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Chamberlain Needs To Be Efficient With Pitches

The Associated Press

Chamberlain is 3-0 with a 3.68 ERA in five major league spring training starts.

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The Associated Press

Published: March 30, 2009

TAMPA - Joba Chamberlain needs to show Yankees manager Joe Girardi two things in his next-to-last spring training start for it to be considered a success.

"Efficency and location," Girardi said before leaving for Monday's road game against Toronto in Dunedin. "I'd like to get six innings if we could."

Chamberlain, the Yankees' No. 5 starter, is 3-0 with a 3.68 ERA in five major league spring training starts. However, the right-hander has pitched just 14 2-3 innings during the stretch, with a long of 4 1-3 innings.

"The overall performance is what I really want to look at," Girardi said.

Girardi feels it is "fairly important" that Chamberlain have a longer outing before spring training ends. His last scheduled preseason start is in a minor league intrasquad game Sunday in Florida.

Chamberlain split time last season between the bullpen and a starting role.

"As a reliever, it doesn't matter if you throw 25 pitches in an inning," Girardi said. "You do that as a starter, and you're not going to be deep into games. That's what we want all our starters to do."

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera could make his next appearance in a minor league game Tuesday. He has given up two hits and struck out 10 in six shutout innings this spring.

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