FanHouse JobaChamberlain

In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down the playoffs from a scouting perspective.

It's easy to be pessimistic after a team suffers a crushing loss, mostly because fans and broadcasters alike like to zone in on intangibles like momentum and the players' psyche. But if you are a New York Yankees fan and looking for reasons to be worried, there are some perfectly logical and tangible ones to focus on.

From the performance of Joba Chamberlain, to many of the Yankee hitters' struggles against the breaking ball, to the decision most New York fans will be screaming about, the removal of David Robertson from the game in the 11th inning in favor of Alfredo Aceves, there are more than enough tangible reasons to be concerned about the Yankees. And from a scouting standpoint, there are certainly points of intrigue in New York's weaknesses.

Though they still have a few more victories before advancing to the ALCS, according to the New York Post, the New York Yankees have already decided that they will be using Chad Gaudin -- not Joba Chamberlain -- as their fourth starter should they get past the Twins in the ALDS. It's a move that seems a bit surprising, considering the Yankees' insistence on keeping Chamberlain in the rotation all year, but it also appears to be the correct move.

Chamberlain was, frankly, terrible down the stretch as a starter. From August 6 to Sept. 30, he made 11 starts and produced a 7.69 ERA. He allowed opposing hitters to hit .321 against him with a .926 OPS. Throughout his career, he's been much more effective as a late-inning reliever, and we saw it again Wednesday night -- when he came in to retire Delmon Young in the eighth inning of Game 1.

In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down each of the playoff teams from a scouting perspective.

Despite their great number of strengths, no team is without their holes and the Yankees are no different. The Yankees have tightened up their defense in the last year to match up more favorably against fundamentals-oriented teams like the Angels, but that has not changed the pace they like to play at. Pace is not an often discussed factor in baseball, but a team like the Yankees thrives on controlling the pace of the action and using its steady, methodical approach to win ballgames.

While their potent offense may typically be the reason for their long games, it is the rhythm of the Yankee starting staff that will need to be disrupted. If pitchers of the caliber of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte are given breathing room, they will only be more difficult to handle.

With the playoffs looming, Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters in New York Saturday that Joba Chamberlain will make an appearance out of the bullpen during Sunday's season finale against the Rays. The idea is to see how Chamberlain handles the shorter warmup time after a year in the starting rotation to determine if he is fit to work out of the 'pen in the American League Division Series later in the week.

The Yankees indicated about two weeks ago that they were looking at using 10 pitchers in the Division Series, which would seem to suggest that they're looking at choosing the schedule with an extra off day, allowing them to use three starting pitchers in the series. Since those three pitchers will almost certainly be CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte, it makes sense to get Chamberlain some relief work before the series starts.

NEW YORK -- With this weekend's Red Sox-Yankees series serving as a possible ALCS preview (although it would be folly to assume that), Boston came in with the edge in the category that matters most: starting pitching.

Friday's game may have closed the gap some, and nearly did dramatically.

As Joba Chamberlain turned in his best effort since July, giving the Yankees reason to believe they have a capable No. 4 starter if they reach the second round, the Red Sox had to spend a few moments wondering if power lefty Jon Lester will be available for the playoffs after he was writhing on the mound in the third inning.

But Boston "dodged a big blow there," as left fielder Jason Bay said after the Yankees' 9-5 victory.

As fall begins and the Yankees near their first American League East championship since (gasp!) 2006, it's time for the focus in the Bronx to turn to the playoffs. While discussing Joba Chamberlain with the Bergen Record, Brian Cashman let two interesting playoff-related tidbits slip. The first is that the Yankees are planning on going with a 10-man pitching staff during the Division Series. The second is that Chamberlain isn't guaranteed one of those ten spots if he doesn't, "step it up," in the near future.

There's no denying that Chamberlain's been awful lately. In his last nine starts, his ERA is 8.25 and hitters are reaching base at a .409 clip. Even if he can't turn things around completely, it's hard to imagine him being left off the playoff roster entirely. Leaving him off of the playoff roster would leave a spot open for someone like Chad Gaudin, who's not really much of an upgrade. Still, looking at the schedule it's entirely possible that Cashman isn't bluffing.

Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Before we get our heaping of box score browsing, let's look at a related subject: The fantasy baseball stretch run. With the annual ushering in of September baseball, we see roster changes galore. Not only are there call-ups with the legal expansion of rosters, but players with seemingly minor injuries are shut down on teams who have fallen out of the race. You also have younger players being given an audition for 2010, or being shut down so the team doesn't overwork them in their first season of increased workload. If you are in the thick of things in your fantasy baseball race, now is not the time to use a laissez-faire approach.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

When you select Carlos Pena in fantasy baseball, you know you aren't getting batting average help. Still, his career-low .223 mark this year was well below expectations, and up until August 5, the power numbers weren't nearly high enough to console disappointed Pena owners.

Well, that has all changed. Since that date, Pena has slugged 11 home runs and driven home 22. His average has been respectable (.286) and his OPS is ridiculous (1.307). On the season, Pena now has a six home run lead on the rest of the AL with 37. He's also third in RBI (91).

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That the Phillies are going to have a tough decision on their hands. J.A. Happ and Pedro Martinez, headed for a course to occupy the same spot in the Philadelphia rotation, both made strong statements on Wednesday night.

Happ pitched a four-hit shutout against the Rockies, while Martinez struck out 11 in six innings for the Phillies' Double-A team. The Phillies signed Martinez a few weeks ago and have had him working his way into big-league shape in the minors. Since the Phillies got Martinez, they also acquired Cliff Lee, leaving six pitchers -- including Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer -- fighting for five spots.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel wasn't ready to address a problem that's not a problem until Martinez is deemed ready for the bigs.

"Let me answer that later on," Manuel said. "I don't feel like getting into that."

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"Taterjack" is a term I like to employ for a "home run." I find it to be awesome. Nearly as awesome as I found Chris Davis, the power-swinging, Texas Rangers first basemen ... before the season. But news hit the proverbial fan yesterday that Davis had been demoted and that he would no longer be on the Rangers' big league team.

This is highly problematic for fantasy owners who wasted used a high pick (and, invariably, it was high) on Davis: because he doesn't seem likely to get a lot more opportunity in the Rangers lineup. This is true for a number of reasons. First, he stinks. Second, Justin Smoak is the minors and probably ahead of Davis on the "track to the bigs" now. Additionally, Hank Blalock is playing first base. And, finally, the Rangers need pitching.