Green Lantern: D-Rob Yanks' Go-To Guy
By Jeff Capellini, CBSNewYork.com
NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- When he's on, David Robertson is what Joba Chamberlain is supposed to be.
Luckily for the Yankees, his game hasn't been off for some time.
Considering all the inconsistent arms in the Bombers' bullpen and the fact that GM Brian Cashman didn't do much at the trade deadline to find anyone truly reliable to rectify the situation, Robertson has become the defacto ace of the relief corps behind Mariano Rivera.
He should be their eighth-inning guy, the true bridge to No. 42. Manager Joe Girardi is running out of options. With Chamberlain being his usual underwhelming self and newly acquired Kerry Wood looking good clean shaven, but otherwise like a potluck option, Robertson is basically the only guy in the 'pen who instills any confidence when the call is made and the outfield fence door swings open.
Seriously, Yankees fans, don't you feel a little better knowing Robertson, or even Boone Logan, is on the mound in a big spot instead of the two guys who are supposed to givens? I sure am.
And considering the somewhat fragile nature of the Yankees' rotation right now, what with Andy Pettitte recovering from a groin injury and A.J. Burnett and, to a lesser extent, Javy Vasquez often needing the equivalent of a baseball lobotomy, if the game gets into the latter stages with the Yankees nursing a lead isn't it nice to know someone can come in and get down to business, and not nibble or perform as if it's the first time he's been called into a situation that demands something resembling perfection?
Robertson has seized that role. It took some time mind you, but he's given the fans every reason to stop worrying. It's time Girardi make the move and use Robertson in the eighth and Chamberlain and Wood at times to be determined.
Of course, Robertson has had his struggles this season as well, but they came long ago. Now, he's arguably as good a potential set-up man as you'll find in the American League.
What's not to like? The guy throws in the mid-90s with a medieval 12-to-6 curveball. More importantly, and this is something I wish Chamberlain would actually understand, he comes in with a plan. No messing around. Strike one. Pitch ahead. Keep batters off balance. Finish them.
Textbook.
Girardi and his Northwestern education shouldn't overlook the fact that Robertson has a 1.59 ERA over his last 22 appearances, and the only reason his ERA even exists north of zero is because he allowed four earned runs in the Yankees' 6-1 loss to Toronto back on July 2. That was more than a month ago, people. Other than that outing, the 25-year-old right-hander has not allowed a run, earned or otherwise, since June 22, a span of 16 appearances.
Here are more numbers: Since May 7, Robertson has a 2.05 ERA, allowing just seven earned runs in 30 appearances, with 37 strikeouts.
So when you see an overall 4.19 ERA on his stats page online, put things in perspective. Robertson has been the real deal for more than three months.
The sooner Girardi declares D-Rob his guy for outs 22, 23 and 24, the better off the Yankees will be. Chamberlain's ERA is still being computed by NASA. At last check it was down to 5.36, thanks to four straight scoreless outings.
But don't be fooled by that. Chamberlain has yet to prove with any certainty he's back to being the guy he was when he burst on the scene in 2007, a phenomenon that lasted through 2008. The last two season have been an unmitigated disaster. Are the Yankees to blame because of the whole "Joba rules" fiasco from last season? To a degree. But last I checked Chamberlain hasn't started a game this year. The list of excuses people make for him is old and busted.
Wood, acquired at the deadline from Cleveland for a bag of balls, hasn't been even decent since he was the Cubs' closer in 2008. Before then? I don't know. Maybe since May 6, 1998, the day he struck out 20 Astros. It's been that long.
The point of all this is with Chamberlain and Wood nowhere near being sure things, Damaso Marte injured and when healthy a situational lefty at best, Logan a decent project but not yet trustworthy and Alfredo Aceves injured the Yankees have few strengths and reliable options late to get the ball to Rivera.
The exception is Robertson.
And yet he's proven time and again he's hardly an exception.
(Jeff Capellini is a senior editorial editor for CBSNewYork.com. He also writes under the moniker "The Green Lantern" on the Jets, Yankees, Islanders and many other things Gotham sports. Please follow him on Twitter at @greenlanternjet)
