While big and fat, Sid "the Kid" Ponson was brought in for one start. The Yankees didn't have any healthy major-league capable pitchers (outside of Kei Igawa, if you want to call him major-league capable), and they had a doubleheader against the Mets, so they signed Ponson to pitch that game with the understanding that he could stick around if he pitched well enough.
He pitched well enough.
A closer look at the stats indicates that he's been very lucky, barely scraping along, despite the cursory stats. He really hadn't imploded, and the Yanks haven't had anyone that has stepped up to replace him, so he was around a little longer than initially expected.
Plus, Ponson's penchant for problems has remained dormant during this second stint.
There have been rumors abound about the Yankees trying to acquire a capable fifth-starter in Jarrod Washburn, and one has to assume this "as-of-yet-unacquired player" should replace either Ponson or Darrell Rasner in the rotation.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Right now, it looks like it'd be Ponson.
Was it only one bad start?
Yes.
And it was against a really good team, and you can't expect your fifth starter to pitch well against great teams all the time. However, this great team was the Red Sox, and that makes the boo-boo hurt much more. Plus, we all knew it was just a matter of time with Sidney. The fear is that this is only the start of something terrible.
The Yankees may now pursue another starter with more urgency, so that the latest incarnation of the Sidney Ponson experiment could be over. The Mariners were reportedly asking too much for Washburn, but they may be more willing to bend with the trade deadline approaching.
Learning from Dachs that NY could be chasing for Brian Bannister, I don't see the point, especially since Washburn has at least been very good since June, but what has Bannister done (besides strike nobody out)?
I'd rather not trade for him and call up Ian Kennedy, who has been strong in the minors. He may not be excellent, but he's projected to be a decent pitcher, so we should really give him more time before passing judgment. (See the sudden "Mets-siah," Mike Pelfrey.)
And more importantly, Kennedy may be just as good as any of the more expensive options out there.
As I've said countless times, "The Yanks should go after a bigger name," but they don't appear headed in that direction. Washburn remains a possible target, and I hope last night's debacle doesn't force them to part with more than they should.
Don't be surprised to see J-Wash in the Bronx sooner than later, with Ponson once again out the door.
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3 months ago
Ouch. NY had to lose eventually. Luck or not isn't he 6 and 1? If NY doesn't get Washburn or anyone else then NY will be happy they have Sid- fat kid or not. If you think Sid is fat, what was Boomer? Unless Giese comes out of relief to start, which doesn't help anyone; he is good as a long reliever.
Good article though, 5 stars for making it well known where you stand on what NY should consider
from 3 months ago
Problem isnt the SP. Sid gave up 4 or 5, then the pen took responcibility for the rest of the 10 total runs, I hope you dont want that changed now too. Hughes and Bruney to return in Aug. Rasner is fine with onbly 3 bad starts after holding others runless for first 3 starts. He is now a mid 4 ERA. When HUghes gets back then I imagine NY moving Darrell to the pen
from 3 months ago
No, no, the pen is fine. Actually, it was all Geise. Correct me if I'm wrong, but none of the Yankees' "big five" relievers (Mo, Farns, Veras, Edwar, and Marte) pitched in this awful game. Geise is a solid long-relief guy, and by giving four innings, he allowed the rest of the pen to rest during the blowout.
Ponson pitched very poorly, and there's no way to hide that. He gave up seven earned in four innings. And even though he was 6-1 coming in, it's not necessarily because he pitched all that well. Wins are not a good way to measure a pitcher's performance. How about this stat: despite his okay 4.59 ERA, Ponson also has a 1.66 WHIP, which is awful. With such a high amount of baserunners, you had to expect the ERA to rise at some point. Hitters were batting .322 against him! That's nuts! He's been lucky until now, plain and simple.
Ponson was a cheap gamble, and we got a decent run from him, so I'm pleased overall. But the run is over, and it's time for Sir Sidney to go.
(Also, yes, Wells was fat.)
from 3 months ago
HaHa-gotta love Boomer. No, youre right about the pen yesterday, but Farnsie is getting a little scary lately. 3 runs in last 2 innings pitched, but they are all the run he's allowed in the last 11 innings.
I am hoping for Wasburn b/c TOR announced Burnett is staying put before the game; and Halladay is a slim to none chance-sounds like he stays put too - They may think that they are going to catch up for a wild card spot, but given the improvements and the return from those on the DL they may be betting on a losing horse.
3 months ago
Hey Jersey...............I am with you on the subject of a better Starter. My guess is the Yankees are playing around with this washburn situation and have every intent to get him but my gut feeling is that there was a lot more out of last Thursday Summit in Tampa.
Basically, if there is an Ace available such as maybe Halladay from the Blue Jays, they are being approached on it by the Yankees. How do we honestly know if Wang is going to be back? We are close to the top of the AL East but does anyone feel that with Joba, Andy, we are going to to get past the first round should the Yankees make it?
In my opinion, I feel as though the upper management have given some sort of mandate and we are pursuing a much better Starter than what is being published in the NY papers at the moment. Maybe I am wrong but this is the last year at The Stadium and who knows how long we have George to honor him.
Go Yankees!
from 3 months ago
I really doubt there is a mystery big name starter that the Yankees are going to aquire. Who are they going to give up after trading away four guys in the Nady/Marte deal? They don't want to bankrupt their entire farm system. The Nady/Marte trade was pretty obvious and I think whomever they get to start (i.e. Washburn) will be pretty straight forward as well.
We shouldn't all get down on Mussina after one bad start. He's been the team MVP through the first four months of the season. With all reports indicating that Wang will return in September, the playoff rotation of Wang, Moose, Pettitte and Joba is quite formidable. The only problem is that they may not make it to October if Rasner and Ponson are pitching 40% of the games until then. That's why I believe they need to get Washburn.
3 months ago
Hi Jordan,
No, I am not down on Mike at all. If it wasn't for his 13 wins we would really be in bad shape. I do believe however that we are at a critical time of the year. In other words, I believe that, after hearing comments about Nady and Marte, from ARod, that this team is looking for better pitching to come on board.
Comments like this are not unusual but coming from ARod makes one wonder if there is something that the everyday players are truly looking for from management. None of this would be an issue if Hughes and/or Kennedy would have not gotten hurt.
It's just my feeling that not only will they acquire Washburn but someone above him as well. Thank you for your comments.
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