Joba Better, But Yankees Lose to Phillies 6-2

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0		2	11	0
Philadelphia	1	1	0	0	3	1	0	0	X		6	11	0

WP: J. Blanton (2-0)
LP: D. Marte (0-1)

The real story of the day is Joba Chamberlain who threw four strong innings. Three of which are in the box score, where he allowed a run on two hits, walked one, and struck out three. The fourth inning did not count towards his ST statistics because the game was officially over, but the Phillies agreed to continue play so Joba could get his work in because his pitch count was so low. Joba threw to three simulated batters in the bullpen after the game.

Joe Girardi was impressed:

“Outstanding,” Joe Girardi said. “Worked quickly. Attacked the zone. He’s got to go out and throw more, and that’s what you want to see. Quality.” (From Chad Jennings)

Here's Joba on his performance:

"I'm back to having fun, just embracing the challenge. That day off was good for me just to think about what I needed to do. I just went back out and attacked the zone and tried to stay positive."

"That's me, attacking the strike and being able to work on some things in certain counts. I just felt really aggressive. It's one of those things where once you feel it you continue to build from that. I think it's a good thing from a mental aspect to build on." (from Bryan Hoch)

So Joba did what he needed to do and is even with Hughes in the 5th starter spot. This is the healthy competition I have been looking forward to all spring. Let's hope they both keep pitching well through the end of spring and the decision is tough on the Yankees.

Andy Pettitte saw his first game action of the spring, and pitched pretty well. In 4 innings he allowed two runs on five hits, walked one and struck out four.

“I threw a lot of good stuff, a lot of good pitches,” Pettitte said. “My location I thought was fairly good. The balls they hit were just balls that I just didn’t quite finish on a couple of them.” (from Chad Jennings)

Damaso Marte also made his spring debut and things didn't go so well for him. Not only did he allowed three runs on four hits without retiring a batter, but he was forced to leave the game after Ryan Howard lined a ball off his back. Luckily, all he was left with was a big bruise.

It was a slow day for the Yankees offense. Brett Gardner went 2-for-3, with triple and stolen base and a run scored. Francisco Cervelli also had a big day, going 3-for-3, with a double and an RBI. Nick Johnson drove in the Yankees other run and went 1-for-2.

	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Gardner, CF	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	.240
a-Gorecki, PH-CF	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000
Johnson, N, DH	2	0	1	1	0	1	1	.389
b-Weber, J, PH-DH	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	.571
Teixeira, 1B	4	0	1	0	0	0	2	.333
Vazquez, Jo, 3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.133
Rodriguez, A, 3B	3	0	0	0	0	1	2	.211
Miranda, 1B	1	0	0	0	1	1	2	.200
Thames, LF	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.143
Hoffmann, LF	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.143
Winn, RF	3	1	1	0	0	1	1	.167
Winfree, RF	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.308
Cervelli, C	3	0	3	1	0	0	0	.583
c-Rivera, Mi, PH-C	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.083
Pena, R, SS	3	0	0	0	0	0	4	.158
Nunez, E, SS	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.263
Russo, 2B	3	0	0	0	0	1	2	.313
Corona, 2B	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.235
Totals	37	2	11	2	2	6	21
a-Struck out for Gardner in the 7th. b-Lined out for Johnson, N in the 7th. c-Walked for Cervelli in the 8th.
BATTING 2B: Cervelli (1, Blanton). 3B: Gardner (1, Blanton). TB: Gardner 4; Johnson, N; Weber, J; Teixeira; Thames; Winn; Cervelli 4; Corona. RBI: Cervelli (2), Johnson, N (6). 2-out RBI: Cervelli. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Rodriguez, A; Pena, R; Russo; Nunez, E; Miranda. SF: Johnson, N. Team RISP: 0-for-9. Team LOB: 11. BASERUNNING SB: Gardner (1, 2nd base off Blanton/Ruiz). IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Pettitte 4.0 5 2 2 1 4 0 4.50 Marte, D (L, 0-1) 0.0 4 3 3 0 0 1 -- Sanit 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Chamberlain 3.0 2 1 1 1 3 0 16.20

Tomorrow's Game

The Yankees face the Rays tomorrow night down in Tampa. Javier Vazquez will start for the Yankees, with left-hander Carlos Hernandez going for the Rays. Reliever Chan Ho Park is scheduled to make his spring debut. The game is set for 7:05 p.m. and can be seen on YES and MLB.TV.