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It was recently announced that the Milwaukee Brewers acquired Yankees’ pitcher Sergio Mitre in a deal that sent outfielder Chris Dickerson to New York in return.

At the moment, this seems like a win-win situation for both teams: New York announced that Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia will round out the rotation, and Bartolo Colon will move to the bullpen, most likely as a long reliever, a role which Mitre possessed last season.

Dickerson, on the other hand, has seemed like a bit of a nuisance for the Brewers. At age 28, he was acquired from Cincinnati in the deal that sent Jim Edmonds there from Milwaukee. Once in Milwaukee, he posted a very slight .206/.250/.268 split last season, though he was a bit in 2009, where he posted a .275/.370.373 split. However, he’s still only 28, so he’s got time to develop.

This is hailed as a smarter move for the Brewers, whose rotation is currently suffering. Zack Greinke is currently on the DL due to a cracked rib and will miss a handful of starts at the beginning of the season, and Shaun Marcum, who was acquired from the Blue Jays this offseason is experiencing some shoulder issues, though he will only miss one regular season start, which is good news for Brewers fans.

Because of these issues, the Brewers are lacking some depth.

Yovani Gallardo, who has been an outstanding pitcher for the Brewers and is currently predicted to pitch 219 strikeouts this season, will most likely make the start on Opening Day, though the Brewers have yet to confirm who will start for them against the Reds for the season opener.

Slated to start after Gallardo for Opening Day weekend is Randy Wolf and Chris Narveson, respectively. While this currently doesn’t pose too many risks, the Brewers need a pitcher to fill the role.

This is most likely why they went after Mitre.

Mitre, who is 30 years old, has made at least one start each of the past seven seasons, but he has primarily served as a reliever in the past. Could this be his opportunity to become a starter again?

For right now, it looks like the Brewers plan on using him as a starter until Greinke is healthy again, and he could potentially be the long reliever once Greinke returns.

But is this really a smart move to make?

Mitre’s career record is 13-29, and his career ERA stands at 5.27. He’s posted a 1-1 record this spring training for the Yankees with a 5.73 ERA.

ERA that is consistently over five and a 31 percent win rate over his career? Are these the stats of a truly reliable pitcher?

While Mitre may get more opportunity in Milwaukee, there’s still not a lot of certainty with him as to whether he will succeed or fall.

Like Dickerson, Mitre still has time to develop in the minors if necessary, but that’s probably not the reason the Brewers pursued him.

Regardless of what role he plays, can Sergio Mitre get the job done in 2011?

Please share your thoughts. 

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Talent needs execution like you and I need air to live and thrive. That’s perhaps an extreme analogy but oh so true.

Joba Chamberlain knows this deep within himself.

This uniquely gifted man, lifted up by expectation that now slides down toward a thoroughly middling career because he can’t quite get a handle on “great” and his grip on “good” is slipping.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. A rock star before his foot went from warning track gravel to the outfield grass on his way in from the bullpen; “Joba” was the one-named flame-thrower who defined hype.

A hype that seemed more than justified in those first two months as Chamberlain struck out 34 and allowed only one earned run in his first 24 major league innings.

The rest is perhaps a cautionary tale.

Dazzled by his early dominance, the Yankees pushed Chamberlain into the starting rotation with caution and delicacy. Inconsistency from the pitcher and from the team with regard to his role followed and by 2010 Chamberlain would return to the bullpen with decidedly mixed results.

Chamberlain doesn’t really have a role on the Yankees staff now. The incredibly gluttonous signing of Rafael Soriano supplanted him from the eighth-inning role, and middle relief is a waste bin.

Some have said the Yankees might look to trade him, but Chamberlain’s value has likely never been lower.

You’d think the team might roll the dice one last time and give Chamberlain a chance to best the unimpressive Sergio Mitre in a fight for the fifth spot in the rotation but as of now you’d seemingly be wrong.

Whether frightened by his inconsistency or perhaps the long-term durability of his shoulder the Yankees contend that Chamberlain’s skill set plays better in the ‘pen.

This is of course there prerogative.

The Yankees have given Chamberlain more opportunities to live up to his heady potential than they are used to and though they earned much of the blame for the lackluster results you can’t blame them entirely.

Whether it’s the first or the ninth inning, amidst screams of adulation or derision it’s been on Chamberlain to live up to our limitless hopes while forsaking our ineffable fears. That he has failed to do exactly that puts his career on the cusp of something seemingly unimaginable three years ago.

Moments of truth are forecast too often in the realm of sports but few demand that trite imagery more than Joba does in 2011. A year filled with waning opportunity, definition and either the strange rise or typical fall of Joba Chamberlain.

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No it’s not Jeter, Rivera or Pettitte and as far as I know Cliff Lee has never been a Yankee so who could it be?

As I type with complete and utter nausea, the player is Sergio Mitre.

No, this is not a joke, as the Yankees have signed Mitre for another year at $900,000 to bring his talents back to the Bronx.

What talents convinced the Yankees to make this decision?

Please, someone let me know ASAP.

This has skipper Joe Girardi’s name written all over it because we know he loves players from his Florida Marlins days in 2006.

Do you remember whose brilliant idea it was to pay Nick Johnson over bringing back the World Series MVP Hideki Matsui?

Well, it was Girardi as Johnson was on the 2004 Marlins too.

GM Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner are doing a great job so far.

Signing Mitre totally solves all the problems on the mound because Mitre has been so good in the past.

Mitre has a career record of 13-29, with a 5.27 ERA over seven seasons. Stellar record, but he also is injured a lot and struggles in big jams on the mound.

Mitre gives Yankee fans shivers, the same way Kyle Farnsworth used too.

What’s next? Announcing that Mitre is going to play shortstop too?

Sorry, but this was one player I was hoping to not see in pinstripes ever again.

Well, I guess Mitre can just hog a roaster spot again for 2011.

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Fourth devastating outcome in a row for the New York Yankees, third walk-off loss, and no longer do they hold the best record in baseball.

That honor now belongs to the Tampa Bay Rays, who take a half-game lead in the AL East standings.

The Yankees just can’t seem to catch a break, as things just keep getting worse.

Monday’s pitching match-up of CC Sabathia vs. David Price lived-up to all the hype. Both leading Cy Young Award candidates, who equally proved why on the mound.

Both starters were excellent at keeping the game scoreless through eight innings. Price and Sabathia put their respective teams in positions to win, and the bullpens continued where the aces left off.

That is until the Yankees’ fate was again placed on the wrong arm of Sergio Mitre, who gave up the walk-off home-run. This leads me to wonder what skipper Joe Girardi was thinking using Mitre in the bottom of the 11^th inning?

Girardi can’t seem to comprehend that Mitre is not good. He never really has been his whole career, except in 2007 when Mitre was a Florida Marlin, and Girardi was the Marlins manager.

Even back than, Mitre only pitched 150 innings total and struck out 80. That was over three years ago, and since arriving in New York, Mitre hasn’t been helpful, and has been the opposite of productive. That is a fact.

The minute I saw it was Mitre coming in the 0-0 game, my first thought was, “where is Joba Chamberlain or Dave Robertson?”

“Not available,” according to Girardi, and many will wonder why not?

Neither Robertson, nor Chamberlain pitched on Sunday afternoon so why couldn’t they throw in for a couple outs?

At such a critical time of the season, with first place in the AL East on the line, I thought Girardi would do whatever was needed to get the win. Especially following the blunder at third base by Brett Gardner, who tried to steal third with two outs. What was Gardner thinking?

He wasn’t because that was just dumb.

The Yankees could have used a positive night after being swept in Texas over the weekend.

Instead, the Yankees are getting more frustrated. It is all over the players’ faces, and it is heartbreaking to watch as a fan.

Walk-off wins are inevitably tough for the losing side, so the Yankees can’t be happy at all right now.

As a Yankees fan, it sucks to watch four losses in a row.

So many questions start mounting up as to whether the Yankees can turn it around or has age finally come before beauty?

Let’s hope this is just a slump, but clearly something is not working and the Yankees need to fix it ASAP.

Trying to stay positive but it is getting more difficult with each walk-off loss.

Hopefully, Yankees rookie Ivan Nova can continue throwing well on the mound, and that the bats back him up for a needed win on Tuesday night at the Trop.

PLEASE VISIT LADY LOVES PINSTRIPES….

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It has been reported that New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman has been shopping around relief pitcher Chan Ho Park.

My question is, what teams are interested in Park, and what does he bring to a team?

The 37-year-old right-handed pitcher doesn’t offer much promise to any team he joins. This season, in 32 innings pitched, Park has given up seven home runs, 37 hits, waked nine, and surprisingly struck out 26 batters total.

Park’s 5.57 ERA is not ideal, but what makes Yankee fans cringe is Park gives up big hits in important situations. This obviously resonates more in fans’ heads.

It is so uncomfortable when Park comes running out from the bullpen and the Yankees have given him plenty of chances to prove himself.

Park also holds the No. 32 spot on the all-time hit batsmen list, with 135 to date.

Joba Chamberlain, who is even less reliable, joins Park in adding to the mess. Joba gets more leeway because his struggles are partially the organization’s fault for the way they have selfishly handled the youngster.

Unlike Joba from 2007, the 2010 version cannot locate his pitches. Joba’s velocity is still in the mid to high 90s and his command is not terrible.

It seems to be that Joba’s fastball lands right over a batter’s sweet spot, which is why his walk-rate might seem down. Hitters are actually taking the pitches and making contact successfully.

Joba can be fixed once he gets his confidence back, which might take some time. The Yankees have to continue to take responsibility for this situation because they babied him too much.

That is why the Yankees need to grab bullpen help, more than adding another starting pitcher.

This Saturday, July 31, marks trade deadline and you can be sure the Yankees will be shopping. My pick is Houston Astros hurler Brett Meyers, who can also pitch in long relief, which is great until starting pitcher Andy Pettitte returns to the rotation.

Pettitte’s replacement, Sergio Mitre, is not the long-term answer or the short-term, but Girardi continuously uses Mitre any chance he can get.

Mitre’s success is co-dependent on a strong bullpen with the idea of getting the ball to Mariano Rivera. This cannot work with Park hogging a spot or being anywhere near a pitching mound.

Finding a team who will take Park must include the Yankees eating all $1.2 million owed to him this season. I would even pay the other team just to get Park out of the Bronx, pronto.

This won’t pose a problem, as the Yankees cannot win without a change in the bullpen—someone to complement Phil Hughes down the stretch, as Hughes has a 165-170 innings limit, but he can’t take it all on himself.

These next four days will show what teams have up their sleeve. I would be shocked if the Yankees just sat back and watched the 2010 season slip away.

The general consensus is getting rid of Chan Ho-Park needs to be done, even if the Yankees give him away.

Visit Lady Loves Pinstripes to read more…

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The New York Yankees finished the weekend taking three of four games from the Kansas City Royals.

The Yankees continue to lead the majors, and the AL East, with a 62-35 record.

The Tampa Bay Rays are just three games behind, which leaves little room for error. The ailing Boston Red Sox trail by eight and better not make the gap any bigger.

This scenario dictates nothing except that the Yankees are playing very good baseball right now.

Still, the Yankees recently lost pitcher Andy Pettitte for four to six weeks. Along with a struggling group of middle relievers, this is not an October-ready team.

Without Pettitte, losing out on pitcher Cliff Lee, due to being given the run around by the Seattle Mariners, stings even more.

Leave all the talk swarming around Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Dan Haren coming to the Yankees. That too is now over, with Haren going to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim because the Yankees said no when Joba Chamberlain became part of the deal.

That is the second time the Yankees name was in the mix to spark a bidding war amongst suitors.

So, what remain are Houston Astros Roy Oswalt and Chicago Cubs Ted Lilly. They are the only two creditable starters left before the July 31 trade deadline.

Oswalt has made it clear he wants to play for the St. Louis Cardinals. Also, teams will hesitate with Oswalt’s salary in 2010 having more than $5 million left, plus $16 million for next year, and he refuses to let go his $16 million option for 2012. I’m pretty sure most teams will pass and positive the Yankees already did.

Next up is Cubs and former Yankee pitcher Ted Lilly, who is in the final year of his contract and is owed around $5 million. That has a lot more appeal, but still Lilly’s value is hindered playing on the crappy Cubs. It would seem Lilly is better off staying in the NL, as his career stats indicate better success. Lilly is not the answer for the Yankees; we don’t need another Vazquez mess coming from the NL.

This doesn’t leave much, making this team far seem from perfect.

The idea behind obtaining a starter works because it takes pressure off CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Javier Vazquez, until Pettitte gets back.

Also, according to skipper Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman, Phil Hughes’s 170 +/- innings limit is mandatory, so he is bullpen bound no matter what. This idea is fine with me, but if Pettitte is still on DL when the time comes it could be an issue.

My suggestion would be to grab Astros pitcher Brett Myers, who is an innings eater and has had success in the bullpen as well. Myers is cheaper, with $3.1 million for 2010, and his numbers are comparable to Oswalt’s this season. Myers has a 2-0 record, with a 1.88 ERA and 19 strikeouts in his four July starts.

With series coming up against the Rays and Red Sox, the reigning champs cannot still believe that Sergio Mitre is going to be the answer. Girardi cannot seem to let go of the fact the Mitre sucks, just like 2009.

The only way to consider Mitre as the choice until Pettitte is active again, is if they have a pitcher like Myers who can go in the fourth or fifth inning and pitch a couple of innings.

This could work out perfectly and something has to be, or else Chan-ho Park and Joba Chamberlain will continue to lose games in the eighth inning.

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The Yankees’ starting rotation has been one of their strengths, but lately we’ve seen AJ Burnett leave a game early because of a self inflicted wound and Andy Pettitte limping off the mound. Now, there are real questions to be answered.

Here are some notes:

• Andy Pettitte has a Grade-1 groin strain and is out for 4-to-5 weeks .
• The Yankees will not trade for a starting pitcher in Pettitte’s absence.
• Sergio Mitre will be taking his place. He’s starting tonight for Triple-A Scranton and will throw 75 pitches to stretch himself out.
• Our own Lucas Weick thinks that they’d be better off calling up RHP Ivan Nova .
• The team is not considering Joba Chamberlain to start in place of Pettitte.

I would really like to see Joba get some starts in the rotation, but the bullpen has been awful and despite his inconsistencies, the Yankees cannot afford not to have him out there.

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• July 18, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Pettitte, A-Rod, Burnett (1)
• July 18, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Marte, Robertson, Mitre, Laird, Yogi (1)
• July 9, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Recap, Atkins, Mitre, All-Star Starter, LeBron James (1)

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The Yankees’ bullpen looked good today in relief of Andy Pettitte, who lest after two-thirds innings pitched due to a Grade 1 groin strain, which will keep him out a projected 4-5 weeks.

This puts the Yankees in a very precarious position for several reasons.

The bullpen has now pitched over 13 innings in the past two games, because of A.J. Burnett’s injury from his clubhouse rampage yesterday and Pettitte’s groin injury today.

Needless to say, but 13 innings over the course of two games is a tall order for any bullpen, let alone the Yankees bullpen, which has been very inconsistent this year.

And obviously, with Pettitte being shutdown for the next month or so, the Yanks need another starter.

It is their plan right now to use Sergio Mitre as Pettitte’s replacement in the rotation until he recovers from his injury.

Mitre, who is coming back from an injury himself, isn’t exactly the right person for the job, in my opinion.

He is a starter by trade and has the ability to throw five or six solid innings of work, but he might be too valuable as a long relief pitcher out of the pen than as a starter.

He has appeared in 10 games this year (mainly as a long relief pitcher), but has made two starts where he has given up four runs on nine hits over nine innings pitched.

While in relief this year, Mitre has given up just three runs on five hits over 16 innings. That is why I think he should be in the bullpen, in which case Chad Gaudin should be released.

So who should start in Pettitte’s spot if Mitre does not?

Ivan Nova, who is an excellent young pitcher in the farm system, has the pitching ability to provide a boost in the Yankee rotation.

As a starter at AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre this year, Nova has hurled 103 innings over 17 starts, going 7-2 with a very respectable ERA of 3.21, and holding opposing batters to just eight home runs.

It was also rumored earlier this year, that he threw a 100 mph fastball, but minor league radar guns aren’t exactly the best in the world.

He did pitch in the majors earlier this year, throwing three scoreless innings over two games in his brief stint with New York.

Nova also makes sense because he would be able to get used to the majors this year, and would be much more comfortable heading into Spring Training next year, probably competing for the fifth spot in the rotation if both Andy Pettitte and Javier Vazquez depart after this season.

The Yankees will have a much needed day off tomorrow to rest up and make some organizational moves, and we shall see what transpires.

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It’s a good thing the New York Yankees starting pitchers have been able to go deep into ballgames most of the season. It is, however, a long season, and the bullpen will need to step up and win some games for this club.

Do you feel confident they can? I sure don’t. Outside of Mariano Rivera , who is having yet another excellent season, the Yankees bullpen is full of question marks.

Rivera holds own the ninth inning. That’s not a problem. The veteran is 0-1 this season with a 1.11 ERA in 24.1 innings. He has converted 16 of 17 save chances while giving up just nine hits all year to this point.

The problem is, if a starter only goes five or six innings, how do we get to Rivera. Sure Joba Chamberlain is out there for the eighth, but can you even trust him anymore?

Chamberlain is the guy many believe is being groomed to replace Rivera whenever baseball’s greatest closer finally decides to retire. However, at 1-3 and a 5.34 ERA, I’m not sure he is ready for that. Chamberlain has lost something. He has lost his fire, his dominance. Sure he has struck out 35 batters in 30.1 innings, but he has also given up 32 hits and 18 earned runs.

David Robertson was a guy expected to carry the load in the bullpen. Last season he was dominant at times, and the Yankees hoped he could carry that over into this season. He has pitched a little better of late, but still not the Robertson we saw last season.

This year, Robertson is 0-2 with a 5.64 ERA. In 22.1 innings, he has given up 29 hits and 11 walks. Not the numbers of someone you can count on to win games out of the bullpen.

Sergio Mitre   and Alfredo Aceves are two pitchers the Yankees need to get healthy. These two guys could be the answers, but coming back from injury is never a sure thing.

Chan Ho Park   and Chad Gaudin   need to go. Just get rid of these two guys, Park is a disaster. After a great season for the Phillies last year, the Yankees thought they were getting a solid bullpen guy. NOT!

For full article, visit Double G Sports .

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The CC Sabathia-Roy Halladay faceoff didn’t end up being the pitcher’s duel it was billed to be. The Yankees tagged Halladay for three home runs and Sabathia struggled with consistency as the Yanks won 8-3 to stay in first place.

Here are some notes:

• CC Sabathia has struggled this season but still has a 7-3 record and a 4.00 ERA.
• Alex Rodriguez didn’t play last night, but he expects to play today.
• RHP Sergio Mitre injured his oblique muscle while taking batting practice. He has been put on the 15-day DL and LHP Boone Logan has been recalled.
• Once-highly-touted prospect RHP J.B. Cox has returned after nearly leaving baseball.
• Minor league OF David Winfree has opted out of his contract and has become a FA.

So the Yankees lost a minor-leaguer and got one back. Sorry to see Winfree go, but he was really only organization fodder at this point. Cox is probably a long shot to make it to the Bronx at this point himself.

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• March 2, 2010 — 5 Yankees Spring Training Battles (4)

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