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Sunday, September 05, 2010

Matthews: Javy Vazquez showed, voiced disappointment after being pulled in fifth with the lead

Javier…bar dem clubhouse doors!

Joe Girardi no longer trusts Javier Vazquez to get even one more out in the fifth inning of a game the New York Yankees are winning by two runs.

And Vazquez no longer respects the manager enough to hide his displeasure until he reaches the sanctuary of the clubhouse.

All this was on display in full of 47,478 spectators at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Even after the Yankees had gone on to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-5, and having had nearly two hours to cool off, Vazquez was still steaming.

“I was disappointed, really disappointed,” an uncharacteristically tight-lipped Vazquez said in an otherwise upbeat clubhouse. “It could have been a better outing, but the fact that I got taken out early, that wasn’t good.”

When Girardi came out to get Vazquez, with runners on first and second, two out and the Yankees holding a 5-3 lead in the fifth, the veteran right-hander threw both his hands skyward in a gesture of agitated disbelief. It was clear he was muttering something as Girardi came to take the ball—although afterward he said he couldn’t remember saying anything—and he didn’t walk off the field so much as stalk off it.

...Vazquez’s face had the empty look of a man who has suddenly come to realize that his days with the company are numbered, that his boss no longer has faith in his ability to do his job and whatever future he may have hoped to have there is now in ruins.

Repoz Posted: September 05, 2010 at 11:59 AM | 19 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
  Tags: blue jays, game recaps, yankees

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   1. jyjjy Posted: September 05, 2010 at 12:59 PM (#3633773)
He was lucky they let him start at all.
   2. Jolly Old St. Neck Wound, Moral Idiot Posted: September 05, 2010 at 02:43 PM (#3633794)
Girardi hasn't said it outright, but it's pretty obvious that when Pettitte returns, there's going to be three firm starters (Sabathia, Pettitte and Hughes) and three others (Burnett, Nova and Vazquez) who will be competing for the final two slots. And none of those last three have made much of a case up to now, Vazquez the least of all.
   3. Rich Posted: September 05, 2010 at 02:55 PM (#3633802)
...and three others (Burnett, Nova and Vazquez) who will be competing for the final two slots. And none of those last three have made much of a case up to now


Very SSS, but Nova's ERA is 2.89 and his ERA+ is 140. I think he is definitely making a strong case "up to now".
   4. Mayor Blomberg Posted: September 05, 2010 at 03:35 PM (#3633827)
Wally Matthews, Page 6 gossip columnist for ESPN and a very bitter man.

Frankly, I don't think he'll be comfortable in New York.
   5. OlePerfesser Posted: September 05, 2010 at 04:29 PM (#3633859)
Especially in their "walk year," some players tend to focus on racking up numbers they think will help them get their next big payday instead of thinking about what's good for the team.

Maybe they should also think about the effect of showing up their manager and/or seeming like a selfish whiner.

Of course, they might just be assuming (correctly?) that most GMs don't pay attention to such minor details.
   6. Jolly Old St. Neck Wound, Moral Idiot Posted: September 05, 2010 at 04:59 PM (#3633871)
...and three others (Burnett, Nova and Vazquez) who will be competing for the final two slots. And none of those last three have made much of a case up to now

Very SSS, but Nova's ERA is 2.89 and his ERA+ is 140. I think he is definitely making a strong case "up to now".


As you note, three starts is a pretty small sample size. But more important, he hasn't made a case for endurance. Those three starts have yet to see him complete six innings even once. That inability to go deep into the game on a consistent basis is one of the main reasons that Burnett and Vazquez are also skating on such thin ice. Which is why I think those last two spots are still up for grabs.
   7. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: September 05, 2010 at 05:05 PM (#3633875)
In fairness, Girardi has had a pretty quick hook with Nova. I don't think he's thrown 80 pitches in a game yet. I think they're trying to limit him, as he's thrown a lot of innings.
   8. Jolly Old St. Neck Wound, Moral Idiot Posted: September 05, 2010 at 05:09 PM (#3633878)
In fairness, Girardi has had a pretty quick hook with Nova. I don't think he's thrown 80 pitches in a game yet. I think they're trying to limit him, as he's thrown a lot of innings.

I realize that, and I think it's a smart move on Girardi's part. But at the same time, I don't think that Nova's proven much of anything in barely fifteen innings as a Major League starter. What he has done, and done very well, is to keep himself in the conversation.
   9. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: September 05, 2010 at 05:15 PM (#3633883)
Oh, I don't see much chance of Nova starting a game this postseason. But I don't think it's his inability to go deep in games that will prevent him from doing so.

I actually do wonder if he might pick up something on his fastball out of the pen and be an effective reliever come October.
   10. JC in DC Posted: September 05, 2010 at 05:41 PM (#3633896)
Burnett will be in the rotation.

Vazquez is way out of line here. He is the reason his hook was quick.

And, Girardi set Hughes up to fail today. No Cano, Swisher, or even Berkman or Kearns? Very light lineup despite A-Rod's return.
   11. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: September 05, 2010 at 05:47 PM (#3633898)
No Cano, Swisher, or even Berkman or Kearns?

Swisher and Kearns, I assume, are hurting a little bit (knee and hand, respectively). Berkman sucks against lefties this year. Cano, who knows, but maybe he wanted to give him a day off against a good lefty, since he's been a little out of sorts lately.

But I don't see that that has anything to do with Hughes serving up 0-2 meatballs.
   12. JC in DC Posted: September 05, 2010 at 05:55 PM (#3633904)
How long before Cervelli becomes his favorite catcher?
   13. Vaux, A.B.D. Posted: September 05, 2010 at 08:56 PM (#3634025)
The Yankees have two decent starters right now, and one is on the DL. Yet they'll probably win the World Series. Some "Year of the Pitcher."
   14. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: September 05, 2010 at 09:13 PM (#3634037)
As you note, three starts is a pretty small sample size. But more important, he hasn't made a case for endurance. Those three starts have yet to see him complete six innings even once. That inability to go deep into the game on a consistent basis is one of the main reasons that Burnett and Vazquez are also skating on such thin ice. Which is why I think those last two spots are still up for grabs.

Endurance is basically irrelevant in the postseason with the off-days and a 7 man bullpen to back up 4 starters.

Whoever can give them the best 5 IP should start. That may be Nova.
   15. Russlan will never be fond of Jason Bay Posted: September 05, 2010 at 09:24 PM (#3634040)
BTW, I can't believe that a 4.29 ERA for the Yankees translates to a 93 ERA+. I thought Yankee stadium was a hitter's park. Hughes has 16 wins this year despite being only a meh-starter. It's good to be a Yankee pitcher.
   16. Melo's Love Handles (NJ) Posted: September 05, 2010 at 09:31 PM (#3634043)
BTW, I can't believe that a 4.29 ERA for the Yankees translates to a 93 ERA+. I thought Yankee stadium was a hitter's park. Hughes has 16 wins this year despite being only a meh-starter. It's good to be a Yankee pitcher.

Offense is down league-wide. Hughes basically has the ERA+ of an average starter and is a good bet for 6 innings every time out. Throw in a good bullpen and a great offense and you're going to pick up lots of wins.
   17. dingo powered war machine (CoB) Posted: September 06, 2010 at 01:46 AM (#3634127)
Eh, I'd say the only thing that Jomerun Javy has any right to be at all miffed about is that Girardi replaced him with Dustin ####### Moseley.

The only Yankees reliever who could have been even arguably a worse choice to bring in at that point against the lefty Overbay in that spot would have been Gaudin.
   18. Russlan will never be fond of Jason Bay Posted: September 06, 2010 at 02:44 AM (#3634145)
Hughes basically has the ERA+ of an average starter and is a good bet for 6 innings every time out. Throw in a good bullpen and a great offense and you're going to pick up lots of wins.

I don't know how that's any different from me saying that it's good to be a Yankee starter.
   19. Jolly Old St. Neck Wound, Moral Idiot Posted: September 06, 2010 at 02:47 AM (#3634146)
As you note, three starts [by Nova] is a pretty small sample size. But more important, he hasn't made a case for endurance. Those three starts have yet to see him complete six innings even once. That inability to go deep into the game on a consistent basis is one of the main reasons that Burnett and Vazquez are also skating on such thin ice. Which is why I think those last two spots are still up for grabs.

Endurance is basically irrelevant in the postseason with the off-days and a 7 man bullpen to back up 4 starters.


Endurance is relatively irrelevant in games 2, 5, or 7, but only if the bullpen hasn't been overworked the previous day. It's not irrelevant in games 1, 3, 4 or 6, none of which have days off following them, at least in the World Series. And since the third starter often falls into place in games 3 and 6, there's a real risk in throwing out a pitcher who can blow out your bullpen just trying to keep your team in the game. You can't always know what the next day may bring.

Whoever can give them the best 5 IP should start. That may be Nova.

And well it may be, but that's a pretty damn low standard for a # 3 starter. No matter how good the Yankee bullpen may seem to be at this particular moment, the only long term proven entity in there is # 42. The rest of them are fully capable of reverting into pumpkins just when you need them the most.

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