CMW and the Brett Gardner Experiment

Well, all in all a great day for the Yankees. Nothing like a 22-4 loss to make you feel good about the team. First, something has to be wrong with Chien-Ming Wang--obviously. I'd like to think that it is a physical injury of some sort. I'm not sure how you can go from 19 wins 2 years in a row to being the worst pitcher in the Major Leagues just like that without something being really wrong. Seems like there has to be a physical issue, or maybe mechanics or something like that. At the very best, it's just an absolutely crushing lack of confidence, but I'm not sure that would be the reason he's leaving sinkers up around the belt to just get smacked.

Either way, it's absolutely certain that there is no way Wang can make his next start, which would be scheduled in Fenway. There is no way Girardi can put him out there after these three past starts. With a day off this week, they don't have to have Phil Hughes pack his bags in Scranton quite yet, as they can afford to skip Wang's turn and pitch everybody else on regular rest. With skipping Wang the Yanks will have Burnett, Pettite, and the Big Guy ready to go in Fenway. That's what they need to do.

As for what to do with the Wanger after that, that's quite another issue. I'd say put him on the DL with whatever injury you want to call it and just have him dominate some AAA for a while to see if he can workout with whatever ails him. Hughes can get a cup of coffee in the big leagues and we'll see how he looks.

And now onto the failed Brett Gardner experiment. After 10 games I feel confident in saying that Brett Gardner is not a MLB-caliber player, especially not for the New York Yankees. Everybody seemed to think that since he is fast and doesn't really hit that he must be a good fielder. Those people were wrong. He made two awful plays on consecutive balls today--first taking a crappy route to a Hafner ball and then dropping it for a "double." Very next batter he takes another horrible route to the ball and lets it get past him to the wall. Combine this with his Johnny Damon-esque arm and it's apaprent that he's more of a liability out there than an asset. Let's not forget to mention that this kid can't hit a lick.

With homers in back-to-back games, and with an absolute cannon for an arm, I don't think Joe G has a choice but to put the Melk Man out in CF for the time being. I know last year was absolutely horrible, but the two previous years he put up an OPS+ 95 and 89 respectively. While those numbers aren't going to be confused with Mickey Mantle or other Yankee CF's of yesteryear, there is literally no chance Brett Gardner can put those numbers up--no matter how scrappy he is or how many bases he steals.

These two are just placeholders while Austin Jackson get's seasoned in AAA, but Melky is the best choice for now. AJax is off to an absurd start in the minors, but I'll understand if they want him to play every day for a year in Scranton and then be the starter in 2010. Joe--Brett has to go, and he's got to go right now.

While we are at it, Dave Robertson (PECOTA favorite) and Mark Melancon have got to be a part of the big-league bullpen immediately. They are better than half the guys out there. Get them to the Bronx, quickly.