What Do Yankees Do With Chien-Ming Wang Now?

Starter keeps getting roughed up

By JOSH ALPER

Updated 10:11 AM EST, Thu, Jun 11, 2009

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After Chien-Ming Wang's two and two-thirds innings of disaster at Fenway Park, manager Joe Girardi wasn't willing to guarantee Wang a start on Tuesday against the Nationals.

"I'm not ready to make that decision right now, seven minutes after the game," Girardi said. "I'll sleep on it, and in five days, somebody will be out there. It's not something you make a knee-jerk reaction on."

That's quite a change of tune from the man who said Wang wasn't auditioning for a spot in the starting rotation last week. It's an understandable change given the way Wang has looked. He was a mess on Wednesday night, with a release point that seemed to change from pitch to pitch and very little on the pitches regardless of where they were released.

Whatever displeasure Girardi had with Wang's start didn't stop him from pulling the plug when it was clear that Wang didn't have enough to get past the Red Sox. The only reason for Wang to stay in long enough to get 69 pitches was the hope that he was building arm strength that would serve him well in his next outing.

All Wang was doing was digging a deeper hole for the team with every pitch, a hole that they weren't able to climb out of. If Girardi came out and said that it was a game in June and they need to get Wang work, then, at the very least, it all fits into a grander plan for how the season plays out.

Now, though, the larger plan is impossible to see. It wouldn't be surprising to see Phil Hughes make Tuesday's start, and it wouldn't be the wrong choice if you're basing it on who gives the Yankees the best chance to win a game. But if the Yankees do make that move, they have to have the conviction to stick to it.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.