Joba Chamberlain
OH SO CLOSE: Ichiro Suzuki can’t come up with Drew Stubbs’ 3-run home run in the seventh inning off Joba Chamberlain (inset) last night. (N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg (2))
It had nothing to do with pitching back-to-back nights, Joba Chamberlain said. Everything felt fine. His routine? Same as always. Velocity? Check. Results?
Now you get to the touchy stuff.
“Everything felt good. Did my warm-up, everything felt fine,” said Chamberlain who personally supplied much of the drama for the Yankees in their 4-3 victory, a triumph that started out as a routine stomping of the Indians for six innings last night. “My velocity was good. It was just really missing pitches.”
The pitch that missed most was a 1-1 slider to ninth-place hitter Drew Stubbs who cracked a 3-run homer off Chamberlain in the top of the seventh when cushy became rocky and anxiety gripped Yankees fans. Chamberlain said he just wasn’t aggressive enough.
“You come in the game 4-0, just be aggressive with your fastball. Not just throw fastballs, but pitch off your fastball instead of throwing an early curveball,” Chamberlain said.
Chamberlain exited to boos as manager Joe Girardi summoned Boone Logan to end the seventh. Girardi said he maintains confidence in Chamberlain.
“It’s still high. He got in some long counts that probably hurt him,” Girardi said. “First time he went back-to-back, eventually he was going to have to do that.”
Though one good effort can erase the memory of a bunch of bad ones, Chamberlain was reminded quickly how that also works in reverse through his third game since returning May 28 from the disabled list because of an oblique strain. Before he entered, Cleveland’s offense looked hideously anemic against David Phelps, managing just one infield single and four walks.
Chamberlain had struck out five of a possible seven out in two scoreless outings — including one against Cleveland Monday — since his return. But those games seemed like ancient history. And it hardly mattered that stretching back before the stint on the disabled list, Chamberlain had worked in 10 games without yielding a run. Nope, it’s what have you done for me lately and this time, Chamberlain did little.
Chamberlain walked Carlos Santana. Two outs and a Mike Aviles single later, Stubbs stepped up and Chamberlain’s ERA, which had stood at 3.09, swelled to 5.11 after he yielded his first home run this season
“I felt good. I wasn’t very aggressive with my fastball. Just got into some deep counts. Drew put a good swing on not a terrible pitch but he put a pretty good swing on it,” Chamberlain said.