The Yankees visited Arizona last night a place filled with less than pleasant memories for them. Yesterday’s game did nothing to change those memories as they lost to the Diamond Backs 10-4. In the loss, A.J. Burnett was lit up in the first inning for five runs, three of them on homeruns. Now on the season Burnett is 6-6 with a 4.83 ERA. Burnett has great stuff, in fact the announcers last night were comparing his stuff to a young Kerry Wood or today’s hot pitcher Stephen Strasburg. The thing is right now Burnett is in line to win my “Oliver Perez award” as a pitcher with great stuff that just can’t seem to get his act together. He’s been in the majors 11 years now. He’s won over 13 games just once, in his walk year in Toronto when he won 18. His lifetime ERA is an okay, 3.90. His salary in $16,500,000, not bad at all for a guy who’s won 15 more games than he has lost.
The Yankees other questionable starter Javier Vazquez pitches tonight. Vazquez is also 6-6 with a 5.01 ERA. Vazquez is another one who has shown flashes of being really good over his 13 year career. He has won 15 games (or more) three times. Lifetime he is 148-145 with a 4.21 ERA. For that he makes $11,500,000. America, what a country. The Yankees have won three out of the last four games Vazquez has pitched. If he pitches a good game tonight he can make the claim that he is no longer the number five starter on the Yankees.
In another pitching move, or lack of move, the Yankees are skipping Phil Hughes’ next start. The 23 year old Hughes has been the opposite of Burnett and Vazquez in other words consistently good. He is 10-1 with a 3.17. He has pitched 82.1 inning this year so the Yankee’s brain trust is giving him his next start off. I know these days people are over cautious with young arms. Hughes has never pitched more than 86 innings in a season and at his current rate he’d be at around 257 innings this season; which would put him about on par to the number of innings Tom Seaver through when he was 23, 278. I can’t blame the Yankees for being cautious as long as they don’t go overboard. Hughes right now is arguably their ace, he should be out there almost every other fifth day. I truly believe we tend to over-baby pitches these days but I guess when you are paying millions for mediocre you have to be careful.
