New York, New York – Joba starts, Pedro returns

Many baseball fans will be tuning into a pair of New York teams tonight to watch a couple of events. One, young flamethrower Joba Chamberlain is making his first career start for the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball, and two, Pedro Martinez returns to the hill for the New York Mets. We all know Chamberlain’s father will be watching tonight.

Chamberlain’s starting appearance is raising a lot of questions by fans and baseball experts. Is he ready to be a starting pitcher? What are the Yankees going to do in the seventh and eighth innings without Chamberlain available? However, there are also fans that have been waiting for Yankees skipper Joe Girardi to finally put Chamberlain in the rotation and just give him a shot. Last week, I ran a poll about whether Chamberlain should be a starting pitcher or not this season and the results were mixed. One-third of voters said it was time for him to start, one-third says he shouldn’t be a starter and the other one-third said they didn’t care either way.

Tonight is Joba Chamberlain’s night (and his father’s), but all eyes will be on Kyle Farnsworth after Chamberlain exits. Photo: Newscom

But in my opinion tonight’s starting appearance is not all about Chamberlain. (Really?) That’s right. It’s about Kyle Farnsworth and the rest of the Yankees bullpen. But, especially Farnsworth. Just last night Farnsworth gave up the winning run to the Minnesota Twins in the eighth inning and was saddled with the loss. This is what Yankee fans should really be worried about. Chamberlain is on a pitch count, according to Girardi. Therefore, he cannot do it all tonight and will have to rely on the bullpen and, most likely, Farnsworth. If I were Chamberlain, I would be worried. Farnsworth is not the guy I want following me in a game, especially if I left with the lead. If only Hank Steinbrenner could figure out a way to clone Chamberlain and pitch him in the starting rotation and bring the other Chamberlain out of the pen to be the setup man… then the Yankees would be in a better position. But, since that won’t happen, this experiment could turn out bad for New York.

But that’s not all the Yankees and their fans have to worry about tonight. Tonight, the Toronto Blue Jays are sending Roy Halladay to the mound to counter Chamberlain. It just never gets any easier for the woeful Bombers.

The other half of the New York baseball community will be staying up late tonight to watch the return of Martinez in San Francisco against the Giants. Martinez hasn’t pitched since his 2008 season debut on April 1. The Mets’ playoff hopes are riding on his healthy right arm, and rest of his body for that matter.

Since the last poll was about Chamberlain and the build up to his first start, I have replaced the poll with a new one on the right side. Be sure to cast your vote today.