On Deck (Game 12): Indians at Yankees

Let's do the five W's with Chase Wright:

Who? OK, before you ask "Who the hell is Chase Wright?" Click on his name above. I'm told his given name is Sebern Chase Wright, he was born on Feb. 8, 1983 in Wichita Falls, Texas.

What? Left-handed pitcher who is currently leading the Eastern League (for the Trenton Thunder) in strikeouts with 19. He also hasn't allowed a run in his two starts, and has gone 14 innings over that stretch.

Where? On the mound at Yankee Stadium...

When? Tonight, to make his first major league start against a potent Indians lineup.

Why? Because Carl Pavano and Mike Mussina are resting peacefully on the disabled list, Chien-Ming Wang is not ready to go yet, and the Yanks don’t want to rush Phil Hughes up to the bigs.

Wow, my journalism professor would be extremely proud of me, and I’d give him credit if I could remember his name.

Anyway, Chase Wright will get the start and even though I questioned leap-frogging him up from AA to the majors, this could be another pleasant surprise for the Yanks. Robinson Cano, Chien-Ming Wang and Melky Cabrera were all brought up to the bigs out of necessity rather than plan, and all are now key parts of this team. Maybe this kid can catch lightening in a bottle and help the team out. They could sure use it.

In a nutshell: The Yanks like to view the season as a series of steps. First you get to 10 games over .500, then 20, then 30. Well, this year they need to get to .500 first. Today is their chance to do it, and I like the fact that Wright is a lefty. Hafner and Sizemore are the dangerous bats in the Indians’ lineup, both lefties. That being said, the Yanks need to score to take the pressure off this kid. Westbrook has been horrible thus far this season, he’s walked seven and allowed 12 hits over 11 innings, so runs could be plentiful in this one. Take the over.

Keys to the game: The pen had a day off, but this is not the week to overuse them. The Yanks play three against Cleveland, then travel to Boston for a three-game set. Six games in six days, against solid offenses. Proctor, Bruney, Vizcaino, Henn and Farnsworth are going to need an easy day or two, and it would be great if tonight’s game was one of them.

Indians blog of the day: Teepee Talk