What a great road trip the Yankees had. First they took on the Angels – or, should I say, took down the Angels – and then came the Astros. I admit, I had my doubts about how they would do against the World Champs who have managed to beat them consistently, but wow. How about the way they kept coming back from the jaws of defeat to notch those wins?
Severino was a star. Tanaka, CC pitched well. German filled in admirably for the ailing Montgomery. (I do think Cashman will need to go out and get a seasoned arm; there’s nobody outstanding in Scranton to save the day.) Gleybar Torres has made his presence felt. Sanchez’s home run power can’t be denied (didn’t love the passed ball yesterday though). Stanton awakened. It’s all good, and the Yankees are now a very good team, give or take a few weak spots. Oh, I forgot to mention that Chapman got save after save, firing fastballs at full velocity.
So bring on Cleveland. It’s supposed to rain tonight, but hopefully the game will be played. Go Yanks.
We both got our wishes, Jane – they beat Houston right in their home stadium and the stupid grin was wiped off Altuve’s face as he made the last out yesterday afternoon and snapped his hitting streak. Yes, it feels good to be a Yankee fan right now, especially as Boston seems to be regressing to the mean and squandering it’s great start.
A fellow Yankee fan friend who doesn’t text asked in email if I thought the Yankees were lucky yesterday or if that’s the way they play. Here is my reply:
They’ve won enough games in the ninth inning to prove themselves very capable of coming back. Part of what got them there was bad luck – several soft ground balls. Tanaka deserved better after six innings of stellar pitching that rivaled Severino’s from the night before.
The quality of the teams the Yankees are winning against, that they are able to do it while not performing full strength (Aaron Judge and Brett Gardner had terrible road trips, Neil Walker is hitting well below his ability, Tyler Austin was serving out his suspension half of this road trip) and they are doing this all on the road in parks they have historically played poorly in tells me this team is the real deal. Boston, on the other hand, is struggling against teams like Kansas City (9-22) and Texas (13-20) and, in the case of KC, at home. I don’t think they can sustain their early push. Heck, the Yankees are just one behind them in the loss column now after Boston started the season 13-2.
The big concern at the beginning of this season was the bullpen, which was surprisingly ineffective over the first few weeks and lost a bunch of games that should have been won. That seems to be taken care of now except for Chad Green, who is not the lights-out pitcher he was last year. But even Betances seems to be performing up to his impressive abilities and I’m starting to have more faith in Chapman who, while still prone to introducing more drama than necessary, is closing things out pretty reliably. The starting rotation has been great, better than expected. Severino is outstanding, our veterans seem to have second life and even Sonny Gray is showing signs of becoming the pitcher he can be. Sad about Jordan Montgomery, whom I think is going to be a great pitcher as he gains experience, but Domingo German looks like he’s up to the task. Long answer to a short question but, hey, I am bullish on the Yankees this season!
Jane and Audrey, you both have summed it up real well. This road trip was incredibly successful and statements were made during the Houston series. This team is great and scarily enough, not at full strength at the moment. Bird and Drury will go a long way to make this lineup even deeper (though I do wish we were able to count on Bird but his injuries have made it tough to do). And Jane, Justus Sheffield who came with Clint Frazier in the Miller trade may possibly be an option to help the rotation later this season as he was just promoted to AAA and is one of our top prospects . But yes, an impact arm is absolutely a must to get by the trade deadline or earlier.
I like your bullishness, Audrey. I feel it too with caveats. I do think we need another arm for Montgomery. German is ok for long relief, but as a regular starter I’m less sure. I agree about Chad Green. Was he overused last season? Was his success a fluke? Not sure.
Oh right. Bird! I forgot all about him, Leo. When’s he due back? And yes, he’s injured a lot, but I’ll take him for however long he’s healthy. I don’t know much about Justus Sheffield, although I know there’s some excitement about him.
Good morning, Jane. The winning just continues and it’s so much fun! Every analyst has been saying the same thing: this team wins in so many different ways and it’s usually always a new hero each time. Last night was Gardner’s time to shine. He’s been slow to start off and was overshadowed by Stanton and Sanchez’s early struggles. His 2 RBI triple got us ahead and we never looked back! Gleyber Torres continues to impress with his veteran ABs. He has a great eye and so much patience for a 21 year old rookie. Walker is heating up. Judge hit that long homer for some insurance runs. Tanaka pitches pretty well against a strong lineup. Green gave up the lead but his teammates picked him up. Holder was great getting in after Shreve and stranding the runners. Overall a fantastic game, fantastic streak, and this team is now being compared by YES analysts to 1998 which is a great compliment. Let’s go for the sweep and just keep winning!
Yes, fun! I’m really enjoying these games, Leo, and love being in first place for however long it lasts. It’s such a great feeling to know, as you said, that this team doesn’t give up until the bitter end and that the chances for a rousing comeback are always there. I’m worried about Greene – he hasn’t been the same this season – but maybe he’ll straighten out. A sweep sounds good to me!!!