New York Yankees Put Garcia To Bullpen

When the New York Yankees saw Garcia constantly run in difficulties and breaking his neck trying his best, they decided to make this shift; Phelps, will be the fifth starter for the time being, making his first start on Thursday in Kansas City against the Royals.

While the Yankees are waiting for the return of veteran Andy Pettitte on May 10, Phelps will be the team’s long reliever, as he has considerably outpitched Garcia during the first month of the season.

In fact, Garcia, who is 0-2, just lasted 13 and 2/3 innings in 4 starts, and his ERA was 12-51. Garcia admitted that bad things happen if a job is not done as it should be, after a start on Saturday in which he found himself lifted in the 3^rd inning, this following 6 well deserved runs in Detroit. He just did not pitch the way he was supposed to, and that is all there is to it.

Phelps threw 17 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, he has 3.57 ERA plus a WHIP of 1.08, and this is far better than any other starter on the team. Joe Girardi always said he envisioned him as a starter, and that seems to prove him right.

So far, everything that Phelps does shows that he can be as good a starter as anyone, if not better, however, time will tell. He pitched 3 scoreless innings on Saturday. He replaced Garcia in 3 of his 4 starts, and his ERA is now 2.89 while Garcia’s is 15.75, against the same opponents.

Despite being a reliever for most of the season, Phelps feels that his arm can stretch out sufficiently to allow him throw 85-100 pitches, and he could start in Kansas City as early as this Thursday. The Yankees finally added the rookie D.J. Mitchell to their bullpen once Phelps and Garcia pitched on Saturday; Phelps was actually almost beaten by Mitchell for the long reliever role.

Garcia, who has only pitched twice out of bullpen in his whole career, did not seem long enough for the rotation with Pettitte approaching. He says he will be ready though, definitely ready. He says that he is in great shape, and healthy, that while his fastball may have been slower lately, he still threw in the high 80s.

Because of the injured right-hander Michael Pineda, the struggles of Garcia and also of Phil Hughes have been rather emphasized. Pineda was chosen for a rotation spot when he was acquired in the Blockbuster offseason deal, the one that had sent Jesus Montero to Seattle; he is due to undergo surgery on Tuesday. For now, time will tell.

Michael Hill is an avid sports fan and a sports writer who has been in the betting and price per head industry for years. Michael writes about his experience and offers tips for other aspiring entrepreneurs who wish to make a living with sports bookmaking.

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