Sunday night, Joba Chamberlain faced the Red Sox as a starter for the first time. He threw behind Kevin Yukilis for the third time. Granted, last night's behind-the-knees pitch was not as clearly intentional as the back to back behind-the-head pitches Joba hurled at Yukilis last year, but it's still notworthy precisely because of last year's "slips." Is there a personal battle brewing? No. It's already in full gear and has the potential to get even more heated. Yukilis is a young 27 (even younger since he's a first baseman), and Joba is, despite all the hype around him already, just beginning a long career. If both stay with their respective teams, fans could be treated to ten years worth of matchups between the two. Advantage: Yankees.
Speaking of Joba: is anyone else concerned with the number of times he flexed and shook out his arm last night in between pitches--particularly in the 5th and 6th innings? Hasn't this transition from 20 pitches a night to 100 pitches a night gone just a little too smoothly? The Yankees better be careful here. A young bulldog like Joba is not going to tell you he's sore or can't go another inning. Girardi has to tell him when it's time to shut down for a day--and he must be willing to do it.
Kid K isn't coming over his front foot as powerfully as he'll need to if he's to throw deep into games. Instead, he's using his arm entirely too much at the end of his delivery--essentially eliminating the legs and mid-core muscles from finishing his motion to the plate. Until he learns how to finish his delivery, he's going to labor and lose control at 80 or 90 pitches (like he did in the 5th last night). Four walks from a starter is unacceptable, especially over only 6 innings. Mechanics and control--those should be the start of his off-season work.
