Here's what Joba had to say about his performance:
“After the third inning, I said, `Enough is enough.’ They’ve got a great lineup and I knew I had to get things under control, so I really started to attack.”
He didn't go into detail, but CC Sabathia has said the same thing. Both pitchers have publicly stated that they weren't pitching aggressively enough, and since those statements, they have performed well. I also noticed that while Dave Eiland was on the mound jabbering at Joba, the pitcher kept his eye on Posada, as if to silently ask, "Do you approve of what this guy is saying? Why don't we just do our own thing?".
I suspect that Eiland maybe be starting to lose control of his pitchers. And he really needs sunglasses. The cameras too often have caught him in the dugout with glazed eyes, staring blankly, betraying an empty mind, whenever something goes wrong. He appears unsure of himself, something the players have to have picked up on. Eiland might do well to try and gain control, but if he has nothing of substance to offer then the players will ignore him.
Of course, this is only a hunch. I might be missing something important here. But I know baseball and I have experience with leadership, and watching Eiland and his interactions with the players makes me uncomfortable.
With that out of the way, congratulations to the Yankees for utterly thrashing Detroit in the last two games. Cano has now hit in 16 straight games, Swisher, Melky, Matsui, Damon, Jeter, and Cano are off to excellent starts, and they're getting decent pitching performances. They have sufficiently bounced back from last weekend, and if I'm the Angels maybe all I can hope for is to escape the Bronx with a 2-2 split.
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