innings. Control has been a big issue, as Joba has walked 15 batters during his four-game rut and had just 55 strikes in last night’s 96-pitch outing.
It was Chamberlain’s first start since Aug. 16, when he labored through five innings against Seattle. Manager Joe Girardi and his staff have been carefully limiting Chamberlain’s innings. The Yankees haven’t disclosed how many innings they are going to allow Chamberlain (8-4), but it is expected to be near 160. He has thrown 130 2/3 innings this season and is projected to make his next Sunday against Chicago.
"We have him scheduled starting for the rest of the season," Girardi said. "At times, he will go on extra rest."
What makes Chamberlain’s recent struggles more perplexing is his brief surge after the All-Star Break. Chamberlain returned from the break confident and fearless, and it looked like the Yankees had finally solved the Joba Riddle. He allowed two earned runs in 21 2/3 innings after the All-Star Break, and looked like the Chamberlain who dominated opponents as a set-up man for Mariano Rivera. Since then, however, Chamberlain has returned to the frustrating, inconsistent pitcher he was during the first half of the season.
No one knows where it goes from here for Joba and the Yankees, but if the team is to make a deep October run, it will need to solve the Joba Riddle over the next five weeks.

Minaya, Manuel escape the ax

Fred Wilpon’s announcement Saturday that Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel would return next year was the Mets owner’s version of hitting into a double play and killing any potential chance for a team rally.
Wilpon told the New York Post’s Mike Puma that general manager Minaya and manager Manuel, who have presided over this wreck of a season, are safe for next year. "Am I going to bring Omar (Minaya) back next year? Absolutely. That's a fact,” Wilpon told the Post.
As for Manuel, Wilpon said “Jerry is my guy.”
Really? Why?
The two have run this ship into the ground, even with all the injuries that have devastated the team this year. They are 57-68, a staggering 16 ½ games behind first place Philadelphia. The only thing that is preventing them from a seat in the basement in the National League East is Washington, which is still waiting for a major league franchise to come its way.
Indeed, the Mets are closer to last place (13 games) than they are first place. And don’t expect the gap to close any time soon. Florida and Atlanta are much improved, and in the National League wild-card race. Both teams are stocked with young talent that has them primed to be contenders over the next few years. The Mets farm system is threadbare, and their veterans are injured or unproductive.
Shockingly, Wilpon’s comments indicate neither of them will take the fall for a team that has totally collapsed this season.
Minaya, who took over as general manager in 2004, should be the one feeling the most heat. The team went 83-79 in 2005, and then went a National League-best 97-65 in 2006. The team missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons, winning 88 and 89 games, before this season’s collapse, which finds them at 57-68 entering Tuesday’s game against Florida.
Manuel’s record is just as troubling. He was 55-38 last year after replacing Willie Randolph, but the team faltered down the stretch. The Mets went 13-12 in September, blowing a 3 ½ game lead and allowing the Phillies to win the National League East. He has been directing the ship for the entire year in 2009, and it has not been pretty. The starting pitching is weak behind the now-injured Johan Santana, and the bullpen still can’t get important outs, even with Francisco Rodriguez as the closer.
The team will point to the injuries, of course, as the reason for falling off the cliff this season. To be fair, the team has been ravaged by the injury bug. Santana will miss today’s start with an elbow injury, and some teammates expect that he will need surgery. That could be the most significant injury all season to a team that has seen marquee players such as Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, Oliver Perez, John Maine and J.J. Putz miss significant time. David Wright is also on the disabled list, and Jeff Francouer now has a thumb injury.
The injuries have indeed played a significant part in this meltdown, but it seems someone needs to be held accountable for this disaster of a season. If neither Minaya nor Manuel gets held accountable for this debacle, who does? The trainers? The medical staff? The hot dog vendors?
Compounding the problem is Minaya’s contract, when a three-year extension kicks in next year. The team doesn’t want to buy out that contract – reported to be worth about $12 million – but you have to wonder how the team can survive with a GM that has given hefty deals to Moises Alou and Awful Ollie Perez while also trading some promising prospects such as Heath Bell, Brian Bannister and Matt Lindstrom.
The Mets will contend next season will be better once all of the injured players return. Certainly that will help, but the fans are losing confidence that Minaya and Manuel will be the ones that get this team back to the postseason.