Yankee pitching, bench show poor planning

Chamberlain after loading the bases in the third inning v Boston, 4/24/09, ap

• "Yankee pitching is, in fact, the worst in baseball. At 6.41, the team ERA is nearly half a run worse than anyone else in the game.

Even Washington (Nationals), which has won just four games this year, has a team ERA that is more than one run a game lower than New York’s.

• Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees best pitcher before he was injured last year, can’t get anybody out and has been shunted to the disabled list while the team’s pitching doctors try to fix what’s ailing his delivery.*

CC Sabathia, the huge — literally and metaphorically — offseason acquisition, has been OK, but hardly anything near the best pitcher in baseball, which his salary says he’s supposed to be. A.J. Burnett, the other free-agent signing, has been decent but not overwhelming.

• Joba Chamberlain hasn’t given up a lot of runs, but

• his velocity is down, his walks are up and he’s not averaging even six innings a start.

Of all the starters, only Andy Pettitte is pitching like he’s supposed to. But there was nothing he could do Sunday to win a game in which his offense contributed just one run to the cause. But when the team goes 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, that’s what you get....

• In the first few weeks of the season, Brian Bruney had brought hope to the bullpen and a measure of security to seventh-inning leads as the bridge to Mariano Rivera. But with the rest of the bullpen barely more effective than a batting tee, manager

• Joe Girardi overused Bruney, who is resting a tired arm. They need him back desperately.

Then they need at least two more decent relievers. And if the starters don’t start pitching like they’re supposed to be capable of pitching, that won’t help either....

• Ellsbury got to third partially because of the efforts — or lack thereof — of Angel Berroa, the utility infielder the Yankees picked up before the season started. Berroa was filling in for Cody Ransom, the young third baseman who is doing an inadequate job of holding down third base for A-Rod.

Berroa contributed two errors to the cause Sunday and no hits. He’s a washed-up infielder who plays three positions badly. And he’s what the Yankees have to go to on a thin bench." "Red Sox Sweep exposes Yankees' big holes," NBC Sports, Mike Celizic, 4/27/09. via BTF

• *I heard a report saying Wang's problem stems from a lack of strength in his hip area. And this was due to inaction with the foot injury. Since one naturally follows the other, why didn't they think of strengthening his hip before now? sm

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