Chamberlain falls further behind in race for Yankees' No. 5 spot
Last Updated: 12:04 PM, March 11, 2010
Posted: 3:49 AM, March 11, 2010
Comments: 169
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LAKELAND, Fla. — Joba Chamberlain says he knows the deal when it comes to the fifth starter’s spot in Joe Girardi’s rotation.
Now he has to start pitching like it.
“I understand what’s at stake,” Chamberlain said after getting spanked by the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium yesterday in a 9-8 Yankees victory. “You got to get better. You can’t worry about what [the competition] is doing. There is a sense of urgency but not a panic button.”
MATTINGLY COULD TAKE OVER FROM TORRE
Chamberlain is correct: Two outings into spring training isn’t time to panic. Chamberlain’s body of work — since walking off a Texas mound with a shoulder problem on Aug. 4, 2008, that forced him to miss a month — has been pedestrian.
In 42 games (31 starts), Chamberlain is 9-6 with a 4.59 ERA and has given up 178 hits in 1682⁄3 innings, walked 79 and fanned 147. That’s too many hits and not an acceptable walk-to-strikeout ratio.
Yes, the Yankees didn’t help him last year in the second half, when they limited his innings as a starter. And he is 24. But by now the Yankees believed Chamberlain would at least be close to a top-of-the-rotation hurler.
Yesterday when he was working on getting his pitches in on right-handed hitters, Chamberlain wasn’t easy to watch.
In 21⁄3 innings, Chamberlain gave up six runs, five hits, walked three and fanned one. Gerald Laird delivered a grand slam that highlighted a six-run third inning after Chamberlain didn’t allow a run in the first two frames.
“I got a little tired,” said Chamberlain, who was slowed by a stomach virus early in camp that cost him eight pounds and that bothered him in the last outing. But this week he declared himself at full strength.
And then he ran out of fuel.
“My delivery was a lot better, I need to keep my legs [strong]. I worked on throwing in and I didn’t cut any balls off,” said Chamberlain, who has given up eight hits and six walks in 32⁄3 spring innings. “I had a little hitch in my delivery and I fixed that. I will go to the bullpen and continue to work.”
If you forced the Yankees to tell the truth a month ago, they would have said Phil Hughes, who worked 22⁄3 innings yesterday, was the arm they wanted in the fifth spot. That’s still the way to bet, but Alfredo Aceves and Sergio Mitre have been very good, and Chad Gaudin hasn’t been terrible.
Girardi, who says the real evaluation process will begin when each hurler makes his third outing, insists it’s a five-man competition.
Can Hughes and Chamberlain land in the bullpen? Will one be a starter and the other Mariano Rivera’s set-up man? As wild as it sounds, could Chamberlain open the year as a Triple-A starter?
“I think any scenario is possible,” Girardi said. “We will have to make evaluations that we think are the best. Very few things in this game end up the way they started.”
When Chamberlain surfaced in 2007, he charged out of the bullpen with a blazing fastball, filthy slider and was embraced by everybody. As a starter, there have been glimpses of that stuff but nothing sustained.
When Chamberlain pitches Tuesday against the Astros, he will be facing the biggest spring training game of his young career. Because if Girardi is telling the truth — and there is no reason to believe he isn’t — Chamberlain’s evaluation clock will begin ticking loudly.
george.king@nypost.com
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Comments (165)
Post Your CommentNEW YORK YANKEES
03/14/2010 1:47 AM
What did the NYPD have to say when you called to report an obscene word you saw in a public forum ? ? ? ? ?
Did you tell them it was s p a c e d out a little to avoid filters ? ! ? ! ?
Take Back the Web Site!
03/13/2010 8:17 PM
Let the New York Post know that...
"WE ARE MAD AS HELLL AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE."
HELP REMOVE THIS DEVIANT (blo-Joba) FROM THIS SITE PERMANENTLY.
Take Back the Web Site!
03/13/2010 8:16 PM
Report NY Post pervert ... "Derek, be a man and apologize to Elin" a.k.a. "blo-Joba"
at NYPD Crimestoppers: 1 800 577 8477 or at nyc.gov/nypd
For violation of: New York Penal Law, Article 235.22
S 235.22 Disseminating indecent material to minors.
Apperantly the NY Post does not care. We do! Stand up and be heard.
blo-Joba
03/13/2010 7:40 PM
If you really want to take action have the POST turn over the IP addresses of the following posters to police:
Burn Baby Burn !
03/12/2010 8:22 AM
"NY Post blogger "blo-Joba" earned his name the old fashioned way... On his knees."
TUCO
03/12/2010 6:52 AM
"i'm bitter joba f u c k e d the day lights out of my sister and my wife at the same time"
Tuco
03/10/2010 7:19 PM
"The Yankee envious jerk goes up and down the Hershey Highway 6, 7 times a day."
XDR Tuberculosis
03/10/2010 6:21 PM
"I may be wrong but I'm thinking "Derek Jeter is overrated" is a Knob Jockey, a Butt Pirate, a pole smoker, you get the picture."
Art Fowler
03/12/2010 7:14 PM
"It is called a typo. GOD YOU ARE SUCH A D/ICK !"
See 3/12/2010 Yankee Article titled:
FLU BUG KO's JETER
Posted 3/12/10 1:00 pm by "Burn Baby Burn"
Now this clown claims jeter is dating babies? Sick, very sick. We suspected there was a jeter/NAMBLA/blogger connection and this proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Burn Baby Burn !
03/12/2010 1:00 PM
"Hey, why don't you repost that list of all the hot babies that Jeter dated ..."
Nice try son....the proof is the paper! Very very telling about you two. We shall continue to refer to this article daily in all future yankee articles.
Or was it just a "FRAUDIAN" slip on your part?
PLEASE CALL AND REPORT "BURN BABY BURN". SAME GUY AS TONYV/TAKE BACK/Fowler/XDR/tuco
blo-Joba
03/13/2010 7:40 PM
If you really want to take action have the POST turn over the IP addresses of the following posters to police:
Burn Baby Burn !
03/12/2010 8:22 AM
"NY Post blogger "blo-Joba" earned his name the old fashioned way... On his knees."
TUCO
03/12/2010 6:52 AM
"i'm bitter joba f u c k e d the day lights out of my sister and my wife at the same time"
Tuco
03/10/2010 7:19 PM
"The Yankee envious jerk goes up and down the Hershey Highway 6, 7 times a day."
XDR Tuberculosis
03/10/2010 6:21 PM
"I may be wrong but I'm thinking "Derek Jeter is overrated" is a Knob Jockey, a Butt Pirate, a pole smoker, you get the picture."
Art Fowler
03/12/2010 7:14 PM
"It is called a typo. GOD YOU ARE SUCH A D/ICK !"
See 3/12/2010 Yankee Article titled:
FLU BUG KO's JETER
Posted 3/12/10 1:00 pm by "Burn Baby Burn"
Now this clown claims jeter is dating babies? Sick, very sick. We suspected there was a jeter/NAMBLA/blogger connection and this proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Burn Baby Burn !
03/12/2010 1:00 PM
"Hey, why don't you repost that list of all the hot babies that Jeter dated ..."
Nice try son....the proof is the paper! Very very telling about you two. We shall continue to refer to this article daily in all future yankee articles.
Or was it just a "FRAUDIAN" slip on your part?
PLEASE CALL AND REPORT "BURN BABY BURN". SAME GUY AS TONYV/TAKE BACK/Fowler/XDR/tuco
blo-Joba
03/13/2010 7:40 PM
If you really want to take action have the POST turn over the IP addresses of the following posters to police:
Burn Baby Burn !
03/12/2010 8:22 AM
"NY Post blogger "blo-Joba" earned his name the old fashioned way... On his knees."
TUCO
03/12/2010 6:52 AM
"i'm bitter joba f u c k e d the day lights out of my sister and my wife at the same time"
Tuco
03/10/2010 7:19 PM
"The Yankee envious jerk goes up and down the Hershey Highway 6, 7 times a day."
XDR Tuberculosis
03/10/2010 6:21 PM
"I may be wrong but I'm thinking "Derek Jeter is overrated" is a Knob Jockey, a Butt Pirate, a pole smoker, you get the picture."
Art Fowler
03/12/2010 7:14 PM
"It is called a typo. GOD YOU ARE SUCH A D/ICK !"
See 3/12/2010 Yankee Article titled:
FLU BUG KO's JETER
Posted 3/12/10 1:00 pm by "Burn Baby Burn"
Now this clown claims jeter is dating babies? Sick, very sick. We suspected there was a jeter/NAMBLA/blogger connection and this proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Burn Baby Burn !
03/12/2010 1:00 PM
"Hey, why don't you repost that list of all the hot babies that Jeter dated ..."
Nice try son....the proof is the paper! Very very telling about you two. We shall continue to refer to this article daily in all future yankee articles.
Or was it just a "FRAUDIAN" slip on your part?
PLEASE CALL AND REPORT "BURN BABY BURN". SAME GUY AS TONYV/TAKE BACK/Fowler/XDR/tuco
blo-Joba
03/13/2010 7:40 PM
If you really want to take action have the POST turn over the IP addresses of the following posters to police:
Burn Baby Burn !
03/12/2010 8:22 AM
"NY Post blogger "blo-Joba" earned his name the old fashioned way... On his knees."
TUCO
03/12/2010 6:52 AM
"i'm bitter joba f u c k e d the day lights out of my sister and my wife at the same time"
Tuco
03/10/2010 7:19 PM
"The Yankee envious jerk goes up and down the Hershey Highway 6, 7 times a day."
XDR Tuberculosis
03/10/2010 6:21 PM
"I may be wrong but I'm thinking "Derek Jeter is overrated" is a Knob Jockey, a Butt Pirate, a pole smoker, you get the picture."
Art Fowler
03/12/2010 7:14 PM
"It is called a typo. GOD YOU ARE SUCH A D/ICK !"
See 3/12/2010 Yankee Article titled:
FLU BUG KO's JETER
Posted 3/12/10 1:00 pm by "Burn Baby Burn"
Now this clown claims jeter is dating babies? Sick, very sick. We suspected there was a jeter/NAMBLA/blogger connection and this proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Burn Baby Burn !
03/12/2010 1:00 PM
"Hey, why don't you repost that list of all the hot babies that Jeter dated ..."
Nice try son....the proof is the paper! Very very telling about you two. We shall continue to refer to this article daily in all future yankee articles.
Or was it just a "FRAUDIAN" slip on your part?
PLEASE CALL AND REPORT "BURN BABY BURN". SAME GUY AS TONYV/TAKE BACK/Fowler/XDR/tuco
blo-Joba
03/13/2010 7:40 PM
If you really want to take action have the POST turn over the IP addresses of the following posters to police:
Burn Baby Burn !
03/12/2010 8:22 AM
"NY Post blogger "blo-Joba" earned his name the old fashioned way... On his knees."
TUCO
03/12/2010 6:52 AM
"i'm bitter joba f u c k e d the day lights out of my sister and my wife at the same time"
Tuco
03/10/2010 7:19 PM
"The Yankee envious jerk goes up and down the Hershey Highway 6, 7 times a day."
XDR Tuberculosis
03/10/2010 6:21 PM
"I may be wrong but I'm thinking "Derek Jeter is overrated" is a Knob Jockey, a Butt Pirate, a pole smoker, you get the picture."
Art Fowler
03/12/2010 7:14 PM
"It is called a typo. GOD YOU ARE SUCH A D/ICK !"
See 3/12/2010 Yankee Article titled:
FLU BUG KO's JETER
Posted 3/12/10 1:00 pm by "Burn Baby Burn"
Now this clown claims jeter is dating babies? Sick, very sick. We suspected there was a jeter/NAMBLA/blogger connection and this proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Burn Baby Burn !
03/12/2010 1:00 PM
"Hey, why don't you repost that list of all the hot babies that Jeter dated ..."
Nice try son....the proof is the paper! Very very telling about you two. We shall continue to refer to this article daily in all future yankee articles.
Or was it just a "FRAUDIAN" slip on your part?
PLEASE CALL AND REPORT "BURN BABY BURN". SAME GUY AS TONYV/TAKE BACK/Fowler/XDR/tuco