Farnsworth is basically the same guy he has always been. But no shock(!) that a certain poster blames Torre.

And I believe Farnsworth has pitched 7 of the last 9 games. That you can blame on Joe.

But this loss is on Wang. That was twice in the series a starter gets a nice lead and blows up. As I pointed out last year those third-of-an-innings add up over 162 games. Two-thirds of an inning add up to 108 total over the course of a season. Better to get those 108 from the starters then the pen. The bullpen is being burned out thanks to these kind of poor starting performances.

While peope exulted over the RJ start he only gave the team six innings. The pen was really taxed these four games — over taxed. Thankfully Mussina went nine.

My point is this: Posada’s call for that third strike — if Farns throws it or not — is a mistake. Farnsworth should have shaken him off, but he didn’t, but the fact that Posada is calling for a third straight slider in a two-and-oh count is still incredibly dumb. Farns has the final say, and Farnsworth has to throw what he feels comfortable with, but having a catcher who understands how to get a hitter out helps a lot.

I think Posada is a good catcher and he calls a fine game. I just don’t like how he handles Farnsworth. I don’t like how many sliders Farns throws and I simply hate that Posada sets up on the outside corner.

They always say the same thing — the pitcher gets the “L” next to his name, not the catcher, so the pitcher better throw what he wants — but the importance of the catcher is overlooked quite a bit. Some people trust their catcher implicitly and throw whatever the catcher wants.

And when I mean “help,” I’m not talking about learning how to pitch — I’m talking processing all the information — count, batter, pitcher’s strengths — and putting down the right sign. In other words, thinking along with the pitcher. Or, to put it another way, not calling for a third straight slider when you had the guy swing and miss at two and he’s waiting for one more.

Yeah, that’s true, and I’ve heard it a billion times, but you do realize that a catcher’s job is to help the pitcher, right?
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That’s part of it. But the point still stands that Farnsworth has the final say, lest Posada gets killed with a 100mph fastball if/when he gets crossed up.

I can see the reasoning that Farnsworth needs Posada’s help if he just got called up, but Farnsworth has been in the majors for a while, and has had a run closing with both the Tigers and the Braves. Farnsworth should know what works for him (as well as everyone in the organization, for that matter) by now.

I’m happy with 3 out of 4. The Tigers have been playing really good ball this year.

Actually, Torre’s been very animated on the bench this season, more so than I’ve ever seen him. He throws his hands in the air, grimaces, glares, etc. But not just when Farnsworth is on the mound. It’s a sign of something…don’t quite know what. Whatever the reason, it’s clear as day that he’s no longer Mr. Cool, as his reputation has been built up to be. Of course, maybe it’s like Francesa claimed when YES cameras supposedly avoided Zimmer in the dugout. Maybe George is trying to set Torre up by having YES cameras “catch” all of these “uncharacteristic” moments and gestures. That’s certainly one way to look at it.

MJ, I don’t know anything for a fact, and I said it was speculation on my part, but I’m going on body language. Farnsworth LOOKS uncomfortable, and Torre consistently scowls and looks like he has even more indigestion than normal when Farnsworth is on the mound. Can you ever remember Torre angrily speaking to his pitching coach about a pitcher while he was on the mound? Torre’s Mr. No-Expression, no matter what is going on, but when Farnsworth walks someone, he turns to Gator (or even Maz) and seems to be saying, “What’s with this effin’ guy?”

Just my take on it. If you saw Farnsworth in either Detroit or Atlanta last year, you saw a completely different pitcher. I guess the silver lining is that the year isn’t quite half over and he still has time to unf-ck himself.

MJ, you’re right. We can’t assume that. I don’t think that’s the case. I do think, however, that Farnsworth is the type of relief pitcher the Yankees, under Torre, doesn’t handle well. Do you really think either Zumaya or Rodney, for instance, would be pitching for the Yankees? Fat chance. Torre hates walks and he hates relievers who walk batters especially. Nothing wrong with that conceptually but, if you’re going to throw 100 mph, you can’t expect to hit corners. Simple as that. (BTW, I don’t think Bruce Sutter, who didn’t throw nearly as hard, tried to hit corners either) In fact, most notorious out-pitches (including Rivera’s cutter)end up out of the strike zone. They just look good coming in. That’s the point.

Not to sound naive or anything but how do we know Torre hates Farnsworth or that Farnsworth feels Torre’s disgust? Just asking.

This is an issue that has been brewing for a few seasons now with the Yankees…who exactly calls the pitches? In this case, we have Torre himself making it clear that he thought Farnsworth was throwing too many sliders from Spring Training on. So, you’d think they’d call sliders sparingly. But, as we’ve seen, this is not the case. Like most teams, the Yankees (Guidry, Torre, Kerrigan, whomever) game plan the opposing hitters. Pitching patterns and defensive alignments, etc. They believe you can get Pudge, for instance, out with breaking pitches out of the zone. And here is the crux of the issue: what if the pitcher on the mound doesn’t throw a particularly good breaking pitch or simply hangs it? In a high leverage situation, I’d go with my pitcher’s best pitch (Farnsworth=fastball)every time. The rare occasions where you completely fool someone (Ortiz)shouldn’t embolden you to try this all the time. Lest we forget all those 2 strike no-spin sliders hit for moon shots off Weaver, Vasquez, and Pavano. All, I’m sure, called from the bench.

Regardless of what sign a catcher puts down, the pitcher has the option of shaking him off.
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Yeah, that’s true, and I’ve heard it a billion times, but you do realize that a catcher’s job is to help the pitcher, right? If a catcher calls for a pitch that would be right where the hitter likes it, but the pitcher shakes him off and throws something else, does that erase the fact that the catcher doesn’t know what he’s doing? No.

Plus — and this is purely speculation on my part — I think Farns is still trying to find his place on this team, and he feels his manager’s disgust. I think he’s throwing what Posada wants because he’s still uncomfortable here and trying to fit in.

From what I see it looks like Posada doesn’t trust Farnsworth’s stuff. It’s like he thinks if he doesn’t make a perfect pitch, he’ll get hit. With Thames up, Farnsworth throws outside for a ball. Posada goes right back there and sticks his glove on the outside corner. Farnsworth instead just throws the ball, at about 97, and Thames swung right through it. Mussina, with this great control but average velocity, needs to hit the corners. Pedro and Glavine need to hit corners. So do guys like Chacon and Small. Farnsworth does not.

All you have to do is look at how Papelbon and the guys coming out of the Tigers’ ‘pen (Zu, Rodney) pitch. They take that fastball and ram it down your throat. And then, while you’re geared up for the fastball, throw something off-speed. It’s the simplest formula there is. And Posada seems to know how to do it with Proctor. If Posada doesn’t figure out how to work with Farns soon, the Yankees are going to have a really expensive sixth- or seventh-inning guy on their hands.