Yankees pitching hindering a World Series bid
The New York Yankees have the best record in the American League. However, the Bronx Bombers winning the World Series is a pipe dream.
Misleading hopes have never been higher for Yankees fans.
The New York Yankees have finished in first or second place every year dating back to 1993 and have made post-season play every year since the baseball strike in '94.
In fact, this team hasn't missed the play-offs since it went to a Wild Card format.
The franchise holds a record 26 World Championships.
Every year in recent memory they have been the favorite by default, however, owner George Steinbrenner won't like this year's result one bit.
The New York Yankees are a team just waiting to collapse.
The mark of a great baseball team is pitching.
Post-season baseball is won with pitching, not hitting, and the Yankees' current six-man rotation has more questions than a President Bush press conference.
The good news for the Yankees is that their pitching ranks sixth best in ERA in the American League.
The bad news is that the five teams ahead of them are the top five other playoff contenders -- Oakland (4.03), Minnesota (4.04), Boston (4.14), Anaheim (4.34), Texas (4.41) all stand ahead of New York (4.57) in team ERA.
The Yankees will likely have to beat two teams in the post-season with better team ERAs to make the World Series, let alone win it.
As good as their hitting is, it's unlikely, because not only is team ERA an issue, but every pitcher in their rotation can be questioned...
The ace of the staff, Kevin Brown (9-2), has been rock solid when he's pitched.
The problem is that he hasn't pitched on a consistent schedule.
Brown missed nearly all of June and July with back problems and stomach parasites.
He also has a history of injuries in the past and has been labeled as "fragile."
While he has the potential to be dominant among pitchers, he also seems to have a frequency to get hurt.
Brown's age, 39, doesn't coincide well with his tendency to get injured.
Javier Vazquez (13-7) was an off-season prize that went somewhat unnoticed because of other acquisitions.
He was a hidden treasure in Montreal, but the arrivals of Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield in the Big Apple stole his thunder.
He's quietly having a solid season and was even named to the All-Star team as a replacement.
However, he's never pitched a meaningful game in September or October in his life.
Brought up by the Expos until this year, Vazquez has never pitched amid a play-off race or post-season.
Mike Mussina (9-7) never really got his season going.
From Opening Day in Japan he has struggled.
The lowest his ERA has been this season is a poor 4.43, while his season ERA stands at a horrendous 5.34.
Mussina, 35, has already missed more than a month with a stiff pitching elbow.
Perhaps it's the injury, perhaps his age is catching up with him, but "Moose" isn't the same this year.
Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez (5-0) has returned to the Yankees.
"El Duque" has been showing his old form in his limited time this year (8 starts), and has been looking stunning.
Hernandez has already left one game early due to a hamstring problem.
It's unlikely that Hernandez will stay as dominant as he's been, and to further prove it, he gave up five earned runs in his last start.
It was his worst outing of the year.
Jon Lieber (9-8) is posting the highest ERA he's ever posted as a starter during his career.
He currently stands behind Brown, Vazquez, Mussina and Hernandez in the rotation.
He wouldn't even be in the post-season rotation.
That being said, he would be in the play-off rotation if one of those four were to get hurt.
He's not a guy you'd like to place the burden of a play-off game on.
Esteban Loaiza (9-7), the newest Yankee starter, was just acquired through a trade with the White Sox.
The Yankees unloaded Jose Contreras in large part due to his ineffectiveness pitching against the Red Sox (Career 13.50 ERA versus Boston).
Loaiza, who finished second in the American League Cy Young voting last year, has been terrible for the Yankees this year.
He currently boasts a 7.08 ERA after last nights loss and is winless as a Yankee (4 starts).
Yankee fans better buckle up for a bumpy ride.
The Yankees aren't the same without Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and David Wells bolstering their staff.
Their hitting resembles an All-Star team, but their pitching yields nothing more than questions.
Notes: *ERA: Earned Run Average
You can contact Timothy Taizo Ohashi at ohashikto@yahoo.com if you have questions, comments, or any feedback.
The New York Yankees have finished in first or second place every year dating back to 1993 and have made post-season play every year since the baseball strike in '94.
In fact, this team hasn't missed the play-offs since it went to a Wild Card format.
The franchise holds a record 26 World Championships.
Every year in recent memory they have been the favorite by default, however, owner George Steinbrenner won't like this year's result one bit.
The New York Yankees are a team just waiting to collapse.
The mark of a great baseball team is pitching.
Post-season baseball is won with pitching, not hitting, and the Yankees' current six-man rotation has more questions than a President Bush press conference.
The good news for the Yankees is that their pitching ranks sixth best in ERA in the American League.
The bad news is that the five teams ahead of them are the top five other playoff contenders -- Oakland (4.03), Minnesota (4.04), Boston (4.14), Anaheim (4.34), Texas (4.41) all stand ahead of New York (4.57) in team ERA.
The Yankees will likely have to beat two teams in the post-season with better team ERAs to make the World Series, let alone win it.
As good as their hitting is, it's unlikely, because not only is team ERA an issue, but every pitcher in their rotation can be questioned...
The ace of the staff, Kevin Brown (9-2), has been rock solid when he's pitched.
The problem is that he hasn't pitched on a consistent schedule.
Brown missed nearly all of June and July with back problems and stomach parasites.
He also has a history of injuries in the past and has been labeled as "fragile."
While he has the potential to be dominant among pitchers, he also seems to have a frequency to get hurt.
Brown's age, 39, doesn't coincide well with his tendency to get injured.
Javier Vazquez (13-7) was an off-season prize that went somewhat unnoticed because of other acquisitions.
He was a hidden treasure in Montreal, but the arrivals of Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield in the Big Apple stole his thunder.
He's quietly having a solid season and was even named to the All-Star team as a replacement.
However, he's never pitched a meaningful game in September or October in his life.
Brought up by the Expos until this year, Vazquez has never pitched amid a play-off race or post-season.
Mike Mussina (9-7) never really got his season going.
From Opening Day in Japan he has struggled.
The lowest his ERA has been this season is a poor 4.43, while his season ERA stands at a horrendous 5.34.
Mussina, 35, has already missed more than a month with a stiff pitching elbow.
Perhaps it's the injury, perhaps his age is catching up with him, but "Moose" isn't the same this year.
Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez (5-0) has returned to the Yankees.
"El Duque" has been showing his old form in his limited time this year (8 starts), and has been looking stunning.
Hernandez has already left one game early due to a hamstring problem.
It's unlikely that Hernandez will stay as dominant as he's been, and to further prove it, he gave up five earned runs in his last start.
It was his worst outing of the year.
Jon Lieber (9-8) is posting the highest ERA he's ever posted as a starter during his career.
He currently stands behind Brown, Vazquez, Mussina and Hernandez in the rotation.
He wouldn't even be in the post-season rotation.
That being said, he would be in the play-off rotation if one of those four were to get hurt.
He's not a guy you'd like to place the burden of a play-off game on.
Esteban Loaiza (9-7), the newest Yankee starter, was just acquired through a trade with the White Sox.
The Yankees unloaded Jose Contreras in large part due to his ineffectiveness pitching against the Red Sox (Career 13.50 ERA versus Boston).
Loaiza, who finished second in the American League Cy Young voting last year, has been terrible for the Yankees this year.
He currently boasts a 7.08 ERA after last nights loss and is winless as a Yankee (4 starts).
Yankee fans better buckle up for a bumpy ride.
The Yankees aren't the same without Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and David Wells bolstering their staff.
Their hitting resembles an All-Star team, but their pitching yields nothing more than questions.
Notes: *ERA: Earned Run Average
You can contact Timothy Taizo Ohashi at ohashikto@yahoo.com if you have questions, comments, or any feedback.
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