New York Yankees Need To Call Up Ivan Nova, Now!
August 16, 2010 · Lucas Weick · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
After witnessing yet another poor start by Javier Vazquez on Monday, I believe that it is about time to call upon the services of 23-year-old Ivan Nova.
As you may or may not know, Vazquez is going through a stretch of dead arm right now, which is severely limiting his velocity on pitches, which are topping out at 88 miles per hour.
He got ripped by the Rangers last Wednesday, and he gave up two runs through four innings against the Tigers yesterday, throwing 106 pitches and dodging several scary situations in the process.
Joe Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland have stood by Javy through this dead arm period, but this simply cannot continue, not with the division lead on the line seemingly every night.
And speaking of the division, Monday’s loss put the Yanks in a tie atop the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays.
You can blame the hitting, but the Yankees are pretty much stuck with what they have until Jesus Montero gets here in September.
As for Javy, the Yanks can fix that problem, put him on the DL, and call up Nova!
I know that I sound like a broken record, as I have been lobbying for Nova to be in the Majors long before now, but how much longer can Brian Cashman sit there and ignore what is looking him right in the face?
It’s clear that Javy has lost his ability to give the Yankees quality starts due to the dead arm, and the best thing for that issue is rest.
I could understand why the Yankees would continue to run him out there every five days if they didn’t have any other options, but they do.
Nova has been excellent at AAA Scranton all year long, posting an 11-3 record, with a 2.93 ERA in 22 starts. He has given up 130 hits in 138 innings while walking 44 and striking out 108, good for a respectable 1.258 WHIP.
In such a tight pennant race, as it is in the AL East, the Yankees can’t afford to keep sending Javy out to the mound every five days, not only because he has lost his velocity, but because such short outings like yesterday against the Tigers tax the bullpen much more than normal.
I wouldn’t usually say this, but in the current Yankees plight, the rookie Nova gives them a better chance to win than Javy does right now. A two-week stint on the DL should help restore his velocity, while Nova could help the Yankees in their dogfight with the Rays, for first place.
All I’m saying is give the kid a shot, Cashman.
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