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 I’m beginning to wonder if Joe Girardi is considering moving Nick Swisher into the starting rotation in place of former sinkerball king, Chien-Ming Wang.
I say “former” as he is now 0-3 with a (sitting down?) ERA of 34.50 after the Indians beat the living daylights out of the Bronx Bombers today, 22-4. Let’s take a look at Wang's last three starts: April 8 against Orioles: 3.2 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 1 HR, 0 K
April 13 against Rays: 1 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 0 HR, 1 K
April 18 against Indians: 1.1 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 HR, 1K Let me do the math for you here...That’s 23 earned runs, 10 walks, and only 2 SOs in 6 innings. Thank goodness the Yankees avoided arbitration by giving Wang a one-year, $5 million extension in December. Doesn’t take Bill James or Roland Hemond to see the problem with Wang’s delivery: the sinker isn’t sinking, leaving a low velocity ball hanging out there in the strike zone like a tasty morsel for hitters. One thing is certain: the Yankees have a far weaker rotation without Wang being the Wang of two seasons ago. Do the Yankees need to hit the Panic Button on the season? No. Do they need to hit the Panic Button on Wang? Absolutely.
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
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Maury Brown 
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