Joba had better rule for Yankees tonight

Is moving Joba Chamberlain into the starting rotation another classic example of robbing Peter to pay Paul?
The New York Yankees certainly hope not, because this could be the move that defines the rest of their season.
I'll apologize right now for the Biblical reference, but it was the only analogy I could make after a night of very little sleep. The fact is that New York has languished through the first two months of the season playing .500 baseball, its 28-29 mark coming into Tuesday condemning the Yankees to fourth place in the American League East. New York's dominant line-up is showing signs of coming around, but its pitching staff is the chief concern thus far and Chamberlain's debut tonight against Toronto seems to be a desperate throw of the dice.
According to manager Joe Girardi, Chamberlain will be limited to 65-70 pitches as the Yankees continue to stretch him out at the Major League level. New York doesn't want to send Chamberlain to Scranton and leave him in Triple-A for three or four starts to get his workload up to 85-90 pitches. The Yankees figure that a little bit of Chamberlain is better than a full serving of anything else that they have in the minors, an idea that's hard to disagree with when you take into account Chamberlain's numbers as a reliever.
Chamberlain has been nothing short of sensational during his year-plus with New York, those pesky Lake Erie midges in Cleveland during last year's ALDS not withstanding. His 1.32 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 47.2 innings as a reliever brings to mind the man that he is currently setting up, Mariano Rivera, and what he looked like when he was moved to the bullpen to set up John Wetteland and help the Yankees to their 1996 championship. Chamberlain's dominant fastball and filthy slider are a lethal combination for opposing hitters to face, and Chamberlain has allowed only 28 hits and a mere two home runs during his time in The Bronx.
But starting is a whole different deal. Rivera's struggles early in his career led to his move to the bullpen, and all he's done is become arguably the greatest closer in the history of baseball. And even if Chamberlain is solid in the rotation, his move out of the bullpen adds even more stress to a stable of relievers who might not be up to the challenge.
New York's starters don't work deep into games to begin with. Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte are well into the back nines of their respective careers and can't be counted on to pitch into the fin al third of games on a consistent basis. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, both on the disabled list right now, have been disasters this season. Darrell Rasner is throwing very well right now (3-2, 2.67, 1.05 WHIP), but can he continue his performance over a full season? Chien-Ming Wang is the only pitcher that the Yankees can rely on, and he can only take the ball once every five days.
That leaves plenty of responsibility for the bullpen to take, and they haven't shown that they're capable of taking it on just yet. Outside of youngster Edwar Ramirez, who has posted an excellent 0.56 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 16 innings, there have been a collection of arsonists and felons robbing Hank and Hal Steinbrenner at gunpoint while collecting their bloated paychecks. LaTroy Hawkins has given up 25 hits and walked 11 in 24 innings, good for a 6.75 ERA. Ross Ohlendorf has posted a not-so-tidy 5.97 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 31.2 innings, allowing 38 hits and 23 runs. Then we have Kyle Farnsworth, the man who has inherited Chamberlain's eighth-inning role, and his gas can that he brings to the mound on a nightly basis. Farnsworth has allowed eight home runs in 26.1 innings and opponents are crushing him at a .316 clip. He took the loss on Monday night, a 6-5 defeat in Minnesota after Pettitte battled his way through seven innings despite allowing 10 hits and five runs. Assuming that Farnsworth throws one inning a night and his current statistical trends continue, he's going to allow a home run every third appearance -- hardly the type of pitcher that you want to bring into a one-run game in the late innings.
As usual, the backlash against general manager Brian Cashman will begin if Chamberlain's move to the rotation doesn't have immediate positive results. Questions will be asked about why a team with a payroll around $200 million can't find pitchers who can close the door in the late innings. Steinbrenners will erupt while watching their starting rotation continue to struggle. And an inability to find answers to their demands could spell doom for the Yankees this season.