Joba's Not A Big Fan Of His Rules

From Dan Martin:

Joba Chamberlain may as well walk around with a "Handle With Care" stamp on his forehead.

The right-hander won't pitch again until Wednesday in Oakland as the Yankees continue to closely monitor his innings in his first full season as a starter.

But manager Joe Girardi said yesterday that Chamberlain won't be limited in the postseason, should the AL East-leading Yanks get there.

"All hands on deck," the manager said.

And while Chamberlain said he understands the plan, he admitted to being frustrated by it at times.

"As a competitor, you want to be out there every fifth day . . . but I want to do this for a long time and not just a couple of years," Chamberlain said. "I've learned to become patient over the last couple of years being here, so you do the best you can with it."

We all know Joba is a little flaky - all the evidence we need for that is the fact that the Yanks don't even want to tell him what his schedule is. So I wonder if his frustration with his rule could be effecting his performance.

After the all-star break Joba threw three straight starts on regular rest. In those starts he was 3-0, with a 0.83 ERA. Since then he's started on seven days rest and then moved back to four days. In those starts 1-0, with a 6.55 ERA and he's walked 9 batters in 11 innings. You have to wonder if the changes in his routine are messing with him.

Pitchers are an odd bunch to begin with, and they're creatures of habit who don't like deviate from their routine. When it's a 23-year-old who is still trying to figure out to pitch the changes in routine might be even more harmful.

I know they're trying to make sure he stays healthy, and I'm all for that, but why not at least let the guy know when he's going to start so he can mentally prepare for not just the start he's about to make but each start after that. I can't imagine that the surprise of 'hey you're gonna start in six days' or seven day or five days, is good for the kid.