Brian McCann Archives

Baby Bombers Still Exciting in Series Loss

August 17, 2016

Well, Gary Sanchez was exciting. The problem was CC in today’s finale against the Jays; he got clobbered and the Yankees ended up losing two of three. I must admit I was hoping the momentum of having all the kids up at the major league level would give the team a boost, but the lack of consistent pitching and timely hitting is still a problem.

This is the tough part of being in a rebuilding phase. You have to deal with the reality that the team isn’t a juggernaut just yet. There are too many missing pieces – pieces Cashman will need to address in the off-season. McCann seems to be on the bubble and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him leave. Headley made another error today (he’s having an Eduardo Scissorhands kind of year), so I’d love an upgrade at third. And I know it’s sacrilegious to say this but is Brett Gardner pulling his weight these days? Not so sure.

Anyway, it’s on to Anaheim for a series against the Angels. May the rally monkey be on vacation.

Three Steps Forward, One Back

June 20, 2016

It would have been lovely to have a four-game sweep in Minnesota, the scene of so many Yankees victories in the past, but thanks to yesterday’s game it wasn’t to be. Instead, the Yanks left town pretty much where they started: under .500 and 6 1/2 games back of the division-leading Orioles.

A bright spot from yesterday’s loss was that McCann emerged from his slump (finally) and hit a couple of bombs. As for the other games, the Yanks needed to beat up on the hapless Twins and they did. (I wasn’t thrilled that Chapman gave up two homers in Game 3 but he got the win anyway.)

The point is, the Yankees need to have a consistent winning streak in order to gain ground this season. I know I must sound like a broken record, but consistency is key and they’re just not getting the message. The offense has to be on the attack, hit the bombs, scratch out the runs, do whatever it takes to win.

The starting pitching has been more than respectable and while the middle relief has been shaky, the back end of the bullpen is pretty great, give or take a bad outing. I fault the offense. Beltran cannot carry the team, not with his age and bum knee, so others will have to pick up the slack and in the Twins series they did.

Now comes a home-stand. Let’s hope it’s the start of something, anything!

Rocky Mountain Low

June 16, 2016

Wow, do the Yankees stink right now. First against the Tigers, then against the Rockies. Yes, the Rockies – the team they should have beaten and didn’t.

In the first game, they mounted a big comeback to no avail – a Janer that only resulted in a losing effort because the pitching (I’m looking at you, Evo, along with the pen) was so pathetic. I watched Girardi’s post-game chat with the beat writers and boy was he testy. There was an errant pick-off throw by Kirby Yates to Rob Refsnyder at first base and he wouldn’t talk about it. “I’m just not gonna talk about it,” he kept saying. “It has to do with strategy.” Or whatever. If you ask me, he’s sick of all the losing.

In last night’s finale of the two-game series, Nova couldn’t hold on and neither could Chapman. As for the offense, our only reliable hitter, Carlos Beltran, is out with a bum knee, and there’s no one else to pick up the slack – no one. That’s just sad. (What happened to McCann this year? Didn’t he used to have power?)

I started off the season in skeptic mode, wondering why we didn’t acquire one of the front-line pitchers for sale and what, exactly, the Yanks would do to improve the offense, given the age and declining power of A-Rod and Teixeira. Then I moved into hopeful mode after the more recent series when the Yankees played better, when Evo and Nova appeared to have turned a corner and CC had really made a nice comeback. Now I’m in grouchy-person mode. Why? Because this team is just not good enough to win on a consistent basis. Guys who showed promise have regressed. We don’t have any standouts in the minors to bring up and save the day.

So the question is: Does Cashman make some moves to help the team win? Does he think they have a shot and, if so, is it time to make a trade for Miller, Chapman or even Betances, our only real bargaining chips? Or does he go into a “sell” phase and decide to rebuild the team for the future? Because right now they’re limping along without much promise.

I hate being so negative, but I’m just telling it the way I see it. Sorry. If the Yanks have a decent series in Minnesota, maybe I’ll feel better.

Always Satisfying to Beat This Guy

April 13, 2016

He kills the Yankees and Toronto is such a tough opponent, but last night in their series opener of the new season, the Yanks edged out a 3-2 win. Bautista had a two-run double, naturally, but Betances struck him out in a big situation.

Tanaka…What to say about his performance. He limited the Jays to 2 runs, which was no small thing, but he reminded me of early Phil Hughes who took forever to get outs and let his mounting pitch count send him out of games. Which is where our crack bullpen comes in. Betances was “on.” You could see it. He reared back and fired and set the stage for Miller, who took care of business.

After misjudging a couple of balls in center, Ellsbury (maybe he needs glasses?), along with McCann were the offensive heroes – McCann’s homer all the more impressive because he was hobbling around after being hit on the toe by a foul tip. Thankfully, the toe’s not broken, but he’s not a great runner in the best of circumstances and he really lumbered around the bases last night.

It’ll be Pineda’s turn tonight. No idea what to expect, but I’d love a repeat of last night.

Beating Archer & the Rays

September 7, 2015

Was that a great reaction to McCann’s homer in yesterday’s series finale or what? Chris Archer had been unhittable and the Yankees looked totally overmatched against him for most of the game. Actually, their offense had been pretty anemic, period, during the weekend series, not helped by Ellsbury’s stomach bug, Teixeira’s missing bat and A-Rod’s late summer swoon. But thanks to McCann, who is finally proving why the Yankees paid him all that money to play in the Bronx, along with A-Rod, brought the team back to life to finish off the Rays and keep pace with the annoyingly successful Blue Jays.

This is turning into some dog fight as we head toward the finish line. If the Yankees could just string some wins together – 10 would be nice but I’ll take 5 – and overtake the Jays, I’d feel better. The division title is within reach, but the Yankees need to win games, not simply rely on the Jays to lose. They need to beat the O’s over the next few days and then really turn it up a few notches in their head-to-head contests with the Jays. The Wild Card is just too precarious a spot to be in. For me it’s the division or bust.

The Walk-offs Were Fun; The Sloppy Defense Not So Much

July 6, 2015

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!

Another This…Against the Angels Yet

June 7, 2015

Boy, do I remember dreading whenever we’d play the Angels. They used to do bad things to the Yankees. We’d spazz out on defense. We’d pitch badly. We’d be limp with the bats.

No more.

This weekend’s series was a beat-down of the once formidable “Halos.” I didn’t watch every inning of every game, but I caught enough of each one to see that the Yanks were punishing their starters. Yes, they almost gave away that one game, scarily, and Betances didn’t look very Betances-ish. And while Didi continued to make errors (or maybe one error), he also made some great plays at shortstop.

But the big news is and continues to be the resurgence of power hitters A-Rod, Tex and McCann. (Having Gardner and others pop them out of the Stadium is nice too.) It’s gotten to the point where not only are all the broadcasters talking about Tex’s gluten free diet but also picking the Yankees to win what’s turning out to be a mediocre division.

It’s only June. Early June. So a lot can and will happen between now and September. But I had to laugh at myself as I listened to the Fox guys last night rhapsodizing over this team. I nodded my head as if I hadn’t been a doubter, am still a doubter, and said, “Well, maybe they’re better than I thought.”

Jeter Fan Just Wanted a Hug

May 9, 2014

That’s actually a pic from the All-Star game, but I’m assuming the fan who ran onto the field in Milwaukee tonight got similar treatment. Jeter seemed amused by it all, but I’m sure those close encounters can be a little scary at first.

What wasn’t scary was Tanaka’s uncanny ability to refrain from self-destructing on the mound, even after a shaky start or rough inning. He somehow finds a way to pull it together and win, which is what he did tonight and which is what true aces do. Love this guy.

Of course he had help. Solarte, the Wonder Kid, popped a three-run homer (he now leads the team in RBIs, and who would have predicted it). And McCann turned a nifty strike-him-out-throw-him-out double play.

I did have to laugh when Michael Kay and John Flaherty were going on and on about how Tanaka had to hit because it was a National League game and how he could get hurt like Wang did. Sheesh. You’d think pitchers never batted before. It’s time everyone stopped treating them like fine crystal.

Really, Yankees?

May 1, 2014

Yes, it was a rain-shortened series, but come on. It was the Mariners. How do you drop two to them?

I’ll tell you how they lost tonight. Kuroda was mediocre and the offense, except for Ellsbury’s homer, was AWOL. I hate to single anybody out, but I really am eager for McCann to start living up to his reputation. Right now he seems stuck in neutral as a hitter and I hoped he’d provide a lot of pop in the lineup.

But it’s only May 1st. I’ll calm down.

Welcome, Brian McCann!

November 23, 2013

I’m emerging from my off-season hiatus to celebrate the news today that the Yanks signed the power-hitting catcher, pending a physical. While he wasn’t exactly a bargain (5 years/$85 million) and we lost a first-round draft pick, he’s only 29 and is projected to hit 35-40 homers in Yankee Stadium. (“His swing is made for New York,” said one scout.)

Sounds like a big upgrade over Stewart, Cervelli and Romine – a guy with the potential to DH or play first base as he ages into his contract. Not a bad way to kick off the holiday season.