Joba move to rotation underway

And so it begins. As big as tonight’s win may have been for the Yankees – Alex Rodriguez and the offense breaking out for eight runs, Darrell Rasner winning his third straight game, the Yanks snapping their four-game losing streak – the game itself took a back seat in the clubhouse. That’s because Joe Girardi officially announced that the Joba Plan was underway. It’s a good thing, because as we were watching Joba Chamberlain nail down an eight-run win with his second inning and 35th pitch of the night, a few of us in the press box couldn’t understand why Girardi would waste Chamberlain tonight with a two-inning performance that would surely render him unable to pitch tomorrow. And then we found out why. Moving Chamberlain into the rotation – whenever that may occur – has been the Yankees’ plan all along. It certainly looks like a reactionary move given the struggles Ian Kennedy has faced, but Girardi and Brian Cashman both insist this was the ... [link]