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May 16, 2007
Yanks Arms, A-Rod, Need To Make Like Reese's Pieces
From Joel Sherman's MSG Blog -
Starting April 24, Rodriguez has hit just one homer and driven in five runs. In those 18 games he has hit .246 with a .323 slugging percentage compared to .400 with a 1.053 slugging percentage prior to that. He is going to get a giant pass, for now, because without his dynamic work over the first 3 1-2 weeks of the season the struggling Yankees would have even more losses.
For what it's worth, the Yankees have gone 9-9 in those 18 games where Alex has slumped. And, they went 8-10 when Alex was on fire at the plate. It's an interesting split.
When the Yankees pitch poorly, they need a red hot A-Rod to play .500 ball. When the Yankees pitch well, they're a .500 ballclub when A-Rod slumps at the same time.
It would be nice to see how the Yankees do in a 18-game stretch where they pitch well and Alex Rodriguez is swinging a big stick. Somehow, I don't think you'll see a .500 record...if the two click at the same time.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at May 16, 2007 09:49 AM
Comments
Well, the Yanks seem to have the answer in Ron Villone... Be still, my heart
Posted by: Raf ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 16, 2007 10:15 AM
Better Villone than Igawa. Don't be shocked to see Villone start on Sunday against the Mets.
Posted by: Steve Lombardi at May 16, 2007 10:27 AM
Better Henn than either. And come to think of it, I'd rather Igawa than Villone.
With the way things are going, I wouldn't be suprised to see Meyers start against the Mets.
Posted by: Raf at May 16, 2007 10:40 AM
Didn't the Twins release Sidney Ponson? I say the Yanks take a flier on that guy. :-)
Posted by: Garcia at May 16, 2007 10:57 AM
Don't be shocked to see Villone start on Sunday against the Mets.
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As noMaas pointed out, SWB didn't keep Villone fresh for the big club so he didn't have a typical second-half burnout this year. They worked him hard -- making him throw multiple innings.
So unless Torre can stop himself from overusing Villone, I'm not sure why anyone should expect anything but a repeat of last year -- in which Villone, tired down the stretch, got killed.
I would hope that Chase Wright gets the start over Villone. He's thrown a couple of good games in AAA, and despite being in the record books because of those four home runs, I think Wright can pitch in the big leagues now. It'll be good for Wright to get another callup, and it'll go a long way to correcting the team's reaction to that game at Fenway. They treated it like it was something to be ashamed of, and they quickly pulled Wright from the game (with a few chuckles by "the players' manager" Joe Torre) and shipped him back to the minors. Luckily for them, Wright just laughed it off.
Posted by: baileywalk at May 16, 2007 11:09 AM
Did everybody catch Ozzie Guillen's comments on Arod to the cubbies or the white sox -- make him all-chicago says Ozzie, he'll play for us when we're in town and when we leave, he'll switch over to the cubs...special dispensation from the Mayor.
Posted by: dereksTeam at May 16, 2007 11:22 AM
Ozzie should probably can the "us" stuff -- if the Sox have another disappointing season, he's probably going to be shown the door. His act is a lot less cute when you're not winning the World Series or at least making the playoffs.
Posted by: baileywalk at May 16, 2007 11:38 AM
Wait, don't you mean Reese's Peanut Butter Cups?
Posted by: Jen at May 16, 2007 01:19 PM
It really was reprehensible how Torre handled the Wright situation, as though he's the only rookie Yankee pitcher to ever suffer a horrible inning. That he's pitching well at SWB is proof that he has the intestinal fortitude to endure the roller coaster ride of success and failure.
Posted by: brockdc at May 16, 2007 01:36 PM
I agree with you, baileywalk. My vote's for Chase Wright. He pitched well against Cleveland his first start. He wasn't bad until those unfortunate 4 home runs at Fenway either.
On the pre-game, David Justice just said the same thing.
Posted by: snowball003 at May 16, 2007 01:46 PM
~~~Wait, don't you mean Reese's Peanut Butter Cups?~~~
Yikes! Yes, you're right.
You can tell that I don't eat that stuff, right?
Posted by: Steve Lombardi at May 16, 2007 03:34 PM
You can tell that I don't eat that stuff, right?
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It's crap anyway, you're not missing anything :)
Posted by: Raf at May 16, 2007 06:00 PM