Kennedy's Demotion

While the news of Ian Kennedy being shipped to Scranton is no big surprise, the handling of the situation seems strange to me. First, according to not only the AP story detailing Kennedy's demotion but also John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman, Darrell Rasner is getting guaranteed another start. Nevermind the fact that he's already in a 2-0 hole as I write this, but why guarantee Rasner job security?

The organization grew weary of Ian Kennedy's job security and job ineffectiveness, and so when the opportunity presented itself they shipped him out. Now, a vote of confidence for Darrell Rasner before he even throws a pitch in the big leagues this season?

It's all psychological warfare from Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman. By telling Rasner that he has another start guaranteed, he doesn't put as much pressure on himself in today's outing against Seattle. It also reeks of an attempt to light a fire under Ian Kennedy, as now Girardi's statements have been non-committal about whether Kennedy is just being shipped out to stay active until the team needs a 5th starter again.

Now there are whispers emerging about Kei Igawa coming up to fill that 5th starter slot on May 10th, what to me is a nightmare waiting to happen. Igawa hasn't even been that successful in the International League, pitching to a 2-3 record and giving up almost a hit per inning against lineups that, obviously, pale in comparison to what he'd face in the American League. In his last start on Apr. 28th, he gave up 7 hits in 5 innings and took the loss against the Buffalo Bisons, walking 2 and striking out 3. Pedestrian performances against AAA lineups don't warrant getting called up to try your luck as a member of the rotation.

Specifically, when you'd be beginning to test Igawa's luck on May 10th against the Detroit Tigers, just the type of lineup that would salivate at the prospect of facing an inept lefty.

The focus, then, shifts to how Kennedy and Igawa perform over the next week. Kennedy 's day would be this Tuesday, not sure if he'll actually be starting in Scranton on that day, but his performance will be a big determinant of the identity of that #5 starter in pinstripes. Igawa's on the mound this afternoon, so at some point I'll go over his performance for Scranton. All in all, it seems like the mystery of the Joe Girardi Era continues to build.