NEW YORK — Get ready for a new set of Joba Rules.
The New York Yankees have scrapped their plan for Joba
Chamberlain once again, opting to give him a regular spot in the rotation for
the remainder of the season and shorten his outings to hold down his innings.
Chamberlain had been getting extended rest between some
starts since the All-Star break because the Yankees are concerned about the
23-year-old's workload in his second full season in the majors.
"It's the results. The bottom line is for us to win games
and get the best out of players," manager Joe Girardi said before the Yankees
hosted the Chicago White Sox on Friday night. "So in evaluating what happened,
it looked like it was working great. He came out of the break, was lights out,
but we think that a change needed to be made."
Girardi talked to pitching coach Dave Eiland and general
manager Brian Cashman about the situation after Chamberlain was hit hard in
Tuesday night's 10-9 loss to the Texas Rangers, allowing seven runs and nine
hits over four innings to drop to 1-2 with an 8.55 ERA in his last four starts.
After sleeping on it for a couple of days and more talks,
Girardi called Chamberlain into his office before the series opener against the
White Sox and told him about the new plan.
"He said he's running out of erasers but that's all
right," Chamberlain said. "At least I'm always on his mind."
Chamberlain pitched only 88 1-3 innings in the minors
before he joined the Yankees in August 2007, arriving with a set of guidelines –
the Joba Rules – designed to protect the prized right-hander. He entered this
season with 124 1-3 innings in the majors but ran his total for this year to 130
2-3 innings with the outing against Texas.
"The Joba Rules are still going strong," Chamberlain said
with a grin. "I still see the T-shirts every once in a while."
Chamberlain went eight days between starts over the
All-Star break and responded with 6 2-3 sparkling innings in a win against
Detroit on July 19. He worked on regular rest in each of his next two outings,
allowing just one run over 15 innings in victories over Oakland and Tampa Bay.
Then came a shaky outing against Boston on seven days'
rest, starting his rough stretch. He had eight days off before facing the
Rangers.
"We thought it was working and then we decided, you know
what, we're going to keep him on a routine," Girardi said. "Routine is important
and we had discussions with Joba and we changed it."
The AL East-leading Yankees still plan to hold down
Chamberlain's innings, so the switch means he will leave some predetermined
outings early in the game. It also will affect how Girardi uses his bullpen, but
the Yankees could add some relievers when rosters expand on Tuesday to lessen
the strain.
"The important thing is to make sure by the end of the
month that he is extremely ready to go, the end of September," Girardi said.
Chamberlain, 8-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 24 starts this
season, acknowledged Friday he had been frustrated with the staggered rest even
though he understood the reasoning. He also praised Girardi and Eiland, saying
they did a great job of communicating with him about the schedule and how it was
working out.
"It's going to be something that's going to be good for
all of us," Chamberlain said. "The wins are going to come. I'm not worried about
that. But at the end we need to win a World Series."
Notes
Yankees C Jorge Posada (bruised left ring finger)
was out of the lineup but Girardi said he was feeling better and could be
available off the bench. Posada hasn't played since he took a foul ball off his
gloved hand during a 9-2 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday night.