Has Joba Chamberlain “turned the corner” or is he just doing well against teams that can hit?
One thing that amazes me with baseball “experts” is how their opinions can be altered by the day based on one or two games. As Joba Chamberlain has pitched well and economically in two straight games, you hear those that are adamant proponents of Chamberlain being a reliever sort of coughing into their hands as they admit, “brahhemm, he’s pitching well; harrumph”. But how much did the competition play into Chamberlain’s “success”? If you look at the last two starts that are somehow validating the much-debated decision to use Chamberlain as a starter, neither the Tigers nor the Athletics are very good. The lineup that Chamberlain faced last Sunday against the Tigers was the following: • Curtis Granderson • Placido Polanco • Miguel Cabrera • Marcus Thames • Clete Thomas • Brandon Inge • Josh Anderson • Gerald Laird • Ramon Santiago Aside from Granderson, Cabrera and Inge, there’s not much to worry about there and certainly no reason to suddenly take a solidly pitched game against that li
