Girardi, Stop Using Farnsworth in the 8th

This year the 8th just isn't his thing, it really hasn't been since 2006, when he was actually decent. But since last year he's been absolutely awful, and it's time to give somebody else a shot.

This season Farnsworth hitters have hit .353 off him in the 8th inning. Last year opponents hit .299 against him in the 8th, by far his worst BAA in any inning. All this tells me is the pressure is getting to him in the 8th, let the guy be effective and pitch a less pressure packing inning, like the 6th or 7th, instead of forcing him to be the setup man.

Who to replace him? Why not give Edwar Ramirez a shot? For his brief career Edwar has only allowed opponents to hit .213 off him in the 8th inning. This year they're just hitting .154 against him in the 8th.

It would also be worth giving a guy like Chris Britton a shot, in his career he's held opponents to a .135 batting average in the 8th. And in late & close situations he's held batters to a .200 batting average. But we all know that for some reason Yankees managers hate Chris Britton and won't give him a chance.

None of this means either of these two will be great setup men, but it's certainly worth at least seeing if they can do the job.

Eventually the Yankees will call up guys like J.B. Cox and Mark Melancon, and hopefully one of them will be able to do the job, but until then why continue to lose games with Kyle Farnsworth on the mound? Give somebody else a chance.

Even Cashman Is Confused By Britton's Lack Of Use

From Tyler Kepner:

The Yankees’ reluctance to use Britton has been confounding to many Yankees bloggers, and Brian Cashman sounded similarly baffled when asked about Britton on Wednesday. Cashman said he would never tell his manager how to run a game, but he seemed hopeful that Joe Girardi would give Britton more of a chance.

“It’s about opportunity,” Cashman said. “He has not failed in any capacity at any level. Every chance he’s gotten, he’s had success, period. That’s what defines Chris Britton. I can’t tell you any more than that.”

“The bottom line is, we’re going to need him,” Girardi said. “He’ll get his opportunity when we call upon him.”

"He'll get his opportunity when we call upon him"? How exactly does that work if you never call upon him? He also needs to be used in a close game so that the Yanks will know if he can handle the pressure. I see no reason why he can't.

This year he was 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 10 games at Scranton, and last year he was 4-2, with 2.15 in 37 games. He was also pretty good last year in the major in limited work, posting a 3.55 ERA in 11 games. So far this year he's allowed just one run on one hit in 6 innings of work for a 1.50 ERA.

But look for Britton to be sent packing once again when the Yankees will call up Dan Giese at some point this week.

Bruney Out for the Year: Albaladejo and Britton Called Up

According to Chad Jennings, Jonathan Albaladejo and Chris Britton have been called up. He said there has been no word on any corresponding moves. More updates as they come.

In 8 games Britton is 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA at AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Allowing just 3 runs on 11 hits and 4 walks while striking out 10 in 11 innings of work.

Albaladejo has also been very good at SWB, in 7 IP he's allowed just 2 runs (1.29 ERA) on 5 hits and 4 walks. In 5.2 innings in the majors this year he's 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA with 1 BB and 7 strikeouts.

Edwar Ramirez is probably sitting somewhere in Scranton wondering how much better he has to do to get another shot. In 9 innings this year in AAA he's allowed no runs, 2 hits and a walk while striking out 13. You can't pitch much better than that.

UPDATE: According to Peter Abraham, Brian Bruney has a torn ligament in his foot that will require surgery and is likely out for the season. What a shame, he's been very good so far and now is lost for the year. If you read this article from Tyler Kepner you know just how bad the last few days have been for him.