Jackie Robinson Day is a fun tradition. And I think it's better that they went all-out and put 42 on everyone's jerseys instead of leaving it as a by-request-only thing. That sets up an "I'm more commemorable of history than thou" kind of dynamic. And while it may seem a bit over-the-top to have #42 on everyone's jerseys for a day, it's just as over the top as retiring #42 on every major league team for the rest of the time.
And it's nice that Baseball's greats are still active and involved enough in the current tradition to be commemorated in a sport-wide ceremony. And to appear on popular branded celebrity-themed reality shows. And also to potentially go to jail for obstruction of justice. Well, it's give and take...
Seeing as how my Goal for this blog this season is to limit my coverage to games (or parts of games) that I happen to see, here are my thoughts on this rematch of last year's ALCS. First on Ivan Nova, the Yankees' rookie starting pitcher. It looks like he has some good movement to that fastball, really cuts back in on right-handed hitters. Looks like he complements that with a decently-biting slider. I don't know if he'll be able to make his living in the AL East with those two pitches, but at the moment, he's all the Yankees got.
He certainly didn't last long against the Rangers: 4.1 innings, 5 runs (reliever David Robertson allowed 1 of his 2 inherited runners to score). I don't know if it's too soon to write off the Yankees, but there would be some poetic justice in seeing a free-agent-gobbling powerhouse with unlimited funds fade into mediocrity for a few seasons, regardless of what it would do to TV ratings.
Meanwhile, in a battle of #4 starters, the Rangers' young lefty Matt Harrison seems to be throwing the ball pretty well. Harrison came over from the Braves (with Elvis Andrus and Neftali Feliz) in the deal for Mark Teixeira, so it's fun to see these two face each other tonight. (Tex was 0-3 with a K and a GDP against him tonight.) He had failed half-season stints as a starter in 08 and 09, was used primarily out of the bullpen last year, and was left off the Rangers' postseason roster.
Harrison wasn't in the Rangers' projected starting rotation until rather late in the pre-season. But a good spring training line - coupled with injuries to Tommy Hunter and off-season gamble Brandon Webb - put him front and center. And he's performing pretty well, what with his perfect W-L record and WHIP under 1.000 on the season. Also stuffwise: he's changing speeds well, and according to fangraphs, his fastball speed has increased each year he's been in the majors.
Harrison is one of those young pitchers that are helping to redefine this Rangers organization as one focused as much on good pitching as stacking the lineup with mashers. And his performance tonight solidifies that: 8 innings, 2 runs (one on a Granderson homer), just a 3/3 K/BB ratio, but he induced a franchise record 6 double plays. That's good for 99 swp, for those who care about such things.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mound, we're seeing the major league debut from 27-year-old rookie Lance Pendleton. After 6 seasons in the minor leagues as a mostly-effective starter, he's finally getting his first tosses in The Show, and he has not disappointed: 3 perfect innings in relief, including 3 strikeouts. I wonder if we'll see him as a rotation filler later in the year if Freddy Garcia continues to struggle or if Phil Hughes spends significant time on the DL with his "dead arm." (Maybe the Yanks should have made the Hughes Rules a little more strict than the Joba Rules...)
So now it's Neftali Feliz to try to close it out, facing... you guessed it: Mark Teixeira, the very man for which he was traded. It's interesting that the entire complement of pitchers used by the Rangers tonight was acquired for this guy, who's now off to an uncharacteristic fast start this year. But a groundout completes the ofer for Texeira.
An A-Rod double gives the Yankees some life (that's at least good for my fantasy team), but Joe Girardi is putting that life in the hands of Eric "Chokey" Chavez, who surprisingly comes through in the clutch with a pinch-hit RBI single! I know a lot has been made of Miguel Tejada's decreased defensive range and inability to play shortstop regularly, but I will always rue the day when Billy Beane let Miggy walk in favor of signing Chokey to a long term deal. I mean, the A's missed out on some pretty impressive numbers that Tejada put up for Baltimore (150 RBI anyone?) before he suffered his power outage.
Now I'm just trying to find something to write about before the game ends, as Posada gets on base with a walk. But Russel J. Martin flies out to end it, finishing out a rather adventurous save (and the first run allowed of the season) for reigning AL Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz. Good performances from guys like Harrison and Alexi Ogando kept Feliz in the bullpen this year, but I feel like it's just a matter of time until he cracks the starting rotation. Like I always say (because I've heard so many smarter people say it) a pitcher can give his team six times more value if he pitches six times the innings.
That's it from Jackie Robinson Day. See you next time with the NL All-Acquired roster!
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