2/24/2024 0 Comments Pinstriped bibleMeanwhile, with the Yankees still refusing to budge on Joba Chamberlain, it now seems that what could make or break the Yankees' season is the performance of these two men: It will be interesting to see if that made Cashman and company any more reluctant to deal their top prospects for a short-term fix, which they have been thus far this offseason. Lee might well have pitched the Yankees to another title, but if not, and if he had turned around and signed with the Phillies in the offseason, as he did, that trade could have proven disastrous. The Yankees had agreed to trade Montero, considered one of the top hitting prospects in baseball, for Cliff Lee last year before Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik backed out and sent Lee to the Rangers for a package built around first-base prospect Justin Smoak instead. If so, the question becomes which, if any, of their top prospects - specifically the three killer Bs mentioned above and slugging catcher Jesus Montero - they'd be willing to part with in such a trade. Most likely, the Yankees will scuffle along with their various patchwork solutions, then make a big splash trade for a starter mid-season. There's nothing particularly new there to regular Pinstriped Bible readers, but it puts it all in one place. Verlander keeps rolling and the Tigers win their sixth consecutive series.Over at SI.com I take a look at the Yankees' 2011 rotation in the wake of Andy Pettitte's retirement. Meanwhile, Pettitte needs to spot his fastball to get outs, though it seems that pitch location doesn't really matter for one Tigers hitter. Verlander has shown the ability to use his secondary stuff to get hitters out this season, but the Yankees won't let him off the hook like other teams have if he is wild. He hasn't been particularly impressive at Yankee Stadium throughout his career, but today's opposing lineup is far less formidable than most of the batting orders he has faced in this park.įastball command will be huge for both pitchers today. Verlander was back to his "old self," allowing just one run on four hits and no walks in eight innings against the Cleveland Indians. Unless Alex Rodriguez hits a walkoff home run, the biggest story in today's game is whether Justin Verlander can maintain the form he showed in his last start. His strikeout rate is a batter per nine innings lower at home than on the road. He has a 5.40 ERA and 1.57 WHIP at home compared to a 4.19 ERA and 1.31 WHIP on the road. In nine home starts, Pettitte has allowed nine home runs compared to just four dingers allowed in 10 road starts. Like his colleague Phil Hughes yesterday, Pettitte has struggled at Yankee Stadium this season, particularly with the home run ball. He already spent some time on the disabled list this year with a trapezius strain, and has a 5.32 ERA since returning in early June. He's a lock to throw more innings than he has in any season since 2009. While Pettitte's previous start was probably just a bad outing, it's worth watching to see how he holds up for the rest of the season. He had been on a bit of a roll before that, having allowed just eight combined runs in his past three starts. It was easily his worst outing of the reason, and raised his ERA from 4.28 to 4.71. Pettitte was rocked in his last start, allowing seven runs on 11 hits in just 2 2/3 innings against the Chicago White Sox. LHP Andy Pettitte (7-9, 4.71 ERA) Pitcher Pitching Matchup: RHP Justin Verlander (12-8, 3.50 ERA) vs. Media: Fox Sports Detroit, TBS, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Detroit Tigers (69-46) at New York Yankees (58-57)
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