03-21-2008, 03:09 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Pure Greatness
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 2,667
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In Bullpen Joba Rules
Quote:
- Joba Chamberlain may be a superb starting pitcher in the future, but one day after the Yankees sent him back to the bullpen, he reminded everybody why he took New York by storm late last season.
Chamberlain struck out the side in one inning of relief against the Blue Jays on Thursday, dominating three Toronto minor-leaguers with the same authority he showed during his first two months in the big leagues.
"It was exactly what I thought it would be - maybe a little more - as far as feeling and getting the adrenaline going," Chamberlain said. "I don't care who is hitting, they all want to hit you. Just to come in, get your mind right when you step over that line and it's time to turn it up and go to work."
Instead of working on all four of his pitches, Chamberlain reverted to the fastball-slider combo that helped him post a 0.38 ERA in 24 innings last August and September. Wednesday, Chamberlain stressed that he would to use his curveball and changeup in his relief role, but of his 11 pitches yesterday, eight were fastballs and three were sliders. Nine of them were strikes, accounting for the three Ks.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," Chamberlain said, flashing a grin. "Don't go away from something that got you where you're at. You have to continue to get better at that and continue to expand what you already have. Never lose sight of what got you here."
Said Joe Girardi: "Those are his two best pitches, but I think you'll see him throw other pitches. That's his bread and butter."
While it is unrealistic to expect Chamberlain to duplicate the dominance he showed last season, the Yankees have to feel good about their decision to move him into the setup role after seeing him let it fly on the mound yesterday. Chamberlain's fastball was clocked consistently in the 95-97 mph range, while his slider looked better than it had all spring.
"When you're throwing an inning, you're not thinking about throwing 100 pitches," Girardi said. "You're just letting it all hang out." Ian Kennedy started the game, allowing one run on six hits over 4-1/3 innings. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter, throwing 76 pitches. Kennedy is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in four games this spring, with his final start scheduled for Tuesday in Winter Haven against the Indians.
"I thought he threw the ball well," Girardi said. "Today is the sharpest he's been and that's a good sign for us."
Kennedy's next turn after that would fall on the day before the season opens, so he may return to Tampa to throw a minor-league game to keep sharp.
Chamberlain will take the ball again tomorrow. Reestablishing his bullpen routine will be his focus for the final 10 days of camp, though he didn't look like he had much trouble with it yesterday.
"Just getting going, it's like riding a bike," Chamberlain said. "My arm actually warmed up quicker than I thought it would. I've been getting stretched out and taking my time, but I tried to make it as realistic as I could. My arm reacted really well."
Chamberlain admitted that he was more aggressive yesterday than he had been all spring, throwing with everything he had on every pitch. Kennedy noticed the same thing, adding that it would be impossible to do that over the course of 100 pitches.
"He hasn't skipped a beat at all; he looks like he did last year," Kennedy said. "It's totally different when he starts and relieves. He looked totally different today. "
Chamberlain said he attacked the strike zone and didn't try to "baby" his slider yesterday, allowing it to have the sharp break he showed late last summer.
"You don't necessarily consciously hold something back, but you cut something off because you know you have four, five or six innings to go," he said. "Knowing it's one inning, being aggressive and throwing as hard as I can, it was better."
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In bullpen, Joba Chamberlain rules
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In Bullpen Joba Rules
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