The Yankees Go Left

The New York Yankees started 10 different pitchers in July (Roster), tying a franchise record. They have started 14 different pitchers over the course of the season due to the spate of injuries they have suffered to their pitching staff. Over the weekend they acquired Alan Embree (let go by the Red Sox) and Shawn Chacon (from the Rockies) and added Al Leiter a few weeks ago. None of these players at this point in their careers are likely to challenge for a Cy Young award but they shore up a pitching core that has been alternately miserable and plagued by misery.

The upside in all of this is that a very unbalanced rotation dominated by righties has been balanced. They now have 4 lefties on staff, two of them starters. This will help them enormously if the Red Sox (with a left handed dominated lineup of batters) become their main rivals through October, as most expect.