Joba promoted to rotation, will start Tuesday in Bronx
Joba Chamberlain received his long-awaited promotion, and the rookie righthander will make his first start for the Yankees at home in the Bronx.
Joba Chamberlain received his long-awaited promotion, and the rookie righthander will make his first start for the Yankees at home in the Bronx.
Manager Joe Girardi said the 22-year-old will take the mound at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night against Toronto and be limited to 65 or 70 pitches.
After deliberating about the decision during New York's off day Thursday and consulting with general manager Brian Cashman, Girardi said yesterday he decided to keep Andy Pettitte on his regular throwing schedule and use the lefthander for Monday's series finale against the Twins.
New York has been grooming Chamberlain for the rotation since selecting him out of the University of Nebraska with the 41st overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft. After posting a 0.38 ERA in 19 appearances last season, Chamberlain had a 2.28 ERA in 20 games out of the bullpen this year.
After throwing on the side yesterday, Chamberlain was excited.
"I feel great. Everything is going well. Every 'i' is dotted, and every 't' is crossed, so far," Chamberlain said.
Noteworthy
* Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Boston Red Sox, who opted to take a cautious approach after an MRI exam revealed a mild strain of his right rotator cuff.
* Texas third baseman Hank Blalock had surgery on his right wrist and will be sidelined for at least another month. Blalock has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 29 with a torn hamstring. He recovered from that injury, then experienced wrist soreness due to carpal tunnel syndrome.
* Cleveland designated hitter Travis Hafner will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder.
* The Kansas City Royals claimed catcher Brayan Pena off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.
In games last night:
* At Baltimore, Mike Lowell's RBI single in the 13th snapped a tie and the Boston Red Sox went on to beat the Orioles, 5-2.
* At Arlington, Texas, Kevin Millwood (3-3) allowed one run through six innings in his first start in almost 3 weeks and the Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-1.
* At Kansas City, Grady Sizemore homered twice and made a game-saving catch for the final out, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 5-4 victory over the Royals, who lost their 12th straight.
* At Minneapolis, Bobby Abreu tripled twice and scored all four times he reached base as the New York Yankees beat the Twins, 6-5.
* At St. Petersburg, Fla., designated hitter Cliff Floyd homered in the ninth to lead the Tampa Bay Rays over the Chicago White Sox, 2-1. *