Such a predicament for the Yankees at second base these days. Stephen Drew seems constitutionally incapable of hitting above .200 and Jose Pirela can hit but his fielding errors are starting to make me long for Eduardo Scissorhands. Surely, there must be somebody better? Didi continues to make mistakes at shortstop but at least he doesn’t make two Es on one play as Pirela did yesterday. Sheesh.
On the positive side, Tanaka kicked off the weekend series against the Rays and was much improved from his last two outings. And the boys’ stirring comeback in that game was a thing of beauty. Teixeira’s power hitting has saved the day time and time again this season and he came through again, which set the stage for McCann’s 12th inning bomb – the Yankees’ first walk-off of the year. He, Tex and A-Rod have provided the muscle in this lineup for sure. It would have been great to add Beltran to that mix since he was supposed to be our big bat, but….Well, I said I would stay positive and Beltran’s stint with the team has been anything but.
Pineda pitched great in Saturday’s game, and the team clawed their way back in that one too. I had hopes for a sweep, but the Rays’ starter yesterday was really good. Where do they get all these great young pitchers? They must grow them like weeds down on their farm.
With Ellsbury due back and Miller making progress, things should get interesting after the All-Star break. No team in the AL East is running away with the division, so it’s up for grabs. The Yankees could very well grab it – if they play more consistently. The big question mark for me is CC. His start yesterday was pushed back until Wednesday, and he didn’t sound happy about it. Did the Yankees really think his mechanics would miraculously work themselves out with a few extra days of rest? Unlikely. I’m rooting for the big guy, but at this point I don’t know what he has left.
Meanwhile, let’s hear it for the women’s soccer team! USA! USA!
