WasWatching.com

>> there's a huge difference between facing the Red Sox in Fenway Park
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I'm as frustrated with Igawa as the next guy, but don't forget this (from BR):

Date Opp IP H R ER BB SO HR
22 Apr 28 BOS 6 2 0 0 4 6 0

Somewhere locked inside a Igawa is a guy with good stuff who can get bats to swing and miss. I just hope we see it sometime this year.

The backup plan is named Joba Chamberlain. If Pettitte is out for a significant period of times with his back trouble, they'll just keep Joba in the rotation. He's not so far into his reliever routine that a switch back to starting will be a big issue.

And it's not possible to have a complete plan, every team's plan needs to be fluid. No one knows who's going to get hurt, who's going to pitch like crap in ST, or who's going to pitch well. It's not as simple as "if one of our starters go down, we'll plug this guy in."

j - Big Papi was not impressed that day, FYI:

http://www.waswatching.com/archives/2007/04/big_papi_on_kei.html

Rasner got his ERA down around 5 due to his impressive start against the Rays. I'd rather see Rasner in there before Karstens. It seems that Rasner has been getting better with Spring and Karstens has been getting worse.

Igawa needs to pitch at AAA for trade value. Wow. He was lights out against AA guys. Imagine that. I remember when Igawa said his problem earlier in ST was that he was keeping the ball to low. The guy has a backwards way of pitching.

~~~The backup plan is named Joba Chamberlain. ~~~

Jerking around Joba would be the worst option, IMHO. It's asking too much on his arm and his head.

Yes, none of the 3 options has convincingly won the long reliever job. Igawa may have a small advantage in being a lefty.

I think we're all forgetting the role of the long man out of the bullpen. He's not a front end reliever, and you arent going to waste a prospect like Marquez or Horne for the role. Joba shouldnt be messed with; just let him pitch an inning or two each appearance, and keep him on steady work.

a long man is a guy to bring in when the starter just couldnt hack it that day so that you dont burn out your main arms in the pen, like Torre notoriously did (especially last season).

they most importanly eat innings, and then try and keep the game close to give your offense a chance to get the team back in the game.

Karstens or Rasner are perfect for this role, and they've both proven in stints with the MLB club and in spring training they've got the stuff to accomplish this goal. I wouldnt touch Igawa without seeing more from him at AAA first.

Seems like tha plan is just fine to me.

Karstens is not perfect for any role on the Yankees' 25 man roster. He's not a major leaguer.

you dont need high upside for a long man. you need a guy who can come in and eat innings to save your bullpen.

Karstens (and Rasner) both have MLB experience and relative success at the MLB level. They arent flashy, they arent top prospects, they dont have awesome offspeed stuff, but they can do what needs to be done.

IMO, the only thing Karstens will do is blow up the game. There has to be a better option.

This 'long man' discussion is sort of comical. Didn't Girardi say he would rather just have the best pitchers and not worry about roles, and now he's saying he definitely wants a long man? Ohlendorff used to be a starter.. he can't go 4 innings in a pinch? How about Britton?

The solution here is that if all 3 of Rasner, Karstens and Igawa stink, then they should all be left in AAA. Take the best pitchers and figure out roles later.