Thursday, June 19, 2008
Yankees.com: Yankees ready to let Chamberlain loose
NEW YORK—Throughout Joba Chamerblain’s transition from the Yankees’ bullpen to the starting rotation, manager Joe Girardi kept his young pitcher tethered to a tight pitch count.
The number has increased with each outing, but Girardi will cut the leash almost entirely when Chamberlain makes his fourth Major League start Thursday against the Padres.
He said the right-hander will be allowed to throw upwards of 100 pitches, a standard for most Major League starters.
But some limitations will remain.
“Obviously, I wouldn’t anticipate going over 105 pitches next time or 110, where with a guy like Andy Pettitte, I’d let him go 115, 120 if his arm felt good. If [Pettitte] was throwing well, I wouldn’t have a problem with doing that. But we’re not quite ready to do that with Joba yet.”
Girardi will continue to keep a close eye on the reliever-turned-starter. Chamberlain threw a career-high six innings and 89 pitches in his previous start against Houston on Friday, but Girardi said he’ll look at a variety of factors to determine how long his starter will stay in the game.
“When you give a number, you also look at how taxing the innings are,” Girardi said. “If he’s breezing through and his innings are pretty easy, you might let him go 110.”
Chamberlain’s move to the starting rotation was actually a return to what he was used to in his college career before he joined the Yankees.
But who will pitch teh eight??????
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