Yankees-Indians: Why is Joba Chamberlain Even on the Team?

I was wrong.

Clearly, Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain's position in the bullpen is far too important to sacrifice in order to move him to the starting rotation.  Take Saturday's game against the Indians for example.

After tying the game at 3 in the top of the sixth, New York needed to send a reliever out in the bottom half of the inning to hold Cleveland at bay until the Yankees could take the lead.  Obviously, Girardi called on Chamberlain who hadn't pitched in two days, right?  Nope.  Instead, the manager went with LaTroy Hawkins (8.56 ERA).  In the sixth, Hawkins put runners on second and third with one out before being bailed out by a terrific unassisted line drive double play by third baseman Alberto Gonzalez.

But surely, Girardi would bring in Joba to pitch the eighth with game still tied at 3 and the Yankees needing a win to avoid extending their losing streak to three games, right?  Nope.  Instead, Kyle Farnsworth relieved Hawkins and narrowly escaped giving up a run thanks to a bad call by the second base umpire.

After dodging another bullet, Chamberlain had to be the next guy in out of the bullpen with the game still tied in the ninth, right?  This is why we scoff at Hank Steinbrenner when he says that Joba should be a starter, right?  Because the Yankees need him to pitch in these late crucial situations, right?  Nope.  Girardi brought in Ross Ohlendorf, who quickly lost the game before recording two outs.

ESPN.com reported that Chamberlain slipped on a wet mound Thursday and has been receiving treatment on his hamstring, but after the game Saturday, Girardi said Joba was not available Saturday without giving a reason.

Well, I apologize.  I see now that Joba Chamberlain's job spitting seeds in the bullpen during the late innings of a tie game is far too important to be sacrificed in exchange for his move to the rotation.

Before we get to the Yankees' grades for the past five games, let's take a look back at last Monday's predictions for the Chicago/New York series made by myself and my White Sox fan friend Adam Rothman.

Game 1

Adam's Prediction: 6-4 Sox

My Prediction: 4-2 Yanks

Real Final Score: 9-5 Yanks

Game 2

Adam's Prediction: 10-2 Sox

My Prediction: 9-8 Yanks

Real Final Score: 6-4 Yanks

Game 3

Adam's Prediction: 9-4 Sox

My Prediction: 7-6 Sox

Real Final Score: 7-6 Sox

Not only did I get every game right, but I also nailed the exact score of Game 3.  Oh, and I also took $26 from Rothman.

On to the grades...

Joe Girardi, Manager: (D+) Girardi did call for some bunts and hit and runs in Saturday's 4-3 loss to Cleveland, but the good was outweighed by the bad as he once again put together a spring training lineup against another lefty pitcher.  I don't get why he does this.  I understand Abreu and Matsui don't hit lefties as well as they do righties, but don't you think All Star hitters like Abreu and Matsui have a better chance against any pitcher than do part-timers Shelly Duncan, Morgan Ensberg, Jose Molina and Alberto Gonzalez?  And why is Jason Giambi (.177 average) the only lefty who's allowed to start against lefties?  Furthermore, if you're going to bench the left handed hitters Abreu and Matsui, shouldn't you not also give Posada the day off during the same game?  The rag tag lineup didn't work for the Yankees, as they were held scoreless until the regulars started pinch hitting in the sixth inning.

Johnny Damon, LF: (A+) Damon has really come on over the past five games, raising his average 61 points.

Derek Jeter, SS: (C-) Jeter is going in the opposite direction, seeing his average drop from .309 to .282, despite three hits Saturday.  He's also not as clutch this April as he has been in the past, grounding into an inning-ending double play with the score tied in the ninth inning Saturday.  But I expect that to change pretty soon.

Bobby Abreu, RF: (C+) Just 5 for 20 since my last report, but his big grand slam Tuesday was the difference in the 9-5 win over the White Sox.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (C) A-Rod missed the entire Chicago series with a strained quad but returned in Cleveland to go 2 for 8.

Hideki Matsui, DH: (A-) Godzilla didn't play Saturday, so he didn't get a chance to extend his seven game hit streak.  He's 4-13 since Tuesday.

Jorge Posada, C: (A) It's nice to see Posada throwing out runners again as he gunned down Grady Sizemore Saturday.  Jorge also had all the offense for the Yanks in the second game against the Indians, coming through with a bases clearing triple to tie the game in the sixth.  Too bad he didn't start, maybe New York would've scored more runs.

Jason Giambi, 1B: (B+)Giambi had two homers Friday in an attempt to trick people into believing he's actually a valuable asset to the team.  He quickly squashed those thoughts, though, going 0-3 with four runners left on base Saturday.  The Yankees are now 8-12 in games he starts, 4-1 when the Giamzero sits the bench.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (F)You won't hear me argue with Girardi giving Cano the day off Saturday.  Cano really needs to figure out what's wrong with his swing.  He's 1 for his last 15.

Melky Cabrera, CF: (A-) Cabrera continues to quietly be one of the few consistent parts of this Yankees lineup, going 6-19 over the past five games.  He really needs to learn how to bunt though.

Shelly Duncan, RF: (D) Duncan made his second start of the season Saturday, but incredibly wasn't able to get a hit off the lefty Jeremy Sowers simply because he was a right handed batter.  Amazing.

Morgan Ensberg, 3B: (D) Ensberg did an adequate job filling in for A-Rod in Chicago, but he's just 3 for his last 14.

Jose Molina, C: (F) Molina hasn't had a hit since April 13.

Alberto Gonzalez, 2B/3B: (C+) He made an outstanding play on the unassisted line drive double play Saturday and went 1-4 in his first significant appearance in 12 days.

Chien-Ming Wang, SP: (C+) Not a great outing for the ace, allowing 12 base runners in six innings, but he gave up just three runs Tuesday and improved his record to 4-0.

Mike Mussina, SP: (A) I don't know if he looked like Jamie Moyer Wednesday, but he sure looked a lot more like the old Moose, giving up just two runs and four hits in seven innings against the White Sox.  Mussina upped his record to 2-3.

Phil Hughes, SP: (INC) How come Chicago's starter Gavin Floyd was allowed to return after the rain delay Thursday, but Hughes was not?  It was too bad, because Phil finally looked good, giving up just one hit in two scoreless innings.

Andy Pettitte, SP: (D+) Andy looked good until the fifth inning Friday night, when he gave up four runs (three earned) and wound up taking the loss against Cleveland.

Ian Kennedy, SP: (C-)Kennedy had just one bad inning when he gave up three runs in the second against Cleveland Saturday, but he once again had trouble finding the strike zone, walking four which forced Girardi to pull him after only five innings.

Billy Traber, RP: (F) Three straight rough outings for the "lefty specialist."

Brian Bruney, RP: (D-)I never thought I'd be saddened by an injury to Bruney, but with him possibly being done for the year, it looks like the Yankees will be even more apprehensive to move Joba to the rotation.  Although they didn't use him when they needed him Saturday, so who knows?

Joba Chamberlain, RP: (C) Pitched well on Tuesday, got his first career loss on Thursday and then became seemingly obsolete on Saturday.

Kyle Farnsworth, RP: (C+) Three innings pitched and just one earned run, but he did get lucky Saturday with the bad call at second base.

LaTroy Hawkins, RP: (D-)Terrible Wednesday, mildly awful Thursday and lucky Saturday.  Not a bad week for LaTroy.

Mariano Rivera, RP: (A+)Got Girardi out of the jam he created Wednesday by bringing in Hawkins and Traber.  Mo's been nearly perfect this year.  Too bad he's not allowed to pitch in tie games.  The Yankees really could've used him Saturday.

Ross Ohlendorf, RP: (F)Two appearances, 2.1 ip, 6 er.  Not a good week for Princeton.

Jonathan Albaladejo, RP: (A)How about this guy to fill Joba's spot when he moves to the rotation?

Overall Yankees Grade: (C-)  Ohlendorf, Hawkins and Farnsworth all have more innings pitched than Chamberlain and Rivera.  How does that make any sense?  If they're you're best relievers, they should be pitching if you're tied, down by one, and down by two, not just when you're winning.