WHY THE YANKEE ROTATION PUZZLE WILL BE SOLVED

Yeah... BYB are a bunch of geniuses.  Jeana Bellezza wrote WHY YANKEE ROTATION QUESTION MARKS WILL SURFACE AGAIN. We wrote it as soon as that Yankee rotation was set.  No, we're not on the inside, we're Yankee fans, but truth be told, anyone could see this stuff lingering in the beginning of April. Yes, the Yankees came off an epic win yesterday, but tough questions are coming and it starts with Freddy Garcia.  There is no doubt about it,  Freddy Garcia as a New York Yankee is not in the cards for 2012.  Yesterday opened my eyes about The Chief...It's over.

In 2011, Freddy Garcia was the man, stepping up when we needed him too and delivering...all the time.  In 2012, he's the starter you just can't trust to get the job done.  Yesterday Freddy went 1.2 innings, allowed 7 hits and 5 runs. That's not only bad, it's Tim Redding bad.   Anthony McCarron brought this nugget up in his New York Daily News piece writing (HERE): "Garcia (0-1, 9.75 ERA) got a no-decision, but his outing was the shortest by a Yankee starter at Fenway since the immortal Tim Redding went one inning on July 15, 2005."  I love those types of nuggets, and it makes you think.

And so Freddy has forced the Yankees hand now, they clearly need starters to replace guys like Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia if their roads as starters continue this badly.  Luckily we know Andy Pettitte is making tremendous progress and all of Yankeeland is waiting and watching and thinking about Andy on the mound again... possibly by May.  Look, this isn't going to happen tomorrow. The Yankees are still going to need to get through the last month of April, but make no mistake, Garcia and Hughes are on notice.

Andy Pettitte in his last start in the minors looked sharp. In 5 innings, he allowed only 2 runs on Friday which makes his next start a promotion to Trenton where he will play with the Thunder, read HERE.  In that last start he threw 66 pitches and 58 of them were strikes. The goal is to get his pitch count up to between 80 to 100 pitches.  That would suggest 3 more starts and then, if all goes well, he'll be in the Bigs again.  I can't wait.

Poor Michael Pineda took a step back in his extended spring training.  We reported it first on BYB yesterday in NOT SO FAST MICHAEL PINEDA. It turns out that Pineda experienced pain in his shoulder and they shut him down after just 15 pitches.  You really have to feel for this kid.  According to Marc Carig, the Yankees were stunned when they found out about his lingering pain.  Read Carig HERE. He goes on to say: "Even under the best of circumstances, the setback will likely sideline Pineda until at least June. The worst case scenario is that follow-up exams reveal damage that was missed in the first round of tests. After an examination in Tampa Saturday, Pineda is headed to New York, where he is scheduled to visit with team doctor Christopher Ahmad Monday. He will also undergo a dye-contrast MRI exam."

So, if you thought alittle pain in the shoulder didn't matter... think again.  Not only is it devastating to Yankeeland who gave up Jesus Montero, it's a very serious situation for 23 year old Michael Pineda who was handed an opportunity of a lifetime and all he did was "try" to get a rotation spot... and the whole thing fell apart.  Again, you have to feel for this kid, no one deserves this, I wish Pineda well.

In the meantime, the Yankees must continue to power through it. They can and they will and they're already piecing it all together.  Is it something we as fans should worry about? No.  The Yankees have taken the balls away from the Red Sox and have humiliated Bobby Valentine.  That alone will give them enough momentum to move them through the next week of April...then, they'll re-evaluate Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia and see what type of progress Andy Pettitte has made.  I'm sure they'll also see if someone like David Phelps could help out in a spot start if needed.  Believe me, the wheels are in motion...  the Yankees have a plan...we'll just have to sit back and let it all happen.

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