Joe Girardi: Mad Scientist

As if trying to announce to the world, "This ain't Torre's team no more!" (boy, he uses bad grammar) Joe Girardi has raised eyebrows in Kansas City tonight by pulling Ian Kennedy from his scheduled start a mere 15 minutes before game time.

The official reasoning behind the move is that a forecast of rain could have wreaked havoc on young, impressionable, Mr. Kennedy, and the braintrust did not feel comfortable starting him up and abruptly pulling the plug. (Note: before the first inning concluded a downpour ensued, proving that meteorologists are actually right sometimes.)

Girardi's answer to a lack of a starting pitcher? Throw the whole bullpen out there! As of this writing, Brian Bruney, Billy Traber, and Kyle Farnsworth (the only one to give up a run thus far, of course) have already pitched, and we're only in the 5th inning. Now, while I understand the concern for the Kool-Aid Brigade (although I still say that if they belong on the club then they should be treated like everybody else), blowing up the entire 'pen over the course of one game with the Royals seems suspect. Remember, this is the same team that couldn't buy an out from their relief corp by the end of '07...and Brian Bruney was lights-out for the first-half of last year, too.

There does seem to be a method to our new Joe's madness, however. Being the sleuth that I am, I am betting the house that the "Kennedy assassination" (too soon?) has been committed due to the fact that Girardi doesn't want Phil Hughes pitching in Fenway. See, now, Kennedy can pitch the finale in K.C. tomorrow, leaving Andy Pettitte, Chin Mien-Wang, and Mike Mussina to pitch the Boston series this weekend. Note the above are all "seasoned" starters, which (in theory) improves the Yankees chances of beating the Sawx.

Seems a bit desperate, the whole devastating-the-bullpen-so-Hughes- and-Kennedy-don't-have their-fragile-psyches-shattered thing, but if the Yankees sweep in Boston (or simply win the series) we'll be hearing all about the genius of Girardi.

Now, about this Kansas City game...

EDIT: Ian Kennedy has entered the game in the 6th inning, trailing 2-0. What in holy fucking hell is going on?! Please, please, please, Baseball God(s), don't make Joe Girardi one of those bat-shit insane managers who thinks that they're cutting edge because they "don't go by the book."
_

Hi! My Name Is: Ian Kennedy (SP)

Each day, "Piss and Wynegar" will present Yankees "player previews" for the coming 2008 season. In what can only be referred to as a "revelatory" strategy, we will use statistics, as well as opinion, to further our analysis.

He's like Mike Mussina!

No! No...he's like Greg Maddux!

No! No, no, no. He's like Pedro Martinez on those days when his arm hurts and he has to put all sorts of funky stuff on his pitches just to get by!

Lots of analogies have been made to explain Ian Kennedy's style. In short, he appears to be a finesse guy. Not overpowering. Relies heavily on placement. His pitches move and dart and scream, "I"m sorry! I love you!" as they cross the plate.

From what we've seen of Kennedy, which of course isn't much, he appears to have the caliber of stuff that will allow him to succeed. If you thought Phil Hughes' sample size was small, Ian's 19 Big League innings are indicative of nothing (less than a hit an inning, 15 K's, 9 BB); however, at the risk of sounding ill-informed, he sort of "looks" like the prototypical back-of-the-rotation kind of pitcher.

Everyone throws his name into the "young phenom" mix, but nobody really has any expectations for him. In other words, he's definitely the forgotten child of the Kool-Aid Brigade, and that could serve him well as he goes about his business. Just remember Yankees fans: he's a fifth starter. Leave him be.

To read earlier "Hi! My Name Is" entries, click here.

Hi! My Name Is: Phil Hughes (SP)

Each day, "Piss and Wynegar" will present Yankees "player previews" for the coming 2008 season. In what can only be referred to as a "revelatory" strategy, we will use statistics, as well as opinion, to further our analysis.

Phil is leading the charge of what I have lovingly dubbed, "The Kool-Aid Brigade." The "brigade" is made up, of course, of Mr. Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy. The name is derived from the strangely overly-optimistic prognosis for the Yankees pitching staff that has arisen over the course of this off-season. It seems that most everyone truly believes that all three of these guys will blossom in 2008, despite the fact that history (and the law of averages, for that matter) would beg to differ.

But we'll save that for a more cynical post.

As far as Phil Hughes goes, we'll lay bets that he does just fine. In his 13 starts last year, Phil was statistically underwhelming in an admittedly small sample size. His 58 K's in 72.7 innings was okay, while his 29 BB's was alarmingly high. However, the die hard fan inside points to two moments that illicit great optimism:

1) Hughes's 6 1/3 inning "no-hitter" against the Texas Rangers on May 1 was one of the most exciting nights of 2007, as well as one of the most frustrating. His command and movement were "as advertised," and even though he left the game with a hamstring pull, no one could argue that Hughes was not the real deal.

2) Hughes's relief performance against the Indians in Game 3 of the 2007 ALDS was immensley satisfying. He had command, gitty-up and, most importantly, poise on a big stage. It was reminiscent of the Texas game and reminded fans (and maybe the organization) that he had the goods to succeed.

If the aforementioned Phil Hughes shows up for a large chunk of his starts, he'll ensure himself as a fixture for the future. If he doesn't, than the cries of "How could Cashman not make that Santana deal?!" will reign down on the Stadium sooner than we think.

To read earlier "Hi! My Name Is" entries, click here.