I was reading this article by Ken Davidoff and I had to shake my head at this comment:

The Yankees have maintained contact with the Blue Jays, but Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t want to take on significant payroll, and Brian Cashman doesn’t want to trade major prospects for a year-and-two-months rental, as Halladay would be.

A season and a half of Roy-freakin’-Halladay isn’t good enough? And the Yanks don’t want to add payroll? What alternate universe did I wake up in today? Cue the Twilight Zone music.

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Ed. Note: This was written PRIOR to Joba’s wonderful start last night. Note Brendan’s post-script at the bottom

Coming into the 2009 season, Joba Chamberlain was poised for stardom. The 41st overall pick in the 2006 MLB draft, Chamberlain breezed through the Yankee farm system in just over a year. Coming out of the bullpen at the end of the 2007 season he immediately announced made an impact by allowing only a single run in twenty-four innings while striking out thirty-four. If anything, he was too dominating; his ascent to the rotation was delayed by his effectiveness in front of Mariano Rivera. When he did finally make his starting debut, Chamberlain did not disappoint. He made only twelve starts last year, but once again he showed dominance. In sixty-five innings as a starter, Joba averaged over a strike out per inning, while surrendering only four home runs. He did walk twenty-one batters, though that figure was tolerable due to his excellence in other areas.

Despite all of that, Chamberlain has struggled in 2009. Though hindered by a low pitch count, Joba has barely managed to average five and a thirds innings per start. Part of that low figure is the pitch count, but so is a plummeting K/9 rate and a ballooning BB/9 rate (8.1 and 4.2 respectively). He can’t even blame Yankee stadium for his rising home run rate either: six of the thirteen home runs he’s allowed have come on the road, and he’s thrown more innings at home. On the season, his FIP is 4.63 almost two full points above his robust 2.65 last year.

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After a game where the Yankees did everything wrong, they responded by doing everything right. Well, almost everything but we will get to Bruney later. Joba was dealing; the bats were hot, and Jorge even nailed Bartlett trying to steal second. At the end of the night, the Yankees walked away with a 6-2 victory and another series win. The Yanks are now 3.5 games in front of the Red Sox, who lost another game to the A’s tonight.

Jeter set the pace for the Yankees, starting off the game with a triple to right. Teixeira singled him in before A-Rod hit into an inning ending double play. The Yankees broke through again in the fourth. A-Rod singled, Matsui doubled and Cano grounded into a fielder’s choice, which scored Alex for the second New York run of the night. In the sixth, Cano, who had just fouled the ball off his shin, decided he would rather trot around the bases so he parked the ball deep for his sixteenth homerun of the season. The Yankees added another run in the eighth and Joba continued to keep the Rays scoreless. Melky and Teixeira both added solo shots in the ninth for some insurance, which the Bombers almost needed as Bruney continued to struggle. Girardi went to Mo, who struck out Burrell and Hernandez.

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