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Tuesday, April 26, 2005
By PETE CALDERA
STAFF WRITER
NEW YORK - And now the Yankees hand the ball to Chien-Ming Wang, who has never
thrown a pitch in the major leagues, hoping he can plug a significant leak in
their very mortal-looking starting rotation.
Wang isn't even replacing one of the two 40-year-olds.
On Saturday, Senior Citizen Day at the Stadium, Wang will start against the
Blue Jays in place of Jaret Wright, 29, whose inflamed right shoulder will keep
him sidelined from 4-to-6 weeks.
During Monday's off-day, the Yankees warmed themselves with thoughts of
Sunday's 11-1 win over Texas, when Randy Johnson lowered the team ERA from 5.16
to 4.93.
"They've got problems," one NL scout said. "This could get interesting."
Alex Rodriguez looks as skittish as ever, while Tino Martinez and Bernie
Williams seemingly have boarded the sunset cruise toward retirement. Jason
Giambi isn't the same anymore, and yet the Yankees' real crisis is in the area
they bolstered most last winter.
There's a fault line running through the Yankee bullpen, and their starters -
for the most part - still haven't gotten started.
In the suite where he fires off scathing memos to his PR man, owner George
Steinbrenner can barely console himself that the Red Sox haven't run off to a
10-game lead.
"If Baltimore ever gets any pitching ... " the scout said, leaving that thought
hanging like some of The Boss' old pitching coaches.
After just 19 games, it's still a surreal notion that the Yankees - with their
$205 million payroll and their streak of 10 straight playoff appearances -
could be in trouble.
While Johnson assures that the missing 2-3 mph on his fastball will return,
Kevin Brown's troubles are more complicated. "When I saw him in spring training
, he looked good - the best I've seen him in years," the NL scout said.
The condition of Brown's back remains a per-start issue. But his pitches have
almost too much movement now, and are being taken for balls (forcing him to
come in with meaty pitches that are pounded).
To the scouts, that suggests a feel problem more than a back issue. He needs
more innings, as does Johnson, who said he'd make it a point next year to
increase his spring training innings. One AL scout said the Yanks' troubles
began with failing to exercise the $8 million option on Jon Lieber - off to a
4-0 start with Philadelphia - instead taking a chance on Wright.
"You know what you're getting for the money, you know [Lieber] can handle New
York," the scout said. "He threw the most strikes, consistently. If you've got
a lead, he's the toughest guy to come back on."
But while most observers were wondering about Johnson's creaky knees and
Brown's achy back, Wright tore through scar tissue in his shoulder during
Saturday's horrendous start.
Afterward, the Yankee spin was that Wright's injury was a best-case scenario
when weighed against the possibility of a rotator cuff tear or other structural
damage.
Yet Wright said he hadn't felt this problem coming on during his previous three
starts.
What of the six home runs he's yielded in his first 17 innings this year, after
giving up just 11 homers in 1861/3 innings all of last season? Has there been
something wrong in his shoulder all along?
Does he miss the hands-on guidance of Atlanta Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone
, who helped pull Wright back from obscurity? And speaking of starters who are
off the radar, who exactly is Chien-Ming Wang? "He's a legitimate prospect,"
the NL scout said.
Billy Connors, Steinbrenner's pitching guru, touts Wang as a "plus makeup guy"
who can handle the spotlight.
Manager Joe Torre thought enough to start Wang in the zany atmosphere of
Yankees-Red Sox at Fort Myers, Fla. - the first spring meeting against the
world champs.
Wang, 25, can touch 96 mph, but is usually around 92 mph with his fastball,
which he can spot. He's got an effective slider against right-handers, a decent
change-up and a splitter that can be devastating.
Given a $1.9 million bonus out of Taiwan, Wang is 2-0 this season at Class AAA
Columbus, and was 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA at Columbus last year.
"He may surprise some people," the NL scout said.
E-mail: [email protected]
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