Yardbarker: Ian Kennedy

Bullpen Implodes As White Sox Overpower Rangers, 10-8

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:53:40 -0500

While trade rumors continue to sizzle, Eddie Guardado and C.J. Wilson contribute to a heartbreaking Texas Rangers meltdown at U.S. Cellular Field.

One Big Bat = One Big Run, Yet Again....

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:32:07 -0500

New York, New York. What will they think of next. Hey folks Matt Eisenman here and im about to talk about the New York Yankees. I know some Boston Red Sox fan will probably say something and i dont blame them I would get tired of it too. Here it goes. The Yankees need one big bat to help them get one big run, hense the name of the article. What Big Bat do they need, or should i say who do they need because it cetaintly isnt a Louiville Slugger they could trade a player for ten of those. Xavier Nady the big name on the block from the Artist formally known as the Pittsburgh Pirates. Well the question who do they have to give up to get a player who is making a great name for himself. The bigger question who do they have to give up? Frankly I am tired of giving up young talent but who would they want. Give them Ian Kennedy Johnny Damon and someone else crappy. What ever we have to do to get it done that doesnt include giving away a young star. Another person they should consider is Mark Texeira. He is young has better mobility than Giambi and would be a good fit at first base and fill the bat void. He would be a good fit. To think the San Francisco Giants were thinking of trading Tim Lincecum for Matsui at the beginning of the season I don't think so anymore. Lets get this straight as a Yankee fan I am not going to settle for Richie Sexson. The man just can't hit anything anymore. If he is supposed to solve are problem Cashman has gone more insane than ever before. What to do, what to do? I really couldn't tell you. I'd rather trade younger for younger. I don't like veterans all the time they are so boring. What I think we should do is trade Bobby Abreu away. We will lose him to free agency after the year because we won't want him back so why not get some value from him. All I am saying in a very unclear way is the Yankees could be one big bat away from making yet another impresive run to make the playoffs. They have options Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Mark Texeira, heck even Barry Bonds wouldn't hurt. Something is going to happen and it will happen soon when nobody sees it coming. They will end up trading young talent away for a 35 year old pitcher. That Brian Fuentes stuff should just stop. Quit it, the man is 32 and not getting any younger. For a reliever that is old and they don't have alot of baseball life left in them. Please anyone wishing to inquire a Brian Fuentes or Damaso Marte if thats even his name should look in the mirror and be like what am i doing. Fuentes ill give him credit he is doing great but not worth a young player who has a chance to give you more and be there for a longer time. I really do not know what is going to happen. I think it will get real interesting by the last day and very shortely. If Ray Durham is the last big thing ill be shocked. The Yankees have alot of chips to play with they just don't know how much to put in. Let's not go all in for once lets only bet 1/4 of the pile. Come on Hank it hasn't worked in a while. Just focus on free agency and stop trying to give away more than you should for someone who might be a rental. Save your money for a C.C. Sabathia or a Ben Sheets for next season much more worth it and a better investment. What do you think the Yankees should do? What do you think the Yankees will do?

AL All Crap Team

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:09:29 -0500

Screw the All Star Game let's put together a roster from those that have been utter disappointments this season.

C: Victor Martinez - He's supposed to be the best hitting catcher in the league. Instead he doesn't have a single home run this season and has been on the DL for about a month now.
1B: - Paul Konerko - Despite Paul Konerko's miserable .213 average the White Sox still find themselves in first place.
2B: - Asdrubal Cabrera - Last season Cabrera came up and solidified the Indians middle infield, this year he couldn't even hit close to .200 before being demoted.
3B: Jack Hannahan - Not much has been made in the media about the absence of Eric Chavez for most of the year, but his replacement for the A's has been piss poor hitting .222 with only 3 homers.
SS: Edgar Renteria - Renteria was supposed to be another key acquisition for the Tigers, yet it hasn't quite worked out yet as Edgar barely has an on base % above .300 to go along with his .326 Slugging %.
OF: Franklin Gutierrez - It's no wonder the Indians are in sell mode when you look at how many players they have on the All Crap roster. Gutierrez 200+ at bats and has an on base % of .265. Ugh.
OF: David Dellucci - Dellucci also has 200+ at bats this season for the Indians and he too has an on base % below .300 and an average below .225.
OF: Johnny Gomes - He's nothing more than a platoon outfielder for the Rays but he should really be nothing more than a platoon player for their AAA affiliation. He's hitting .186 with only 6 homers.
DH: Travis Hafner - Pronk used to be a consistent beast at the plate. This year he's hitting .217 with only 4 home runs and now finds himself on the DL.

Bench: Kenji Johjima - I was gonna go with V-tek, but Johjima has actually been worse, he has well over 200 at bats and has yet to score 20 runs.
Bench: Daric Barton - The rookie has not been the answer for the A's. In 267 at bats Barton is hitting .225 with only 3 homers.
Bench: Juan Uribe - No longer starting but still getting marginal playing time for the White Sox, Uribe has managed only a .206 average this season.
Bench: Craig Monroe - He has 140+ at bats for the Twins and is hitting a massive .211. Woo go Craig.
Bench: Shannon Stewart - Stewart has never been a masher and he certainly isn't this year with a .303 slugging %, but he used to at least have speed. This year he only has 3 stolen bases.

SP: Jeremy Sowers - The Youngster for the Indians has started 8 games this season and is 0-5 with a 7+ ERA.
SP: Steve Trashbag - He was brought back to the Orioles for a little veteran leadership, but he was designated for assignment in early June after posting a 8+ ERA.
SP: Carlos Silva - Um, why did he get a solid contract? He's never been really good and he's been atrocious with a 5.59 ERA thus far this season.
SP: Phil Hughes - Supposedly the best prospect in baseball Hughes had an ERA of 9 before landing himself on the DL for which he might remain the entirety of the season.
SP: Ian Kennedy - The 2nd Yankees youngster recorded an ERA well above 7 in 9 outings and has yet to manage a victory.
SP: Boof Bonser - The man with the funny name has been relegated from the rotation after posting an ERA well over 6.
RP: Jimmy Gobble - Gobble has come into 29 games from the pen and has an ERA above 7 for the Royals.
RP: Mike Timlin - I guess when you're about 90 you should be losing a little zip on the fastball and Timlin is with his 6+ ERA.
RP: Ross Ohlendorf - One more Yankee 'prospect' that has been a disappointment thus far this season.
RP: JJ Putz - JJ was supposed to be amongst the elite closers. Instead he's been on and off the DL and only has 7 saves.
CL: Joe Borowski - He wasn't very good last year when he recorded a ton of saves but he's been absolutely brutal this season with a 7.56 ERA and only 6 saves.

Best players at each position among AL East powers

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:04:09 -0500

Prompted by a few questions on the subject, I decided to do my own version of the AL East player debates. Solely focusing on the three best teams—record-wise at the midway point—in the American League East, here are my picks for the top players at each position among the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.

Yankees Mailbag

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:21:07 -0500

With Chien-Ming Wang out until September, do you think the Yankees will go out and trade some players for a big-time starter like C.C Sabathia, or will they possibly bring someone up from the Minors, not including Kei Igawa?

Yankees injury round up

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:46:21 -0500

Numerous injuries and returns to talk about when it comes to the New York Yankees. Two key players (Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon) have some nagging injuries, while two young prospects (J.B. Cox and Humberto Sanchez) make their returns.

Who starts for the Yankees?

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:42:36 -0500

There has been plenty of debate this week on who picks up the extra start for the New York Yankees. The extra start is part of a double-header this Friday against the New York Mets. There have been quite a few names mentioned for this start. They include Ian Kennedy, Alan Horne, Sidney Ponson, Kei Igawa, Alfredo Aceves and Jeff Karstens. Manager Joe Girardi has narrowed his list, which includes Ponson at the top.

Yanks give Ponson another chance

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:23:36 -0500

Sidney Ponson? Are you kidding me? Desperate for starting pitching depth with Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy on the shelf, the Yankees Wednesday signed the well-traveled, often-troubled right-hander. Ponson was recently released by the pitching-poor Texas Rangers despite a 4-1 record and 3.88 ERA. When the Rangers released him, GM Jon Daniels blamed Ponson for [...]

Ian a no go for Mets series

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:29:24 -0500

There was plenty of speculation that Ian Kennedy would make his return to the New York Yankees on June 27th. That day the Yankees will be playing a split-stadium, day-night doubleheader against the New York Mets. Even with the recent injury to Chien-Ming Wang, the team has decided against rushing the youngster back, instead opting to make sure he's healthy for the long haul.

Someone (in NYC) really, really wants our CC

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:20:02 -0500

The Indians have won five of their last seven, finally discovering that if they put injured guys who can't swing a bat on the DL instead of in the 3 and 4 holes in their batting order they might be able to score a few runs. The Tribe has cut an 8 1/2 game deficit with the White Sox to 5 1/2 and things are beginning to look as if they are moving in the right direction (as long as the bullpen doesn't have to play too big a role in any particular game). The Sox, meanwhile, have lost 5 of their last 6 games and look to be about to put Paul Konerko on the DL. So now does not appear to be the right time to pull the trigger on any trade involving CC Sabathia. But you can bet Mark Shapiro is getting plenty of phone calls from the 212 area code trying to convince him otherwise. The Yankees, who have won 17 of their last 25 and have moved to 4 games over .500 and 6 game out of first in the A.L. East, have put together a decent starting staff of late, with the addition of Joba Chamberlain and Darrell Rasner (is he doing it with mirrors?) and the resurrection of Mike Mussina. But all that may get flushed down the pinstriped pot if, as expected once MRI results are in, staff ace Chien-Ming Wang is put on the shelf for most, if not all, of the rest of the season with what is believed to be a broken bone in the foot. The New York Times is already speculating that the Yanks' GM Brian Cashmen has the speed dial to Mark Shapiro fired up. "The Yankees' season changed irreversibly on Sunday. Chien-Ming Wang's season is in jeopardy with a serious injury to his right foot, and C. C. Sabathia instantly became a very important name in the Yankees' universe." -- lead of today's New York Times story. The Times story seems like nothing more than a logical conclusion - no names of any kind are mentioned and no quotes from anyone are included. The New York Post - also apparently speculating - doesn't seem to think the Yankees have the goods to get it done. "The Yankees' options to replace Wang are limited. The Indians aren't about to deal C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees don't have the major league-ready arms Cleveland would want. Dan Giese is in the Yanks' bullpen, and Daniel McCutchen, Alan Horne, Jeffrey Marquez and Kei Igawa are at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre." That is assuming the Tribe is only interested in pitching in return - which may not be a great assumption. Meanwhile, the Yankee blog published by the Journal News, my local paper, is already speculating about who the Yanks might have to sacrificed to get CC to replace Wang. "LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS: C.C. Sabathia (Indians): He knows how to pitch in the AL, he's a lefty (always a plus at the Stadium) and you'll have a few months to try and sign him. But if the Yankees are desperate, Mark Shapiro will seek the world for his ace, especially if he's going to an AL team. Start with Robinson Cano." Robbie Cano would seem like a good place to start, at least if you look at his career numbers. But check out these numbers from NJ.com for the Yanks lost and bewildered 2B this year. "Going into Saturday night's game, Cano had the lowest on-base percentage (.260) and third-lowest slugging percentage (.316) of major-league players with at least 250 plate appearances." If the Yanks were to put Cano in as a centerpiece of a package for Sabathia the Tribe would be getting - for now - yet another player who is underperforming miserably this season. Shapiro would have to try to determine if this year is an aberration or the start of a trend. As has already been established in the linked articles, the Yanks don't have much in the way of MLB-ready pitching (not counting the injured Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy) and they themselves are trying to fill 1B with the likes of Jason Giambi and Shelley Duncan and Wilson Betemit. They also have nothing to offer at 3B (Betemit is their backup there too) and the corner outfield spots are taken by veterans who the Indians wouldn't necessarily want if they end up punting on this season and trading CC. So while the pressure will be brought to bear on Shapiro by the Yanks' front office, it's not clear what the Yankees have to offer in the way of young, healthy major leaguers who are playing up to their potential.

Melky, Ian and a PTBNL to the A's for Huston Street?

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:29:15 -0500

Word is that Beane is mulling it over. Thoughts?

Yanks 'pen a tired act? Is Street the Answer?

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:04:40 -0500

With Joba now solidified in the Yankees starting rotation and the combination of Hughes and Kennedy looking more like non-factors, is it time to worry about a bullpen that can't seem to keep it together? Marino Rivera blew a save the other night and, although the Yanks pulled out the win, the bullpen is looking more and more disturbing as the season rolls along. Time to start looking at options. The Yankees need a set-up man for the 8th and their in-house remedies don't look ready for the big show yet. The Oakland Athletics have a penchant for shipping out pitchers if the right haul of prospects is given in return, this is the logical place to find help. Huston Street: A shutdown closer with the confidence and grit to pitch in the big apple. Nasty fastball and a devastating slider. Street is having a great year but has become expendable with the emergence of Joey Devine and his similar stuff. The A's also consider Casilla, Andrew Brown and Alan Embree as possible candidates for the closer job if Street is moved. With a bullpen as deep as the A's have (Ziggy, Foulke and Gaudin included) it seems likely that they will be willing to give up Street who is under contract until 2010. The A's covet prospects and young outfielders. If Melky Cabrera is made available, along with Kennedy and another prospect, this trade could be done tomorrow. Would it be enough to help the Yankees get back into contention?

Staying The Course, Starting With Joba

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 07:30:20 -0500

When it was announced that Joba Chamberlain would enter the starting rotation sooner than later, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. All I could think about was the big hole he was leaving in the bullpen. But after Ian Kennedy was placed on the DL, I didn't think there was any other choice:

Yankees ailing pitchers

Thu, 29 May 2008 21:52:03 -0500

The New York Yankees today provided updates on two of their young stud pitchers health. Those pitchers would be Ian Kennedy and Philip Hughes, and the news isn't good. Hughes is experiencing a setback in his rehabilitation from a broken rib, while Kennedy is just now hitting the disabled list with his injuries. Let's take a look at both players, and what this all means for Joba Chamberlain.

Rock out with your pitching coach out

Wed, 28 May 2008 08:17:26 -0500

I feel like Bob Apodaca must be part of my family, because I've seen more of him in the last few days than I have my wife. Every time I turn around I see Apodaca jogging to and from the mound. Comcast is so good at sponsorship (Jeep Keys to the Game, etc.), just for tonight they should have the Amtrack Apodaca Trip to the Mound... Taking two easy ones from the team that swept the Phils from the '07 playoffs has been sweet, but it is sort of sad to see the state of the Rockies right now. Without Holliday, Hawpe or Tulowitzki, the Rockies lineup is straight out of the Pacific Coast League. Combine that with a young staff and an overworked bullpen and the Rockies are as tough to watch as those horrid Sheetz poetry jam coffee comercials. ------------------------- I Will Wait No Longer For whatever reason, I'm picking today to be impatient. R.J. Swindle needs to be in the Phillies bullpen. Tonight. I'm sure Clay Condrey is a nice guy, but if he needs to go to make room for the Great Rock-n-Roll Swindle, then c'est la vie Condrey. The Phils, like many other teams in the league, are perpetually looking for bullpen help. Yet, they have a guy carrying a sub-1 ERA and a 27 to 2 K:BB ratio sitting in the FeHams bullpen. They don't have to worry about burning options or accumulating service time or any of that. The biggest risk is losing Condrey and I think that is a risk worth taking since the potential reward is adding a useful lefty reliever to the 'pen. ------------------------ Sweep Vitals The Phils hand the ball to Gavin Eaton. He sucks. The Rockies counter with Greg Reynolds, the second overall pick in the 2006 draft. [Some pitchers taken after Reynolds that year: Andrew Miller, Tim Lincecum, Clayton Kershaw, Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy and Max Scherzer.] This will be the fourth career major league start for Reynolds, racking up a loss, two no decisions and a 4.06 ERA in his first three starts. First pitch is 7:05, hot dogs are full price.