BOSTON – You try to, over the course of a baseball season, gain an insight to what a manager is thinking. Most times, you can figure out a pattern and know exactly what he is doing and why is doing it.
We are still trying to figure out what goes on inside Joe Girardi mind. Most times, he seems to be programmed like a computer, spitting out numbers, bar graph and pie charts as justifications for some of him managerial moves.
That computer inside Girardi’s head lately appears to have caught a serious virus that needs cleaning as soon as possible.
As the Yankees once again continue to run into the wall that is the Boston Red Sox (seven straight losses for those keeping score), slipping to the ground much like Charlie Brown would do upon attempting to kick a field goal, it is Girardi himself has to be looked at.
Whether some want to deny it or it, some of his decisions have directly played a role in the team’s latest installment of “Bloodied in Boston Part II”.
From the time he announced that Chien-Ming Wang was going to return to the rotation to start in last Thursday’s game against the Texas Rangers, warning signs arose.
All one had to do was look at the calendar, add up the days, and realize that this was going to line him up to pitch in Fenway Park against the Red Sox and then the finally of the Subway Series against the Mets.
The Yankees had called him up prematurely when Joba Chamberlain injured his knee in his start against the Baltimore Orioles. Instead of stretching out to increase stamina, he was back in the big leagues and used as insurance in the bullpen with the team having to find spots in a game where they can allow to “rehab” while getting Major League hitters out.
After three relatively solid outings, the team was convinced he was ready. At the same time, they already had a starter (Phil Hughes) who was improving as a starter and in no way was pitching himself out of the rotation. Wang was not 100% ready. Surely, the Yankees had to know this, but paid no mind and allowed him to be eventually slotted into the rotation that was going to pitch against the Red Sox.
Girardi caught a break with a rainout and allowed him to flip his rotation to take Wang out of opening the series in his personal Horror House. By doing that, he also swapped another one of his starters, Andy Pettitte, for A.J Burnett, who career wise was undefeated against Boston in his career only in numbers. The win-loss numbers did not reflect Burnett’s eight-run gag-fest in Fenway back in April.
So we had a situation where he was now starting a pitcher on seven days rest and had another pitcher who attempting to continue his “rehab”. Girardi’s computer must have told him this was a good thing.
Perhaps his computer was hacked.
With apparently “too much” rest, Burnett was awful. He was only able to last 2 2/3 innings with zero control and pull from the game by Girardi before embarrassing himself further.
After the game, Girardi took the blame for his putrid performance by saying that he put his pitcher in a disadvantageous situation by having rested beyond his normal routine.
Then why create a bad situation for him in the first place?
It made no sense. He obviously did not have any confidence in Pettitte pitching up there; otherwise, he would not have removed him and placed Burnett instead. Sure, the unfulfilled talented right-hander was likely a better matchup with his stuff for the Boston lineup, having him go on seven days rest invited this possibility for awfulness.
Before Wednesday’s game, he would admit that he did not know what to expect from Wang. They again put him on a pitch limit, which they would likely not have needed to do if he was rehabilitating properly.
True to form and to the surprise of no one except for Girardi himself, Wang was expectedly dreadful. Sure, his velocity increased up to his norms of 93, 94 and 95 MPH on his sinker, but it becomes irrelevant if he cannot put that pitch anywhere near the strike zone.
He did not have it. The Red Sox took their walks (four of them) and hammered the pitches that actually were in the strike zone. The result, Wang with a disastrous 2 2/3 innings (just like Burnett) and Girardi making that walk to the mound to removed his dispirited pitcher before he would continue proceeding to shatter his confidence further.
You mean to tell me that they could not start him on Tuesday night next week against the Nationals at home when interleague would have seen him start three games against Washington, Florida, Atlanta and the Mets at Citi Field. These lineups possessing considerably less thump than facing Texas and Boston have. Why make that move?
It was a disaster made even worse when he would not commit to using him for what would be his next start on Tuesday at home.
Some of his minor moves during the game usually boggle the mind, but none more egregious that Girardi’s decision in the eighth on Wednesday of electing to bunt with no out trailing 6-5 and Brett Gardner on first.
Nick Swisher had led off the inning with a walk and Gardner came in to pinch run. Being the fastest runner on the team, you would rather have him attempt to steal rather than give up an out against a Red Sox bullpen that is statistically the best in baseball in a park (Fenway) that plays like a pinball machine and a team who will have the last at bat.
Instead, bunts with Melky Cabrera at the plate to move Gardner over, which was pointless because he was a fast runner to begin with. Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon proceeded to strike out to end the threat.
The Girardi computer must have had a full-blown malfunction.
He is a very intelligent man we are led to believe. There is never a moment where you do not hear about his engineering degree from Northwestern. This is not a guy with a head full of marbles.
This is all rational thought it appears. If it is, that is a troubling sign going forward.
Fix the computer Joe.
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