Aceves comes to the rescue for Yankees
Yankees 2009 season, game by game
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Yankees sweep Baltimore
Alfredo Aceves would like to be a starting pitcher with the Yankees. It's probably not going to happen anytime soon for the 27-year-old, who had been a starter through six seasons in the Mexican League and then through each level of the minors he worked for the Yankees.
But last night he did his most important work of the season in pinstripes. After picking up the win in consecutive, extra-inning victories over the Twins on Saturday and Sunday, Aceves rode to the rescue after Joba Chamberlain left with a bruised right knee just 14 pitches and two outs into the game with the Orioles.
Aceves threw two scoreless innings on Wednesday night, but he was ready to roll again a night later, and this time with almost no preparation after replacing Chamberlain.
"Outstanding," Joe Girardi said of Aceves after the 7-4 win, "especially after we used him [Wednesday] night. There were a couple runners on and he shut the door there in the first, then gave us three more innings. That was huge for us."
His 31/3 innings stabilized the Yankees after Chamberlain's sudden departure. Aceves (3-0) allowed only three hits, lowering his ERA to 1.32. He struck out one and walked one.
He's got the lowest ERA on the team and more victories than every starter except CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte. That should be some consolation for not starting.
The situation Aceves came into in the first was his hairiest of the night, and one much like a reliever would face in the later innings: Two on, two outs and a real need to get out of the jam, even if it was the top of the first.
Aceves got Melvin Mora to fly weakly to center, keeping the game scoreless and keeping the Yankees from reeling further after Chamberlain left to a hushed crowd.
"It's the same for me," Aceves said after the game.
Of course, Aceves had to be feeling more comfortable coming out for the second with a 4-0 lead, and then it was 6-0 after two. But he ate up innings, ran his scoreless streak to 111/3 innings - he's given up only a two-run homer to Jason Bay in his first appearance of the season, on May 5 - and got the Yankees settled down.
All traits of a good starter. Or, in this case, a starter turned very capable reliever.
