Sunday, March 26, 2006
Chacon pitches through wildness
03/12/2006
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Shawn Chacon's pitching line wasn't the prettiest thing to look at on Sunday, but the right-hander continued to do what he has done all spring -- keep the opponents off the scoreboard.
Chacon threw three scoreless innings against the Indians, though he allowed two hits, walked four batters and hit another.
"I was very, very inconsistent; I had no command," Chacon said. "It was the worst three-inning shutout I've ever thrown."
Despite the rocky outing, Chacon extended his streak of scoreless innings this spring to eight. As one of three starters competing for the final two spots in the rotation, Chacon has certainly done nothing to make anybody think he won't capture one of them.
"I don't figure anything; I'll just wait and see," he said. "I know I get a start every fifth day here in spring, and until I'm told different as to what I'm going to do, I keep going out with the same mentality."
The Yankees will actually only need four starters for the first couple of weeks of the season, but with Carl Pavano likely to start the year on the disabled list, Chacon, Chien-Ming Wang and Jaret Wright will are battling to stay in the rotation.
"That's a decision I'm not making; the guys that get paid to make those decisions are making it, so I'll let them do it," Chacon said. "The only way I can help myself is to go out and pitch well."
"Right now, we're just digesting all the information and hoping everyone gets through all these games without a problem," said manager Joe Torre. "Chacon seems as relaxed as I've ever seen anybody I've ever seen in Spring Training."
Sunday, Chacon loaded the bases before recording an out in the first inning, but he escaped by getting Travis Hafner to fly out and Ben Broussard to ground into a double play.
He loaded them again in the second, hitting one batter and walking two others, but once again, he got through it without allowing a run. He issued another free pass in the third, but retired the other three batters, finishing his day with 62 pitches.
"It was definitely one of those days," said Chacon. "I threw a lot more pitches than I should have. I need to go back to the 'pen and find that rhythm."
"The thing I really get a kick out of with him is that when he gets in trouble, he finds a way to wiggle out," Torre said. "It's not always going to happen, but he doesn't melt. That's important."
Despite his uncertain status, Chacon isn't letting any of the rotation talk get inside his head. After all, a year ago, he was in Colorado, preparing for a season in which he knew his team had virtually no chance to get to the postseason.
Instead, he's taking the competition for a spot in the rotation as a challenge.
"I'm always out there competing," he said. "I think I'm cheating myself, cheating the game of baseball and cheating anybody who is watching if I don't go out there with the mentality that I'm competing. Whether it's against another team or if I'm fighting for a pitching spot on a staff, I take it all the same.
"It's still a privilege to play Major League Baseball, so I don't come out there taking anything for granted," he added. "You never know when your last day on a mound might be."
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Shawn Chacon's pitching line wasn't the prettiest thing to look at on Sunday, but the right-hander continued to do what he has done all spring -- keep the opponents off the scoreboard.
Chacon threw three scoreless innings against the Indians, though he allowed two hits, walked four batters and hit another.
"I was very, very inconsistent; I had no command," Chacon said. "It was the worst three-inning shutout I've ever thrown."
Despite the rocky outing, Chacon extended his streak of scoreless innings this spring to eight. As one of three starters competing for the final two spots in the rotation, Chacon has certainly done nothing to make anybody think he won't capture one of them.
"I don't figure anything; I'll just wait and see," he said. "I know I get a start every fifth day here in spring, and until I'm told different as to what I'm going to do, I keep going out with the same mentality."
The Yankees will actually only need four starters for the first couple of weeks of the season, but with Carl Pavano likely to start the year on the disabled list, Chacon, Chien-Ming Wang and Jaret Wright will are battling to stay in the rotation.
"That's a decision I'm not making; the guys that get paid to make those decisions are making it, so I'll let them do it," Chacon said. "The only way I can help myself is to go out and pitch well."
"Right now, we're just digesting all the information and hoping everyone gets through all these games without a problem," said manager Joe Torre. "Chacon seems as relaxed as I've ever seen anybody I've ever seen in Spring Training."
Sunday, Chacon loaded the bases before recording an out in the first inning, but he escaped by getting Travis Hafner to fly out and Ben Broussard to ground into a double play.
He loaded them again in the second, hitting one batter and walking two others, but once again, he got through it without allowing a run. He issued another free pass in the third, but retired the other three batters, finishing his day with 62 pitches.
"It was definitely one of those days," said Chacon. "I threw a lot more pitches than I should have. I need to go back to the 'pen and find that rhythm."
"The thing I really get a kick out of with him is that when he gets in trouble, he finds a way to wiggle out," Torre said. "It's not always going to happen, but he doesn't melt. That's important."
Despite his uncertain status, Chacon isn't letting any of the rotation talk get inside his head. After all, a year ago, he was in Colorado, preparing for a season in which he knew his team had virtually no chance to get to the postseason.
Instead, he's taking the competition for a spot in the rotation as a challenge.
"I'm always out there competing," he said. "I think I'm cheating myself, cheating the game of baseball and cheating anybody who is watching if I don't go out there with the mentality that I'm competing. Whether it's against another team or if I'm fighting for a pitching spot on a staff, I take it all the same.
"It's still a privilege to play Major League Baseball, so I don't come out there taking anything for granted," he added. "You never know when your last day on a mound might be."
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
