My State of Mind Last Night

October 12, 2017

The Yankees are onto the ALCS! The Yankees are onto the ALCS! I’m still in shock. Happy shock. I got about 20 seconds of sleep from being so amped up by the time I turned off the TV last night!

CC was tremendous. D-Rob was tremendous. Chapman was tremendous. And that’s just the pitching.

Didi’s two homers not only chased Kluber ultimately but gave CC and the rest of us some room to breathe. With an early lead, the Yankees at least had a chance. But the key for me was, of course, that Herculean at-bat by Gardner, fouling off pitch after pitch with two on base, ultimately knocking in those runs. Wow. Just wow.

I could spread the kudos around to everybody – all the Yankees contributed during this series. But I was just so happy for them when it was over. They fought and fought during each elimination game and came through. So resilient. Especially Chapman. I thought his arm would fall off, but no. He was sensational. Will he have any gas in the tank for Houston? I’ll worry about that tomorrow.

Was I surprised that the vaunted Indians didn’t perform better? You bet. They were the team to beat, but they had so many errors. I’m sure they’ll be brooding about those missed opportunities during the off-season. They’re a great team that just didn’t get it done.

Of course, I do take credit for all of this. I ate my lucky club sandwich before each and every win, and I’m so sick of them I want to hurl. But hey, a fan has to do what a fan has to do and I’ll be choking back another on Friday night.

Oh – one thing: a plea to Girardi. PLEASE drop Judge down in the order to, like, 7th. I love Judge, but the strikeouts are ridiculous. Until someone teaches him how to hit a curveball, move him down in the order.

This Says It All

August 31, 2017

The Yankees’ True Outlook: Fair to Middling

By TYLER KEPNER AUG. 30, 2017

The race for the second American League wild-card berth has been a slog of the mediocre. Teams get hot, then fade, but never really fade away. At the start of play on Wednesday, six teams clustered on the edge of that spot, like a pack of wounded and wailing dogs just outside the playoff door.

For months, the Yankees have tuned out the noise. But the incessant scratching is growing louder, and the Yankees cannot escape it. They have not clambered up the stairs to a loftier perch in the standings. Maybe such a journey is beyond them.

After falling twice to the Cleveland Indians in the Bronx on Wednesday, the Yankees are 70-62, losing their grip on the top spot and the chance to host the wild card game for the second time in three years.

Since June 13 — for more than 11 weeks, that is — their record is 32-39. As the Boston Red Sox arrive for a four-game weekend series starting Thursday, the Yankees still must prove they are up for the fight.

“The calendar’s gonna flip to a new month here pretty soon, and we’re running out of time to catch those guys,” outfielder Brett Gardner said. “So obviously, we’ve got a big series coming up.”

“I’m not gonna downplay the magnitude of this series,” Girardi said. “I’m not going to. It’s a really important series for us.”

True enough, but only in a last-chance kind of way. The Yankees are much closer to the gang behind them than to the Red Sox above them, which means next week’s series in Baltimore could matter more. The Orioles (68-65) have won seven games in a row and finally have their best hitter (Manny Machado) and elite closer (Zach Britton) healthy and performing well.

The Minnesota Twins own the second wild card now, and the Yankees host them Sept. 18 to 20, right after another series with the Orioles. Who knows how the standings will look then, but the Los Angeles Angels, the Kansas City Royals, the Texas Rangers, the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays also have hope.

“We’re in charge of our own destiny, and we have to win games,” Girardi said. “But it’s impossible not to look at the scoreboard. It’s right there. I’d have to really have my head in the sand not to see the scores of games. But we have to worry about ourselves.”

The Yankees had not been swept at home all season, though there is no shame in losing to Cleveland. As the Indians defend their A.L. crown, they are a season-high 20 games above .500, even with five important players on the disabled list: outfielders Michael Brantley and Lonnie Chisenhall, second baseman Jason Kipnis, starter Danny Salazar and the relief ace Andrew Miller.

Yet the Yankees could hardly muster a fight on Wednesday. In the opener, they got four walks, a wild pitch and a hit batter from Indians starter Trevor Bauer, but managed just one run. They looked helpless against Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen, who baited Aaron Judge — in a pinch-hitting role — with five curveballs before blowing a high fastball past him to end the game.

So has Judge’s disappearance in the second half. He started the second game of the doubleheader — his first start of the series — but could not do much to prevent a 9-4 thrashing. He reached on an infield single and scored, then struck out, walked and flied to right.

“If I’m swinging at the right pitches, taking my walks, I feel like I’m in a good place to hit,” said Judge, who has refused to blame an unspecified shoulder injury for his slump. “Gotta just build off that and take it into tomorrow.”

Judge is hitting .181 since the All-Star Game, roughly the same average of his confounding cameo at the end of last season, when his tantalizing power was often hidden under an avalanche of strikeouts.

By spending the first half of this season as the best hitter in the A.L., Judge carried the Yankees. Now he is lost again, like Matt Holliday, whose second half has produced a .136 average, one home run and one lingering back injury. The Yankees also missed Starlin Castro for most of two months until he returned from a hamstring strain last week.

“If you’re gonna rely on one or two guys during the course of the whole season,” Girardi said, “you’re gonna be in trouble, probably.”

The Yankees have a sturdy enough rotation, with C. C. Sabathia, Sonny Gray, Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino lined up against the Red Sox this weekend. General Manager Brian Cashman, meanwhile, is in Japan to scout Shohei Otani, a two-way sensation who could arrive in the majors next season.

The pursuit of Otani, 23, fits with the long-term vision Cashman explained last summer after trading Miller for prospects. The goal, he said, was not to simply prop up a roster in hope of squeezing into the playoffs.

“The one thing the Yankees have always stood for, and do stand for, is the effort to try to become a superteam,” Cashman said.

They were never going to achieve that in one season, despite the giddy illusion of April and May. The Yankees are on the right path, but building and sustaining a superteam takes patience, and the Yankees are not there yet. Even a sweep this weekend would leave them behind Boston.

Of course, the Yankees might still have their wild-card spot by the end of the series — but then again, they might not. They have time to pull away from the middle, but for now, the middle is where they belong. That is what their summer has revealed.

A Series Split

August 6, 2017

After the miserable first two games in Cleveland, I was afraid we’d get swept by the World Series aspirant Indians. But – hoorah – we squeaked out the win on Saturday (thank you Headley for hitting that go-ahead homer and Chapman for notching the save despite making me sweat). Today’s game wasn’t a squeaker but rather a good old-fashioned bashing. Severino was brilliant against a great offensive team, and Ellsbury – the poor, maligned Ellsbury, who is constantly being grouped with the Yankees’ worst free agent signings – had a clutch triple. I’ll bet the boys feel good about themselves at least for the moment.

On the troubling side is the Gary Sanchez story. As I’ve been writing, his defense has been suspect for awhile – from passed balls to errant throws – but Girardi finally saw enough in Cleveland. He benched Sanchez today in favor of Romine and said he intends to use him sporadically as DH until he can work through his catching problems. Cashman offered the theory that muscle weight gain has made Sanchez less agile behind the plate. Girardi seemed to question Sanchez’s work ethic. It must be tough for the kid who burst into the majors late last season, slugged his way to being a fan favorite and now must take a step backward. But that’s the reality if he wants to succeed in pinstripes.

Also of note is Holliday going on the DL for back trouble. He hasn’t been right since the virus that was never diagnosed, but he was giving us a big offensive lift early in the season. I hope he comes back healthy and ready to contribute.

In the meantime, all hail Severino for a stellar pitching performance today.

Silent Bats End Detroit Series with a Whimper

August 3, 2017

The rain delay only made last night’s finale more annoying. But primarily, the annoyance was the lack of offense from a team that knows how to hit. Witness Game 1 of the series when the Yankees had hit after hit in beating the Tigers. Game 2, however, was a precursor to last night – i.e. a dispiriting showing. No longer in first place (sniff), the boys are off to Cleveland to begin a huge series against the big, bad Indians.

Tonight marks the debut of new and highly coveted starter Sonny Gray going up against Kluber. Will he deliver? There are bound to be nerves throwing his first game for us, but it’ll be a tremendous letdown if he gets thumped. So hear me, Yankees batters: Give this man lots of run support!

Sometimes the Yankees “play up” when they’re facing a real contender, outdoing themselves at the plate. I hope tonight is one of those times. I’d also like to see the defense cut down on errors. Seems like every box score lately shows at least one.

Anyway, I’m sort of nervous about this series after the last two games against Detroit. Now is not the time for the bats to go silent. We cannot slip too far below the Red Sox. Can. Not.

Playing Up Against the Tribe

July 10, 2016

In the same way that the Yankees played well against the AL West division-leading Rangers, they played well against the AL Central division-leading Indians. And they did it in dramatic fashion, especially on Saturday night in extra innings. Great series and a great way to end the first half of the season.

With the All-Star Break upon us now, the question becomes what will the second half bring? No idea. Maybe Evo is better suited to the bullpen. And maybe McCann’s offense really has come around. And maybe Didi, errors aside, is just the offensive spark plug we need. I still think one of the top relievers will be traded for a starter and/or power-hitting right fielder. We could use a good hitter at third base too (sorry Headley).

What’s unclear is if Hal wants to stand pat or really try to make a run for the postseason. We know what his dad would do, but his motives have never been as transparent.

Meanwhile, it’ll be nice to have a break. I don’t watch the Home Run Derby; Chris Berman’s “back back back” is enough to drive me insane. I don’t have much interest in the All-Star game either.

But I do want to wish the new Mr. and Mrs. Jeter a very heartfelt congratulations. I hope they’ll be very happy even though they neglected to invite me to the wedding.

Another Series In the “L” Column

July 7, 2016

If I were Joe Girardi, I’d scratch my head at this point too. What can he do with a team that scores a bunch of runs one night and then gets blanked the next…and the next and the next? Dropping another series, this time to the Chicago White Sox, the Yankees looked once again like a team that was searching for answers to its inconsistency. Other than its offensive All-Star – Carlos Beltran – and his fellow A-S relievers, there’s no one I look to for help when a game is on the line.

And now we have a 4-game series against the first-place Indians in Cleveland. Is it possible there’s a win or two in there and the hunt to get over .500 and stay there happens? On the other hand, is being over .500 really the goal of a proud franchise that used to not only make the postseason but win championships?

I think we’ll see more clarity after the A-S break, but for now I’m guessing there could be a house-cleaning before the season is over. Maybe sweeping out the cobwebs and getting a fresh start is just what the Yankees need.

At Least There Was This

August 23, 2015

It was great seeing the old gang at the Stadium over the weekend, first for the retiring of Posada’s number, then the same for Pettitte today. They all looked great and I couldn’t help wishing they were still playing – particularly after today’s finale against the Indians. What is it with the Yankees and Indians? Are the dreaded midges still haunting the team? It sure seemed like it over the four-game series and even during the recent series in Cleveland. Aside from the one victory on Saturday, it was nothing but frustration and ineptitude.

And now there’s CC’s knee. Will he come back this season or any season? Does a stint on the DL do the trick and he returns refreshed and ready to pitch? Or will he concede that the knee is a chronic problem and retire? It’s all very sad to me because he’s been a warrior for the Yanks on and off the field.

With Pineda scheduled to pitch in the series against Houston and the addition of Severino, CC’s injury is easier to swallow. I still wish Cashman had gotten us a reliable arm at the trade deadline, but that’s old news. What’s also old news is that all the teams in the AL East have problems, even Toronto, and no one is running away with the division title so far. Which means all the Yankees have to do is play consistent baseball. Getting Teixeira off the DL would help. So would getting Ellsbury to go on a tear. So would waving a magic wand and making Stephen Drew turn into Babe Ruth.

Time will tell……

A Win – Finally!

August 14, 2015

What a relief. When McCann hit a homer early in last night’s game against the Indians, the series finale, I said, “Please don’t let this be it. They need to pile on.” And so they did. I don’t know whether Stephen Drew is eating his Wheaties or going gluten free like Tex or what, but he’s been Babe Ruth lately despite his pitiful batting average, and any runs the Yankees have scored have been due to him and other bottom-of-the-order types. But last night Ellsbury awoke from his slumber, which is exactly what this team needed. Gardner followed suit. Beltran has quietly improved. Didi’s been off-the-charts great. And a victory finally came.

Evo seems to be our stopper. He keeps winning even though it’s never really pretty. I don’t know what’s up with Betances and Miller, but they’re scaring me lately. They’re always turn their innings into dramas. I remember the days when they took care of hitters one-two-three.

A-Rod looks spent. Has his comeback runs its course? Or does he just need a day or two off? I guess we’ll see in Toronto, where Girardi plans to rest him on Saturday, I think. The fact is he’s old. He’s had two hip surgeries. As good as he’s been, he might have hit a wall. Or not.

The star of the Cleveland series in my mind, despite the losses, was Didi. Has he ever turned things around. He’s been his own highlight reel at shortstop, and his offense has been surprisingly reliable. I take back all the bad things I said about him.

Oh, and I must mention Greg Bird, our latest rookie to join the team. We’ve all been hearing a lot about Bird – what a great hitter he is, how Cashman wouldn’t part with him in any trades, etc., and last night we got to see him in the flesh. Even though he went 0-for-5, I have to say he looked like he knew what to do at the plate and he hit the ball hard a couple of times. I think he’s got potential.

And now another series against the (gulp) Blue Jays at their place. I fear their offense. I fear their pitching (Dickey even more than Price). I fear their turf. (Why can’t they get grass already.) But maybe, just maybe, the Yankees are feeling better about themselves after the win last night and will play like the first place team they used to be.

Coming Back to Earth

August 10, 2014

That’s how today’s loss, combined with yesterday’s, to the Indians feels like: an astroid hitting the earth. I had such high hopes for the Yankees’ season after the series against the Tigers, and Friday night’s 10 runs against Cleveland gave me more hope. But – ugh – we seem to be in the dreaded dead zone again, offense wise, and the collective hitting slump couldn’t come at a more inopportune time. In other words, if the Yanks have a prayer of making the playoffs even as a lowly Second Wild Card team (as Audrey rightfully pointed out in the last post’s comments section, KC is the team with steam for that spot), they need to beat up on the Orioles over the next few days. And how are they going to do that if they can’t drive in runs? Never mind that there are still question marks about the starters – i.e. who’s starting on Wednesday, Pineda or Rogers?

But I digress. The pitching has been great for the most part, so let’s assume it stays great, as flukey as this may be, given the cast of characters. Where will the hits/runs come from if everybody’s gone cold? Great that Tex is back in the lineup, pinky and all. And how lovely that Ellsbury hit a solo shot in today’s game. They’ve got to stop stranding men on base. Just. Stop. Doing. That. It would be nice if they hit more homers too, of course.

Whatever happens happens, I guess. Baltimore’s surging and we keep lapsing back. But it’s getting late early, as Yogi would say. Time to turn it on or go home.

More Trips to the Infirmary

July 11, 2014

Yes, there was a four-game series in Cleveland and yes, the Yankees won two and lost two (in especially depressing fashion – the losses, I mean), but the big news as the team heads down to Baltimore was obviously Tanaka and his “small tear” in the elbow. After consulting a phalanx of doctors, Tanaka was told that the prescribed treatment was rehab. If that doesn’t work then he’ll likely go under the knife for good old TJ surgery. Hard to believe, isn’t it? One day he’s our ace. The next he’s in the infirmary with the other members of the starting staff who were supposed to lift us to a championship in Jeter’s final season. Bah. Nothing’s going according to plan.

And then there was Beltran.

$beltran fractured face$

No, that’s not actually his face, but the point is he fractured it in two places all by himself. Freak accident indeed. All I could do was sigh about that one.

What’s a GM to do except continue to call up guys like Zelous and Zoillo and anybody else on the farm whose name starts with “Z.”

Will the weekend series against the O’s be a massacre of our young lambs and creaky veterans or will we scrape together a win or two?

On the plus side – and there’s always a plus side – I didn’t expect to see the run production we’re getting out of Teixeira this year after coming off his various injuries. And Gardner and Ellsbury have been a revelation. It’s not the stuff of championships but it’s something.

CC OutLasted The Indians

June 5, 2013

And he definitely outlasted his son, who fell asleep in the car after the game. I love this pic that Amber Sabathia tweeted earlier today of her little CC. (Notice his ears. They’re just like his dad’s.)

A complete game performance by the big man and homers from Hafner and Gardner seem to have done the job to finish the series with a sweep. I didn’t watch – it was a work day – but I enjoyed keeping up with the game score and summary.

Now the Yankees are off to my part of the world and while I know the east coasters reading this groan at the late hour of the games during these west coast swings, I couldn’t be happier. I get a full day’s work in and then watch the boys while I’m having dinner. I just hope they don’t ruin my appetite by letting the Mariners beat them, Raul Ibanez in particular.

Tex Is Texting Again

June 4, 2013

Two homers in two days. I like it. Is Teixeira back for good? Sure looks like it.

The other nice bounceback in tonight’s win over the Indians was Phelps. After that last outing, I was worried that he might not be able to put his awfulness behind him, but that’s exactly what he did. We need him, so a big Whew.

I did hope the Yankees would score in the late innings to give the relievers some breathing room, but they seem to have run out of gas offensively, especially Cano, who was up in an important spot and couldn’t deliver. I wonder if he was distracted by the Biogenesis stuff, but more on that in a sec.

I couldn’t believe what jinxes Michael Kay and Al Leiter were. They were going on and on about how great Joba looked and then – bam – three-run homer. Maybe they should button it next time.

OK. Biogenesis. The ESPN report. A-Rod. Cervelli. Etc. Yes, it’s explosive stuff. And yes, even Cano was ensnared in the whole business for awhile today until sources told the Yankees he was off the hook. And yes, the suspensions would be the most punitive in sports. But here’s the thing: A-Rod denies involvement with the clinic so the whole case could come down to a he-said/he-said situation pitting him against Bosch. Which sounds all too familiar (Clemens/McNamee). Ugliness for baseball all around.

I Heart Overbay

June 3, 2013

I know. Tonight’s big hero was Tex, and I formally apologize for saying he wasn’t helping the Yankees. His grand slam off Masterson was a thing of beauty and gave us an early boost against the Indians. But watching closeups of Overbay in right field smiling when the Bleacher Creatures did his roll call and the fans out there cheered for him and running hard toward the wall for a foul ball and then making the catch on his first chance ever as an outfielder….Well, it was priceless. He even had a hit. He’s such a mensch and I hope the Yankees find a way to keep him around for awhile.

Andy didn’t look so dandy after the first few innings. He kind of petered out early. But the pen was mostly good, so no harm done – unless he tweaked something again, of course.

A nice, nice win for the boys in this series opener. I loved seeing them laugh and high-five in the dugout after Mo got the save. It was as if all the losing never happened.

Here Come The Baby Bombers! (With a P.S.)

May 13, 2013

It was quite a day for the next generation of Yankee players – AKA the Scranton team – as several of them got the call to help out with the doubleheader in Cleveland. While the Yanks did lose the opener in a shutout, Phelps pitched very well, minus his walks. It was in the second game that the Baby Bombers really did their thing. Vidal Nuno and Adam Warren, two pitchers who’d been impressive in spring training, were impressive today, shutting out an Indians team that had been red hot. And how about emergency infielder Corbin Joseph getting his first major league hit and Austin Romine getting in on the offensive action too. And then there were the usual heroics from Wells, Nix and Overbay (I still can’t believe it every time I type their names). I don’t know what magic pixie dust Girardi is sprinkling in their Gatorade, but it’s working.

The YES guys were talking about Granderson coming back and I’m glad, I really am, but I like the chemistry of this group right now. I don’t want the big stars screwing it up!

Now if I can just stop calling Austin Romine “Austin Romaine” and Vidal Nuno “Vidal Nunez,” that would be nice.

P.S. Just wanted to post this pic sent to me by Yankee Fan and FOB Cesare (he reads but doesn’t comment). I got a kick out of it.

Nice Way To Close Out The Weekend

May 12, 2013

Today’s finale in KC was efficient, tidy and satisfying. Kuroda was great, as was Mo. Somebody suggested on Twitter that, given the Joba flap (see previous post), Mo’s new entrance music should be “Enter Shushman” instead of “Enter Sandman.”

And Vernon Wells. Are there enough superlatives for him right now? The man has been positively resurrected from the dead.

Tomorrow’s doubleheader in Cleveland should be interesting since the roster’s so thin and Nova isn’t healthy enough to pitch (what’s up with that?). I just hope they get through it in one piece.

Another, Even Better Janer. Seriously!

April 9, 2013

And we all said the Yankees would have trouble scoring runs this season. Ha. Of course, they weren’t exactly facing the best pitchers in the majors tonight against Cleveland, but if hitting is contagious the Yankees have all caught the bug. What fun!

First there was small ball and then there was big ball and then there was just a lot of offense, period.

And Andy. Wow. There aren’t enough superlatives for him. He continues to deliver just the way he always has, and I hope he never retires.

My problem with this game was Carrasco, the Indians starter. The guy has a history of being a head hunter, sort of a younger Padilla, and I was completely in agreement with the ump who ejected him for hitting Youkilis. Francona argued and I get that, but Carrasco is just back from serving a suspension for the same offense. There’s no place in the sport for punks like him and I was grateful that he was gone – especially when the Yanks were able to feast on Myers.

Back to the good stuff, it was great to see Gardner, in particular, hit the ball so well. We need him to be productive at the top of the order, and that’s what he was tonight.

The First Janer Of The Season!

April 8, 2013

I’ve said many times that blowouts are my favorite kind of win, so Friend of the Blog Barbara (where are you, Barbara?) coined the term “Janer” whenever the Yankees score 10 or more runs. You can have pitcher’s duels. They’re exciting but too nerve wracking for me. I like my wins to be no-doubters with enough room to breathe.

Today’s game against the Indians was just the ticket. The bats were red hot. Cano had a great day with those two homers, showing us he’s alive after all. Hafner seemed thrilled to be back in Cleveland so he could show everybody that he, too, is still alive. Wells continued his resurrection. It was all good.

Kuroda? He went five and got the win. He looked shaky early, but his finger is probably still sore. The only downside to the game for me was Joba. He shaved off the mustache since it wasn’t bringing him any luck, and while he didn’t get hammered today he made the ninth a trial in an already looong game. Full counts are not the way to succeed. I wish he got that. It made me mad that he even allowed the possibility that Mo would have to get loose after throwing all those pitches yesterday.

But it was a very nice way to open the series. Andy goes tomorrow and who doesn’t want a repeat of his last start? Not me.