With the Yankees in need of a win tonight, they've got the right pitcher on the mound in Chien-Ming Wang.
Here are his numbers this season:
Record 6-1
ERA 2.90
Opp. avg. .228
Opponent on-base percentage .292
Opponent slugging percentage .292
The only thing not in his favor is that so far he's been better on the road than at home. His ERA is 4.20 at home vs. 1.55 on the road. But if you look at the numbers going into that (average, on-base, slugging), the difference is much smaller, so I wouldn't be too concerned. Basically the home-road differential is a result of his giving up eight earned runs in four innings to the Red Sox April 16th.
The news out of Tampa on Alex Rodriguez is good. He remains on-target to rejoin the team Tuesday, and they could badly use a lift offensively.
The Associated Press in Tampa reported that Rodriguez (strained right quad) took 15 at-bats in a simulated game. Among them was a grand slam to centerfield. He is to play an extended spring training game Monday. He was credited with five hits in his 15 at-bats (which came against four Yankees minor league pitchers), as well as a sacrifice fly and five walks.
"It's the best I've felt since the injury," Rodriguez told the AP.
He also said: "It's invaluable to get those at-bats. You can't duplicate it anywhere else."
Comments (13)
None too soon. We are a shell of a team offensively without him and Jorge.
I know many of you still believe its early in the season and games played it is but Girardi has got to have a better feel for the team. If he's waiting for Farnsworth to turn it around. So have we for the last 2+ years. Ensberg is a not the answrer at third base even in a fill in roll. Let Gonzales take most of the work at 3rd, SS and Second base. He seems adaptable and much better defensively than Ensberg and Betemint. He may hit some with more regular AB's
Wang needs to come up big. If he doesn't, it tells me that he is not the guy who should be at the top of the rotation. The Yankes need a guy who can single handedly stop a losing streak or win a "must win" game. Now is the time for Wang to prove he is that guy.
You all know that I've always felt Wang is a better number 2 starter than a number 1, but we'll see how Wang has progressed and I hope he has.
Jim A:
Everyone calls him the no.2 of a rotation but he has won 38 games in two years. I believe he's number 1 or 2 in wins in the last two years. I don't take your comments as disrepectful to him but an opinion. Now take the Rays who call Kazmir their ace, No.1 and signed him to a 4 year contract of 40 million. He has no where near 38 wins.
Wang is good and the best we have. There is no one in the Yankee org. who can match his numbers. He is our ace, make no mistake about it.
Larry M,
I might be going out on a limb here, but the Yankees may have given Wang better offensive support and a more reliable closer than Kazmir ever had.
I could be wrong
Your not wrong Sully but he has been very consistent. There is a kid who pitches for the Red Sox. Beckett is his name and has played on A WS team with a pretty good closer. His record is 36-18 in "06 and "07. He's the ace of the Red Sox's.
Who you deny that he's the best the Yankees have and can pitch with other teams number 1's just based on his winning record .
Jim A,
Wang has had 35 starts over the course of his career after a Yankee loss. The Yanks are 27-8 (.771) in those games.
If that's not the definition of a "stopper" in the rotation, I don't know what is.
Wang should also have two more wins because he's pitched well. It's the offense that hasn't given him any support. He's only given up 4 runs over his last 2 starts.
Wang has also beaten Sabathia, Bedard, and Halliday head-to-head already this season.
That "ace" stuff is still overrated. I want someone who will eat innings and always keep his team in the game.
Give me 4 or 5 pitchers like that in the rotation and you've got a better chance to win in October than most everyone else.
One win or loss tonight will not change my opinion of Wang, who has been consistency itself throughout the regular season in his career. If he still has anything to prove perhaps it is in the post-season, which is always a crapshoot anyway.
My sole concern about CMW is that he not have a recurrence of that fingernail problem because it does bad things to his control. We have enough decent relievers that if he starts feeling anything at all in that finger I would hope Girardi would turn it over to the pen. (Not Farnsworth, Joe!)
getting hammered in the postseason isn't a crapshoot .No pitchy no winning in the postseason.Wang didn't step up against Cleveland.He stunk.
But he is the best NY has and his performance during the regular season has been stellar to say the least.
Good pitchers lose close games you can't say a pitcher deserved to win because he pitched well.If that were the case Koufax would have gone 40-0 every season
Has anyone else seen that "Ellen" is marrying her better half? My loss!
Diane
You bewilder me !
Larry,
I meant no disrespect to Wang, but as he proved tonight, he's just not the type of guy I want on the mound when the Yanks absolutely need a win. I think he's a great pitcher for sure, and I know Viper doesn't buy the "ace" argument, but I think the Yanks could use a dominant, and by dominant I mean blow the other team away type dominant at the top of the rotation.
Ruse,
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the post by "Diane" was not really her.....just a thought.
JIM A.
I would have to agree w/ you on Wang.Although I'd rate him high let's say in the top 15 or so best pitchers in the game.I don't think he's "money". If he were pitching for Cleveland he'd be the 3rd or 4th best pitcher on the team.One could argue Sabathia and Carmona weren't exactly "money" against Boston in the playoffs last yr even so they would be more apt to throw a shutout than Wang would.
Ya Jim I didn't think it was Diane....
Josh the Eternal ACE Beckett gave up six earned runs, his ERA jumping from 4.21 to 4.67, but he's still an ace.
Yeah, it's so true that Chien-Ming Wang is not an ACE.