Joba Chamberlain

Earlier this week, I took a look at one of the primary concerns for the Yankees as they head into the dog days of summer, the suddenly fragile state of the starting rotation. In the subsequent games since my article, we have been treated to a well-diversified display of the myriad issues facing the Yankees starting pitching.

Nothing really happened between the Yankees and the Diamondbacks regrading RHP Dan Haren today. That hasn’t stopped the usual suspects from passing along information they’ve heard throughout the day.

Early morning reports

Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted :

Despite General Manager Brian Cashman's continued claim that the Yankees do not need another starting pitcher, the team continues to pursue the top names.

New York is reportedly actively pursuing Arizona Diamondbacks' starter Dan Haren. The two teams have gone as far as naming names and proposing deals. An agreement has not been made as of yet.

Andy Pettitte thinks he can be back on the mound in three weeks.

After watching the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim slaughter the New York Yankees, any encouragement that the team could manage without the Southpaw went right out the window.

Phil Hughes went into the game with a 3-0 career record against the Halos. That was short and sweet after Hughes gave up nine hits, six runs and two home runs over five innings.

It was the icing on the cake on this streak of bad luck the Yankees have had since the start of the second half of the season.

New York Yankees fans first fell in love with Joba Chamberlain in Game Two of the 2007 ALDS, also known as the infamous "bug" game.

Joba was everything and more that night. It was the spirit in his young eyes that does not come around that often.

Yankees Universe went totally crazy for this kid that night, even making losing the game bearable. Joba was the future, an authentic, talented, home-grown player that Yankee fans had been waiting for since 1996.

That Joba bravado has been replaced by inconsistent relief pitching.

It’s clear the New York Yankees' constant juggling of roles, responsibilities, and pitch counts have messed with Joba Chamberlain’s head.

Today’s Joba isn’t the same Joba who, at the age of 21, made his MLB debut in 2007 throwing fire out of the Yankee bullpen. Joba set the American League on its ear that year with a 2-0 record and a 0.38 ERA in 19 appearances. If not for a swarm of midges in Cleveland, he would have been a playoff hero as well.

The Yankees' starting rotation has been one of their strengths, but lately we’ve seen AJ Burnett leave a game early because of a self inflicted wound and Andy Pettitte limping off the mound. Now, there are real questions to be answered.

Here are some notes:

The Bronx Bombers are in first place in the AL East with the best record in baseball heading into the second half of the season, which starts tonight versus the second place Tampa Bay Rays.

But there are several Yankees who aren't in the New York Groove quite yet and need to pick up the slack as the season moves into the second half.

By no means do the Yankees absolutely "need" these players to improve in order to win the division, obviously they are already in first place, but if the Bombers want to see their 28th title come this year, then these players do need to step it up a notch.

The New York Yankees enter the second half of the 2010 MLB season with the best record in the league and to much to complain about other than the inconsistent bullpen.

To tell you the truth, I loathe to even broach this subject. It has been debated to death by every fan, writer, media pundit, and cab driver with even a modicum of interest in the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, the issue must be addressed, and the time is now.

What do the Yankees do with Joba Chamberlain?

This isn't a re-visitation of the tired discussion of whether Joba is best suited for the starting rotation or the bullpen. Sure, plenty will still ask that question, but not me—not this time. The stakes are greater than that now.