SEATTLE – Since Joe Torre announced Friday night that he was going with an unorthodox six-man pitching rotation, Esteban Loaiza wasn’t pitching for his spot yesterday against the putrid Mariners at Safeco Field.
However, it was in Loaiza’s best interest to perform better than he had in his first two outings as a Yankee. The best thing that was said about the veteran right-hander after he was battered by the A’s and Blue Jays was that he provided innings.
That may be nice in Kansas City, Arizona and St. Petersburg. However, the Yankees didn’t trade Jose Contreras to the White Sox for Loaiza just so he could eat up innings and save the bullpen. No, when they made the deal just under the July 31 trade deadline, they were hoping for a significant upgrade over the inconsistent Contreras.
What they got was a pitcher who, judging by his first two starts, is either hurt, has had his velocity significantly reduced by relying too much on a cut fastball, or is finished. That’s not exactly what the Yankees or Loaiza, who will be a free agent after the season, had in mind.
When the trade was made, scouts who saw Loaiza pitch in the days leading to the deal reported a fastball in the 88- mph range, or four miles slower than a year ago, when he won 21 games and finished second in the AL Cy Young race.
Still, the Yankees’ reports, which were filed by scout Bill Emslie, ignored the drop in velocity and suggested the club get Loaiza to bolster a starting staff that wasn’t adding Randy Johnson.
Emslie, a former Yankee traveling secretary and minor league umpire, has had George Steinbrenner’s ear for a while now. He recommended signing Travis Lee and watched him last a month. Emslie wanted Kenny Lofton and Steinbrenner gave the outfielder a two-year deal. Now, Emslie is on the hot seat because Steinbrenner hasn’t been pleased with Loaiza.
After Loaiza got beaten up by the Blue Jays last Monday at Yankee Stadium, The Boss blamed the performance on Lofton playing out of position in right field, where he bobbled a ball. Yesterday, Lofton was on the bench.
Brought in to stabilize a rotation that has been inconsistent, Loaiza didn’t instill confidence by going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in his first two starts. In 12 innings, he gave up 16 hits.
Still, Joe Torre was looking for improvement against the Mariners, the fifth-worst hitting team in the AL.
“That’s why we are doing the six-[starter] thing for a couple of turns; I want to see him,” Torre said of Loaiza, who if he isn’t in the postseason rotation likely won’t be on the roster. “We traded for a pitcher we like and there is still a lot of baseball left. I leave it [the six-man rotation] to Mel [Stottlemyre], but the big thing is to see Loaiza pitch. I don’t want to look at it as an elimination thing.”
However, a bad outing yesterday by Loaiza would make Torre’s decision easy. By the end of the month, he is likely to go back to a five-man rotation. Barring injury, Loaiza will be sixth in a five-horse race.
Kevin Brown and Mike Mussina are locks based on their track records. Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez is now the Yankees’ most effective pitcher. Javier Vazquez, who will return from pink eye Wednesday in Minnesota, leads the team in wins (13) and Jon Lieber has delivered two straight eight-inning gems, including earning the win in Friday night’s 11-3 victory.