Chase Whitley Archives

Another One Bites the Dust

May 15, 2015

What is it with these young pitchers who think that “playing hurt” is some kind of badge of courage? Chase Whitley’s failure to inform the Yankees that he had a sore arm well before he was pulled from the finale against the Rays last night was just stupid. And now we wait for the requisite MRI to see what’s what. Could we just get Cole Hamels and be done with it already?

Not that the pitching was to blame for the debacle at the Trop. The offense dried up – the same offense I was extolling in the last few posts. I know it’s a long season and teams go through slumps all the time, but it’s too early to know whether the home run power of Tex and A-Rod, the crafty hitting by Ellsbury and Gardner and the emergence of McCann as a threat at the plate are the norm or a fluke.

And now come the Royals, a team that wins games – a lot. The Yankees have their work cut out for them on this road trip. If the offense continues to sputter, I vote for shaving off those awful mustaches.

Tanaka’s Arm Is Hanging by a Thread

April 28, 2015

No, that’s not an official medical diagnosis. It’s just my opinion. He should have had the surgery last year and gotten it over with. Instead, we learned before tonight’s win over the Rays that he’s being shut down for a month to see if the soreness in the arm is still there. It’s a conservative approach and I get why the Yankees would go that route. Nobody wants to see a pitcher have surgery if he doesn’t have to. But how productive can Tanaka be over the course of the long season? Will he pitch every other week to try and preserve his arm? Is that even a realistic sort of rotation option?

Clearly, the injury is a big blow to the team. Chase Whitley is a nice young pitcher but he’s no ace. I’m depressed.

Now That Hurt

June 1, 2014

Blown saves are never fun, but I’m glad I missed today’s. I was at a screening and checked the score before I had to turn off my phone. The Yanks were tied with the Twins and our new kid (Chase Whitley) was going toe to toe with our old kid (Phil Hughes). Imagine my surprise when I got out of the theater and saw the score. Ugh.

Yes, even Mo blew saves, but for Robertson to have a complete meltdown – to the point where our offense had no chance to come back – was painful. This was the Twins we were facing, and we lost the series. Very disappointing. Hughes and Nunez must have felt a special satisfaction doing well in the Bronx and good for them, seriously, but the mostly anemic lineup of ours without Beltran and Teixeira is proving tricky.

Maybe Beltran will actually contribute, but I have less hope for Tex, whose wrist is bound to be a chronic issue. The good news is Whitley and the continued effectiveness of Betances and Warren.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again……I miss home runs!

Bright Lights, Big City

May 15, 2014

Photo: Mike Stobe/Getty Images North America

Photo: J. Meric/Getty Images North America

Chase Whitley and Dellin Betances were good for the soul tonight in the Yankees’ shutout of the Mets. Whitley was a desperation call up and he performed beautifully, if briefly, even getting a hit. And Betances has just been flat-out impressive. Whenever I think we don’t have a farm system, I see kids like these two and feel warm all over. It’s particularly heartening to watch Betances flourish. He was one of the so-called Killer B’s on the farm, and he’s the only one left. He had control problems as a starter and was reinvented as a reliever. Good move, Yankees. Good move.

Another One Bites the Dust

Tanaka’s Arm Is Hanging by a Thread

Now That Hurt

Bright Lights, Big City

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