Via Sam Borden of The Journal News: (not PeteAbe anymore)
“It was just a lack of fastball command from the get-go,” Joba Chamberlain said after throwing 91 pitches in 3-2/3 innings against Kansas City last night. “Mechanics-wise, I wasn’t great. My delivery wasn’t great, and that affects your command in every aspect.”
He also said this:
“If they want me to fold towels, I’ll fold towels,” Chamberlain said. “I don’t really care. I’ll do anything to win on this team.”
Well, Joba. I’m asking you to fold towels.
At least Chamberlain finally owned up to a bad start. He admitted he didn’t have command — which he didn’t — and said he couldn’t locate his fastball. Like I’ve been saying all along, a 93 MPH fastball with no control will get eaten alive in the majors.
He must have command like he did against Boston last weekend if he wants a shot to get a win in the postseason. That was his last start of the regular season, so let’s take a look at his final line.
9-6, 4.78 ERA, 31 G, GS, 156-1/3 IP, 167 H, 94 R, 83 ER, 21 HR, 12 HBP, 76 BB, 132 K, 5 WP, 1.09 GO/AO, 1.55 WHIP, .364 OBA
That’s a lot of numbers, and most are very ugly.
However, when I looked at the splits, I found that Chamberlain was actually quite good against either of the possible opponents the Yankees will face in the ALDS.
vs. Tigers: 2-0, 1.32 ERA, 13-2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 R, 6 BB, 14 K.
vs. Twins: 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 K.
If the Yankees face the Tigers, I think these numbers should seriously be considered for what length of series they choose. Obviously, if they choose the longer one, they don’t trust Chamberlain. If they choose the shorter one, they do, presumably. It will be fun to see all of this play out.
