Joba the Ace Gets the Yankees Back on Track

This is what aces do.

With his team in the midst of a three-game losing streak, Joba Chamberlain took the mound Wednesday afternoon with the goal of preventing the Baltimore Orioles' first sweep at the Stadium since he was an infant.

Like always, he succeeded.

Chamberlain, who many foolishly wanted to keep in the bullpen, gave up one earned run on five hits in six innings, striking out six, and walking none.  As a starter, he is now 3-1 with a 2.23 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio, and is allowing one home run every 30.1 innings.  The Yankees are 8-3 in his 11 starts.

Not only is Joba now the best pitcher on the team, but he is quickly becoming one of the top starters in the league.  If he had enough innings to qualify, his 2.23 ERA would be the best in the AL.  And his 10.2 K/9 is up in Mariano Rivera territory, except Chamberlain actually faces batters more than once a game.

Yeah, they should've wasted all that talent by just letting him pitch the eighth inning two or three teams a week.

Meanwhile, the offense finally started taking advantage of the opposition's mistakes on Wednesday, reminiscent of how the Yankee teams of the late '90s used to play.  The Bombers only had two hits through five innings, but they took advantage of Dennis Sarfate's wildness and the O's defensive blunders to rack up five runs.  Then the bats went crazy once the Baltimore bullpen entered.

Here are the grades from the Yanks' 13-3 mashing of the Birds.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (A) Kudos to Girardi for having Edwar Ramirez throw his first and only pitch up and in on Kevin Millar in the seventh inning.  Ramirez got tossed from the game, but it was well worth it because the Yankees needed to respond to Alex Rodriguez getting drilled by Daniel Cabrera on Tuesday night.  Whether or not it was intentional, that was the second time the Orioles' pitcher hit one of the Yankees' superstars with a pitch this year.  Back on May 20, he plunked Derek Jeter on the left hand, knocking him out of the game and sending him into a long hitting slump.

Johnny Damon, LF: (B+) Damon went 0-2, but walked twice, including once with the bases loaded.  He also scored a run.

Derek Jeter, SS: (C-) The Captain went 0-3, but walked and scored a run.

Bobby Abreu, DH: (A+) Girardi is probably going to DH Abreu every day now.  With half a day off, Bobby hit two homers, doubled, walked, drove in three runs, and scored four times.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A+) A-Rod had an RBI single in the first and went back-to-back with Abreu with a solo shot in the seventh.

Jason Giambi, 1B: (A-) Giambi struck out with a runner at third and less than two outs in the first, but was slightly more clutch in the sixth when his single to left center drove home Abreu.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (D) Cano's error in the first led to the O's first run.  He also picked up just one single in five at bats.

Xavier Nady, RF: (A) That's more like it.  Nady picked up his first multi-hit game as a Yankee, stroking two doubles, scoring twice, and driving in a pair.

Melky Cabrera, CF: (D+) Cabrera is making himself very expendable as the trade deadline nears.  He went 0-3 with a walk and is now hitting just .245.

Jose Molina, C: (F) Molina went 0-3 with two strikeouts and left three runners on.

Justin Christian, PH-LF: (B+) Christian picked up an RBI single pinch hitting for Damon in the seventh.

Wilson Betemit, PH-SS: (INC) Struck out swinging for Jeter in the seventh.

Chad Moeller, PH-3B: (INC) Moeller is eight games away from being third base eligible in most fantasy baseball leagues.

Richie Sexson, 1B: (B+) Sexson took over for Giambi at first and later walked, singled, and scored.

Joba Chamberlain, SP: (A) Joba is yet to allow more than three earned runs through his first 11 major league starts.  In fact, he's surrendered one run or less in six of those starts.

Edwar Ramirez, RP: (B+) One purposeful pitch.

David Robertson, RP: (C) Gave up a run, a hit, and a walk in two innings while striking out three.

Dan Giese, RP: (B+) Pitched a perfect ninth.

Yankees Overall Grade: (A) What a roller coaster month for the Yankees.  They stumble into the All Star break, come out of it on an eight game winning streak while picking up Nady and Damaso Marte, then lose three in a row before getting a big win over the Orioles on the same day they pick up Ivan Rodriguez.

 

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and authorhouse.com.