Clemens Can't Save the Yankees

In case you hadn't heard, Roger Clemens made his return to the Yankees yesterday. The Rocket was pretty good, especially for a 44-year old. His final stat-line was 6 IP, 3 ER, 2 BBs, 7 Ks and, of course, a win, all in 108 pitches. Okay, so it was against the Pirates who don't sport the most daunting lineup, but still for his first start back, the Yankees have to be pleased.

(By the way, isn't it about time Clemens got a new nickname that's more appropriate? "Rocket" doesn't really describe him anymore when his fastball tops out at 92-93 mph. Not to mention, he'll be making a lot more trips back to Houston than any spacecraft should. I propose changing his nickname to "Concorde." the Concorde is not quite a rocket, but it is pretty fast, overpriced, and it was retired in 2003.)

What's more significant than Clemens' return is that New York has now won 6 straight games and suddenly look like contenders again. But can does Clemens really deserve any credit for that? Sure, he gave them a quality start, but they scored 9 runs in that game. Even Matt DeSalvo could've won with that kind of support. They key to the Yankees' resurgence has been the improved hitting of Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu. They have dramatically improved the Yankees offense, which has been the main reason for their success the last few years. The Yankees will be able to slug their way to victories now, but they don't have the pitching to win the division. Obviously Clemens helps their pitching a little, just because, with all their injuries he gives them another healthy arm. But barring major injuries, Boston is just too good and their lead is too big. Clemens would have been the fourth best starter on the Red Sox, so he shouldn't be expected to dominate any Yankees-Red Sox games. New York's best hope and only hope is the wildcard. The sooner the Yankees realize that, the better off they'll be.

The real Concorde got passengers between New York and London effectively, but didn't exactly change aviation as we know it. Concorde Clemens will get the Yankees from here to there, albeit at great cost, but it will not change the final destination. That destination is, at best, a wildcard berth.

While I'm discussing pitchers who should be retired, the Phillies just signed Jose Mesa. Even if he doesn't pitch much (and he already did today for 1.1 IP and 2 ER), he scares the hell out of me. They already have Antonio Alfonseca, who is basically Jose Mesa 2.0. The two of them look alike, in body types and facial hair, and I can never feel safe with either one in to close out a game. Mesa, when he was competent, got the job done, but would always scare the hell out of his fans in the process and Alfonseca does the same exact thing.

It was bad enough that the Phillies lost 2 of 3 to the Royals, but I didn't need to see Mesa in a Phillies uniform again.

Burrell delivers!

Stop the presses! Burrell got a clutch hit!

That was a ridiculous game. Gotta say, I genuinely did not expect the Phillies to recover from the Mets going back-to-back-to-back, but Burrell got the best of Wagner (which is especially funny considering their history).

Nice game for Burrell, with the 10th inning RBI double as well, but the Phillies shouldn't get the idea that Pat the Bat is back and move him up in the order. Batting 6th is perfect for him. He'll still get RBI chances, with Utley, Howard, and Rowand in front of him, and Rowand is a much better fit in the 5 slot. Burrell, with his impressive on-base percentage, could help get the bottom of the order going as well. It will be much easier for Abraham Nunez and Carlos Ruiz/Rod Barajas to get hits if there is someone on base for them 40% of the time. The other advantage to this move is that it allows Charlie Manuel to replace Burrell with Michael Bourn in late innings and then not have it come back to bite him when Howard comes up and is immediately walked because (until he reaches base) no pitcher is scared of Bourn.

As good as Burrell was yesterday, the most shocking part of this series from the Phillies perspective is the bullpen's performance. It was one thing for Geary, Madson, and Alfonseca to get the job done. They've proven themselves before. But to get two scoreless innings in a tight game out of Yoel Hernandez and Mike Zagurski, plus a third save in three nights for Alfonseca, was a very pleasant surprise. Zagurski, in particular, looked great. Yes, he got himself into that jam, but he got the big out and didn't look phased by the situation at all.

Of course, the Mets did do the Phillies a favor by refusing, once again, to hit Paul LoDuca second in the order, opting for Ben Johnson instead last night. I've heard this move defended by the Mets announcers, Michael Kay, and others, but I still don't buy it. The logic is that the Mets can't hit LoDuca 2nd because, with all their injuries, it would make the bottom part of the order automatic outs. There's no doubt relievers would be salivating over coming in to face a 6-7-8 of Ben Johnson, Carlos Gomez, and Ruben Gotay (though Jose Valentin is back now. Shouldn't that affect this decision?). But wouldn't you rather have some "automatic outs" late in the lineup than having one hit behind Jose Reyes, your most dangerous hitter? When the whole team is struggling to score runs, why not maximize your offensive production by putting all your good hitters together? With this approach you won't be able to score a run or even make a pitcher work hard in some innings, but with Reyes-LoDuca-Beltran-Delgado-Wright, they'll get some big innings. Why do the 6-8 hitters absolutely need to produce for a team to win in the National League, when there's a good chance the pitcher or pinch-hitter stalls the rally anyway. Willie Randolph may be forgetting he's not still in the American League. Obviously it'd be nice to get production throughout the lineup, but it seems like a waste of Reyes' immense talent to put a AAA quality player hitting second just so Paul LoDuca might get on base for Jose Valentin and Carlos Gomez.

Back to the Phillies though. This was a great win for them, completing the series sweep at Shea, but they MUST win their next series against Kansas City. I've seen the Phillies play down to mediocre teams way too often, especially after big wins. They can't take this series for granted. Doesn't even need to be a sweep, they just have to win two of three and take advantage of their easy Interleague schedule. Whatever they do from here on out, Mets fans aren't going to forget that series for a little while, and if the Phils can put a scare in them, that's worth something.