Mike Mussina, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain have not been sharp for the Yankees this week, but for sheer shock value, Wang Chien-ming's line on Thursday stands out the most.
Wang threw 32 pitches to the Cincinnati Reds, but he could not escape the first inning. He got two outs and gave up six earned runs on six hits and two walks, with no strikeouts. He threw about 15 more pitches in the bullpen to finish a forgettable day.
"His sinker was up, his slider was flat," manager Joe Girardi said. "He was in bad counts. They were aggressive and they weren't missing. You don't ever like to get your butt kicked, but it's a spring training game. We're trying to get arm strength and we're trying to get him ready for the season and we've got work to do."
Wang said he had to work on shortening his stride to the plate. He said his stride was too long because he was trying to throw too hard.
"I will fix it quick," he said.
Wang is the major league leader in victories (38) the last two seasons, although he lost twice in the playoffs last fall. Wang pitched two scoreless innings in his spring debut last Saturday and Girardi said he was not concerned.
The pitching coach, Dave Eiland, said: "It's early, so he's feeling strong. He was just under some pitches, so they were staying up and he wasn't getting that late movement on his sinker. He did throw some good changeups. I try to take the positive out of everything. It was a rough day for him, but I think he'll be OK. He knows what he needs to do."
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