Cue the doomsday music, and prepare for a passionate backlash from the mainstream media and an increasingly pessimistic fan base.
Joba Chamberlain's first start at the new Yankee Stadium did not go anywhere near as positively as everyone in the organization had hoped.
Chamberlain's final line included just 4.2 innings pitched, 6 hits, 5 runs, and 5 walks. It was an all-around dismal performance, and one that will certainly not quiet the debates of where his powerful arm truly belongs.
After a week of inconsistency and failure throughout the Yankee bullpen, anyone not named Brian Bruney or Mariano Rivera should begin to look over their shoulder.
Chamberlain's role may ultimately depend on how successful Phil Hughes' initial minor league outings are. If Hughes is purely dominating to begin the AAA season, manager Joe Girardi will have a lot of decisions to make.
I tend to fall somewhere between the middle and top end of patience as far as Yankees supporters are concerned, but the rest of Yankees Universe may not be so kind.
Should the Yankees bullpen continue to fail through the end of April, New York could be left with a considerable hole to dig themselves out of.
Chamberlain will be the victim of simply having one bad start. Unfortunately for him, it only takes one bad start to stimulate panic around a team with such high expectations.
Try not to read tomorrow's newspapers, as they will only feed into the conscious or subconscious fears that you already possess.
Attempt to take a deep breath and tell yourself that everything is going to be OK...even if you don't believe it right now.
- Login to post comments