How Sweep It Is

August 5, 2019

Any Yankees sweep is great, but a four-game sweep against the Red Sox at the Stadium? Extra special. I loved watching the barrage of offense against Price – what fun. There was nail biting as Happ seemed to lose it and the score tightened, but the Yanks prevailed and put even more distance between the teams in the standings.

Of course, there were more injuries. I cannot believe how many players have been dropping like flies this season, more so lately, it seems. It wasn’t horrible enough that Encarnacion fractured his wrist thanks to the hit-by-pitch? We had to lose Hicks too? And coming on the heels of Voit, who may be having surgery for his hernia? And then Torres, who has been on fire lately and hits great at Camden Yards where the Yankees play next, has a “core issue” that needs evaluating? Oh, and let’s not forget Gio, who fouled not one but two balls off his legs last night. JEEZ. It’s great that the call-ups have been filling in so well, but COME ON. In the long run, we need guys to be healthy!

In the meantime, I’m reveling in last night’s sweep and hoping the momentum will carry into Baltimore.

Bruised and Battered But Still Standing

July 29, 2019

What an awful week. Getting hammered by the big bats on the Twins was no picnic, and then came the trip to Fenway — a nightmare I’d like to forget. Salvaging the finale last night was nice (thank you, German, Didi, Gio, Romine, et al), but to have our starters used as punching bags, particularly in early innings, was depressing and only underscored the need for GOOD STARTING PITCHING.

Stroman is off the market now, not that he was on my list, so where is Cashman on this issue? If he can’t pull off a really good trade now, before the Wednesday deadline, when can he? His team simply won’t cut it in the postseason without a solid rotation and right now ours is in tatters. My preference? Go out and get HIM.

That’s right. I want Thor. He’s young, not some washed up veteran. And he can pitch. And he clearly has experience pitching in New York.

With Sanchez, CC and LeMahieu (that one hurts most of all) suffering from various injuries, the Yankees have to dig deep and keep the Red Sox and Rays at bay down the stretch. The road only gets tougher from here on. I’m cautious but hopeful.

I Changed My Mind: London Was a Blast

June 30, 2019

If you told me the Yankees would beat the Red Sox twice – both Janers – I would have said, “No way.” Of course, that’s what happened – a barrage of offense in the two-game series in London – to put even more distance in the standings between the two teams. Anything could happen after the All-Star break, but right now things are looking awfully positive. I’m tempted to say I wish that “ballpark” could travel back to the Bronx – talk about a hitter’s park – but the Red Sox scored a bunch too. I’ll stick with Yankee Stadium.

I was such a cynic about this series, but it looked like the players had fun despite the jet lag and I had fun seeing Meghan and Harry. And to witness that packed house for both games and such exuberant fans (most of whom must have been American ex-pats), was a beautiful thing.

I’m not happy that Voit got hurt or that Tanaka had a crummy outing or that we exhausted every arm in the bullpen, but they’ll all have a day off and should be able to shake off any travel grogginess. The Yankees are riding high right now, and without jinxing them I think it’s safe to say they’re the superior group in the AL league right now. Maybe in the majors, if we get a quality starter or two and another reliever.

Cheerio.

The Calm Before the Storm

May 29, 2019

After last night’s cruel and frustrating one-run loss to the Padres, the Yankees are only one game in front of the Rays for first place. I know. Given all the injuries and the fact that Boone is playing musical chairs with the lineup and the starting rotation, first place is a major accomplishment.

But I hate losing one-run games, especially since the Yanks mounted a late comeback only to fall short.

Also, it’s the Padres. I mean come on. We really need to beat them in today’s finale.

Because Boston comes in for the weekend. No, they’re not the big, bad Boston of old, but they’re 6 games back and 6 games can disappear in a hurry. They’re hungry to topple the order of things – and to right their miserable start to the season. Besides which, the Rays just don’t lose very often.

Paxton is making his return from the I.L today, but he’s said to have lingering problems with his knee and that he’ll have to “play through the discomfort” for the rest of the season. Does that sound promising to you? Me neither.

CC is said to be returning in time to pitch Sunday’s game, but he, too, has knee issues.

Management seems thrilled with the tag team approach to pitching, with Chad Green as our opener and God only knows who to follow him. That method works for the Rays, but I’d much prefer a steady diet of starters – i.e. a real rotation.

But it’s only May, I keep reminding myself. Almost June. Plenty of time for our players to get healthy. Plenty of time for Judge. I’m waiting for Judge. I miss Judge.

What Happened to Chris Sale???

April 17, 2019

It’s not that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy the Yankees’ 8-0 beatdown of the Red Sox last night, but watching Sale look utterly lost on the mound was puzzling. He’s 0-4 this season and the Sox’s “ace” hasn’t been very ace-like. He says he doesn’t know why. Usually, players are hurt when they suddenly forget how to pitch and don’t want to say anything or they get paid a ton of money and start feeling the pressure of their big contracts. But Sale always seemed immune to all that. Oh well. Not my problem.

On our end, James Paxton pitched like….the former Chris Sale! He was brilliant and whatever nerves he felt going into his first Yankees-Red Sox contest must have settled down. No longer tipping his pitches, he owned their offense. I’d love to see him maintain that kind of dominance throughout the season.

The hitters feasted on Red Sox pitching, even guys like Tauchman, and it was fun.

I was sorry to read about Greg Bird yesterday and his latest malady, but as talented as he is, he’s just too injury prone and I’m afraid we’ve seen the last of him in pinstripes.

Also sad – and this has nothing to do with baseball – my local hockey team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, had the best record in hockey by far this season and yet they were swept last night in the playoffs by the Columbus Blue Jackets, whoever they are. I honestly don’t know how these things happen but I’ve seen it time and time again: teams suddenly go cold. Weird.

This Says It All…..Farewell, Yankees, Until Next Season

October 10, 2018

ON BASEBALL

Against the Red Sox, the Yankees Simply Don’t Measure Up

By Tyler Kepner

Oct. 10, 2018

At the end, at last, the play matched the hype. Nearly 50,000 fans, standing and screaming, praying and pleading that the old Bronx ghosts would swallow up the Red Sox one more time. The Boston pitcher unraveling. The Yankees’ bats stirring. Maybe, just maybe … and then … no.

“I was out,” Gleyber Torres said, flatly, and the replay confirmed what he knew. Steve Pearce kept his foot on first base. A furious comeback fell short in the bottom of the ninth, Craig Kimbrel held on, and the Yankees’ season expired with a 4-3 loss in Game 4 of the American League division series. That makes nine seasons in a row without a championship, and another Red Sox celebration on Yankee ground.

“That’s the one team that you don’t want to lose to,” said Brett Gardner, the veteran Yankees outfielder. “We hate losing to them, and we love beating them. They just had our number this year. They have a great team, and we just weren’t able to do enough to overcome them.”

Until the frantic finish, the standout moment of the rivals’ first postseason duel in 14 years was more comedic than dramatic: the Yankees’ backup catcher, Austin Romine, allowing a home run to Boston’s Brock Holt on Monday for the first cycle in playoff history. As a lingering image from this series, it will not inspire screenplays.

The Red Sox are onto bigger things — an A.L. Championship Series date with the Houston Astros, the defending World Series champions, starting Saturday night at Fenway Park. The Yankees will scatter for the winter, with 100 regular-season victories to keep them warm. But how much did they really improve?

This lopsided series aside, the rivalry is hot again because the Yankees so clearly measure themselves against the Red Sox, even more than in the recent past. The rest of the division cannot keep up. The Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles are rebuilding, and the Tampa Bay Rays are plucky and dangerous, but not a superpower.

The Red Sox are. They backed up their franchise-record 108 victories by pushing aside the Yankees and exposing the limits of their vaunted offense. The Yankees led the majors in homers last season, added Giancarlo Stanton in a trade, and promptly set a major league record for homers this season, with 267.

But just like the team whose record they broke — the 1997 Seattle Mariners — the Yankees went bust in the division series, confounded by a solid pitching staff. Except for their Game 2 outburst against a rattled David Price, the Yankees were punchless when it mattered most.

“One of their goals in this series was to keep us in the ballpark, and then coming in here, where we’re so good at that, they were able to do it,” Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said. “Credit to them for being able to hold us down.”

It was the first time since early April that the Yankees had failed to hit a homer in consecutive games at Yankee Stadium.

“We have to keep them in the ballpark — that’s the most important thing,” Red Sox Manager Alex Cora had said before the series, and he was right.

The Yankees had the pitching talent to make a deep postseason run, despite a poor showing in this series. But they hit only .249 this season, the worst average among baseball’s 10 playoff teams. If they did not hit a homer, they often struggled for hits. Red Sox starters Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello combined for 12 innings at Yankee Stadium, allowing only nine hits and two runs to thwart the Yankees’ plan.

“Obviously our goal in this series was to try to get into that bullpen as soon as possible,” Gardner said. “When a guy like Porcello and Eovaldi gives them that length, it’s kind of hard to do.”

The Yankees were 4 for 26 with runners in scoring position in the series and hit .214 overall. Batting average was an overrated statistic for years, mainly because it obscured other factors crucial to run production. Now, perhaps, it is undervalued.

Since the A.L. adopted the designated hitter in 1973, the Yankees have hit for a lower batting average than .249 just three times: in 1990, when they lost 95 games, and in 2013 and 2014, when they missed the playoffs.

Each of the top seven teams in batting average this season won at least 90 games. It sounds so simple to say, but hits remain really important — and this is where the Yankees and the Red Sox wildly diverged. Last season, the Yankees had two more hits than the Red Sox. This season, the Red Sox had 135 more hits than the Yankees.

The Yankees’ pitchers trailed only Houston’s staff in strikeouts, but their hitters whiffed too often, a trait that good pitchers often exploit in October. The Yankees ranked ninth in the major leagues in strikeouts by their hitters, while the Red Sox’ offense ranked 26th. And Boston had almost twice as many stolen bases as the Yankees — 125 to 63.

“Last night I had one home run, but we really scored 16 runs without hitting the long ball,” Holt said, drenched in bubbly in the joyous Red Sox clubhouse on Tuesday night. “But we’ve got guys that can leave at any time, and we’ve got guys that run the bases. We can beat you in a lot of ways. It’s a fun offense to be a part of.”

It sure seems that way. The Red Sox hit .268 this season — nine points better than the next-closest team in the majors, the Cleveland Indians. Boston finished ninth in homers but scored the most runs.

“If you’re a starter facing their lineup, you face them three times without giving up a run, you’ve done something amazing, because they usually chip away and score runs on you,” Yankees reliever David Robertson said. “They grind out at-bats, foul balls off, get on second base and just cause havoc. If you’re not on top of your game, they can put up the runs on you real quick.”

The Yankees had a fine season, to be sure. Miguel Andujar and Torres confirmed the Yankees’ hopes for them; they are, indeed, high-impact young stars. In Boone’s first season as manager, the team improved by nine wins.

Trouble is, in Cora’s first season as manager, the Red Sox improved by 15 wins. Their high-impact young stars — Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts — are further along in their primes, and all under team control for next season, too.

And while Stanton led the Yankees in home runs (38), runs batted in (100) and games played (158) while hitting .266, Boston’s new slugger, J.D. Martinez, was better. He led the majors in total bases and nearly won the Triple Crown.

“We can hit the ball out of the ballpark, which is better than it was last year, power-wise,” said Dave Dombrowski, Boston’s president of baseball operations. “But we make contact, guys can run the bases, we’re athletic, and we’re a good defensive club. I think it’s important to go that way.”

The Red Sox have their flaws. The Yankees built a deeper bullpen, even though Boone seemed strangely hesitant to use it early in Games 3 and 4. Cora used Porcello in relief in Game 1 and Chris Sale in relief in Game 4; he might be able to survive the postseason that way, but it will not be easy.

In any case, his team — like the Astros — has earned the chance. The Red Sox ran away with the division, even with Sale limited down the stretch. Dombrowski fortified the roster with trades for Pearce, starter Nathan Eovaldi and second baseman Ian Kinsler. His counterpart with the Astros, Jeff Luhnow, added an ace last winter in Gerrit Cole, and power relievers this summer in Ryan Pressly and Roberto Osuna.

The Yankees’ general manager, Brian Cashman, made a series of pivotal in-season moves, trading for J.A. Happ, Zach Britton and Luke Voit. But the foundation of his team was simply not strong enough to find more than one way to beat the Red Sox.

Just as they did in the regular season, the Yankees had more strikeouts than hits in the series. Their only win came on the strength of three towering homers in Game 2 at Fenway. The Red Sox could not have been surprised. If they kept the Yankees in the ballpark, they knew they could win — and that is just what they did.

Tonight It Begins

October 5, 2018

Question: How many seconds will it take for Red Sox fans to chant “Yankees suck?”

I don’t like Fenway Park. It’s cramped and weird. And whenever the Yankees play there, I have flashbacks to the tragic losses instead of the triumphant wins. I need an attitude adjustment.

For this important series – still excited that we made it through the WC to the ALDS – I vow to think positively, to remind myself of our power hitters and our superlative (when “on”) starters and relievers, to remember that Chris Sale hasn’t been lights out lately and might be more vulnerable than in past outings, to note that Boston’s bullpen isn’t as good as ours, to tell myself that while the Sox have had a layoff waiting for the WC to be resolved, they might be a bit rusty and the Yankees are on a roll with true momentum. And finally I will tell myself that Happ has a great record against the Sox.

I will also breathe deeply throughout the day to prepare myself for tonight’s game. I fervently wish it wasn’t TBS that was televising the series – they’re really, profoundly awful – but I’m grateful the Yankees are in it.

Let’s get this!

There’s No Place Like Home

September 29, 2018

Done! The Yankees secured the WC home field advantage last night in the opener at Fenway. Whew. I was worried about them having to fly out to Oakland, but now they’ll play the winner-take-all contest on Wednesday night at 8pm ET in the comfy confines of the Stadium with its even comfier short porch in right field.

What’s more, they hit enough homers last night – including Judge’s first after his too-long stint on the DL – to set a record for homers in a single season. Hoorah. Hitting them against the Red Sox last night only made the Janer – yes, they scored 11 runs – that much sweeter.

But now the nerves set in. Wednesday night will be a pressure cooker. Who will pitch? I vote for Happ to start. Severino is my second choice and Tanaka is third. I think Happ has been the most consistent of the three, last night’s grand slam to Pearce notwithstanding. I just hope the relievers will bring their A game.

I’m not happy that Sanchez and his tendency to allow passed balls will be catching, but I guess if he brings a hot bat it’ll be OK. Didi seemed to manage his wrist brace well enough last night, but between now and Wednesday everybody needs to stay healthy. Boone will rest the starting players and use subs this weekend, which will help. But personally, if somebody’s hot I think he should keep playing to maintain the momentum and not get rusty.

So, another season, another postseason. I just hope it lasts more than one game :)

Someone Is Celebrating and It’s Not the Yankees

September 21, 2018

The Yankees tried to sweep the Red Sox and avoid letting them clinch the AL East on our soil, but they couldn’t manage a win in the finale. So be it.

There were some positives to take away from this series.

Severino pitched well – better than he has in ages. Happ continues to dominate the Red Sox and provide an overall consistent arm in the rotation. Luke Voit continues to mash and infuse the team with tons of energy, making Bird a distant memory. Andujar may have his shortcomings on defense, but he can hit, really hit. Stanton’s grand slam last night broke him out of his slump. And, of course, Judge is back in the lineup; he may not have found his stroke yet, but he’s getting there.

On the negative side, Gary Sanchez. Period. Please can we trade him? What good is he to this team? If he were hitting a ton, I’d say OK, maybe he can DH now and then. But he hasn’t hit for real, not in a long time. And his defense is atrocious. As Kaat said last night on MLB Network, pitchers don’t want to throw to a guy they can’t trust and Boone would be well served to use Romine in a one-game playoff. Another negative? Tanaka. I would not use him to start a one-game playoff at Yankee Stadium. He gives up too many early runs. The shaky bullpen. Honestly, every time Betances takes the mound, I worry. Ditto: Chad Green. Chapman is back but let’s see how he does after the layoff. And Sheffield may or may not play a role in important situations.

With the A’s freaky 21-run win over the Angels yesterday, we’re only a whisper in front of them in the WC standings. This thing could go down to the wire.

I’ll be at the Monday night game when they open the series against the Rays – Section 1, Row Q at the Trop. I’ll try to will them to victory, but this race is on them.

Down the Drain

August 6, 2018

The Yankees were clinging to life as division hopefuls even before they went to Boston for the crucial four-game series. But now? After a four-game sweep, during which they lost in a zillion different excruciating ways, those hopes were flushed down the drain. It’s sad, because they began the season so powerfully and were so entertaining to watch. Now? They’ll be lucky if they can secure a Wild Card spot.

Would Judge have made a difference? Can one guy decide the fortunes of an entire team? Certainly, losing him was a blow, but honestly? The team was vulnerable on many levels. Sonny Gray was a problem. CC ran out of gas, as he often does at this time of the season. Severino slumped. Tanaka stepped up, but then J.A. Happ came down with hoof and mouth – I mean, hand, foot and mouth – disease, for God’s sake.

And then there was the defense. The Yankees have been playing sloppy, sloppy baseball. Chalk it up to young kids still learning the fundamentals at the big-league level or assign blame to the coaching staff for not being tough enough in pre-game drills. It doesn’t matter at this point.

The offense? It died in Boston. Just disappeared. Yes, Judge wasn’t in the lineup, but where were the others? AWOL.

And finally, there’s Aaron Boone in his rookie season as a manager. Would someone more seasoned have rallied this team, cracked the whip, fired them up to play better? His post-game comments never inspired much confidence in me. But then I wasn’t a fan of Cashman picking him in the first place.

So here we are. Does this team have anything left? Can they go on a tear and reel off a bunch of wins as teams do when they’re on a hot streak? Or are they done? The next month will tell us everything, but one thing we already know: the Red Sox outplayed and out-classed the Yankees in every way possible this weekend. And it pains me to say it.

My Heart Belongs to Judge

July 30, 2018

The Yanks acquired Britton and Happ since I last posted, and I’m supposed to be heartened by that. I’m pleased we got a starter and a premier reliever, really I am, but I’m still reeling from the loss of Judge. His injury could have been worse – a fractured wrist is better than, say, a torn ACL – but when they say he can’t swing a bat for three weeks, that means rehab afterwards, then getting his timing back, then playing some minor league games, etc. We won’t see him for awhile – and this is occurring during a crucial stretch in the season.

As for Happ, he only gave up a solo homer at the Stadium yesterday so his debut in pinstripes was a success, and the Yankees won the finale in the series with the Royals. Britton will add to an already strong bullpen, so that’s all good.

But what’s up with Severino? Talk about going through a slump. He’s been awful the last couple of times out. I wonder if he’s hurt, thrown too many pitch and has “dead arm” or it’s something else? We need him desperately to be our ace, as Sonny Gray is unpredictable, CC is CC, Tanaka tends to alternate really good outings with not-so-good ones and Cessa isn’t cutting it.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox hardly ever lose, and it’s going to be tough to catch them and win the division. We have head-to-head series coming up and I’m nervous about those contests. Boone will be tested to see how he handles this tricky time in his rookie season.

Dropping Like Flies

July 9, 2018

I was happy to get the series win over Toronto, even if yesterday’s finale took 10 innings to get there and there wasn’t much offense, but I’m worried about injuries going forward. It’s not good news that Chapman, our closer extraordinaire, has tendinitis in his knee. It’s not good news that Gleybar has I forget what. It’s not good news that Lasagna, who was so promising as a young starter, is going to see Dr. Ahmad and maybe Dr. Andrews?? The Yankees are pretty banged up as they head into a tough stretch, including today’s doubleheader against the O’s. Maybe the All-Star break will bring respite and allow for healing time. Tanaka should be ready to go after the break, which heartens me.

About getting a starter via trade….J.A. Happ failed his audition in spectacular fashion letting the Yankees chase him with home run balls early. I don’t want him now, even though he made the All-Star team for Toronto, do you? And clearly somebody needs to replace Gray in the rotation. I guess this is why Cashman is paid the big bucks to figure these things out. I only know they need a live arm – stat.

So…big week ahead as we head toward the break. The Red Sox continue to pile up wins. I’d hate to see the Yanks fall too far behind them.

Bombs Away in the Bronx!

July 2, 2018

What a finale last night against the Sox! After we were shellacked in Game 2 (Sonny Gray has to go, and Sale is truly the elite of the elite pitchers in baseball), the Yanks stormed back with a vengeance, knocked David Price around and wound up with a Janer worthy of my undying admiration.

Not only was Severino superb, nearly as good as Sale, but Aaron Hicks performing a hat trick? I mean come on. Three homers against the Sox was brilliant – even more so because he’s a switch-hitter and they came from both sides. In that regard and his speed, he reminds me of Bernie Williams. Loved it. There was even a homer by the third-string catcher!

If only we had four more Severinos and the offense could bash like that every night. It was definitely my kind of game – no stress, just happiness.

Friday night’s game was great too in a different way. It featured a surprising outing by CC and by “surprising,” I mean that Boston has been known to hit him pretty hard. Not this time. He was masterful. And we got just enough offense to win comfortably.

So if you ask me, I think this pennant race is going to come down to which young players Cashman trades away to get a good starter. I’m praying it’s not Andujar or Gleybar, but I know that’s who teams covet. And to get a good player, you have to give up a player that hurts. The most obvious trade pick is Clint Frazier because we’re full up on outfielders. And of course Sonny is expendable; the guy can’t pitch in NY and will probably do just fine in a smaller market like he did before.

So bring on Atlanta. I just hope the Yanks don’t let down, the way they sometimes do after the adrenaline rush of playing Boston.

Tied

May 11, 2018

First, let me say that although we didn’t sweep the Red Sox and ended the series tied with them for first place, having briefly overtaken them on Wednesday night, the games in this series at Yankee Stadium were great games. I enjoyed each one, even though they weren’t blowouts (my favorite, when we win, of course). Even in last night’s loss, there was always a sense that the Yanks would stage a comeback and they did. It just wasn’t enough after the homer off Betances.

CC didn’t have his best stuff last night and didn’t last long. And the truth is, he’s never been very good against the Red Sox – at least not in my memory. But aside from Severino’s great start, this series was all about the bullpen. They kept the Yankees in every game just long enough to give them a chance to score runs, and Chapman locked down save after save.

Everybody contributed in some way. I wish Hicks would get his bat going and I’m not sure Tyler Austin is ready for prime time and I do wish Gary Sanchez would cut down on the passed balls, but Gardner finally got hot. The lineup, top to bottom, is capable of doing damage at any time, especially late in games.

All in all, while last night’s finale was disappointing, the series was nail-biting fun with high energy in the crowd and among the players. You could feel it.

Now, I hope there’s no letdown for the series against the A’s. That can happen after a charged Red Sox series, but maybe this team of young players will keep the adrenaline flowing.

Boston Bummer

April 13, 2018

Yes, there was the brawl, and the Yankees managed to win that game in the season’s first series at Fenway. But the other games were tough to watch. The first was a mightily embarrassing blowout, and last night’s finale was mediocrity personified.

Sonny Gray is one of those pitchers that nibbles (a la Phil Hughes) and throws a lot of pitches to little avail. It’s still early and he’s had success, but last night he frustrated me – especially compared to Porcello, who nearly no-hit us. Talk about embarrassing. He and Sanchez were not a good team with all the wild pitches or whatever they were.

Stanton should DH. He’s not a Gold Glove outfielder, to say the least.

But speaking of errors, the Yankees have made way too many. It’s cold, hard to hold onto the ball, I get it. But every game? They’ve got to cut down on the defensive mistakes.

Aaron Boone’s favorite expression seems to be “turn the page.” Whenever he’s asked about a loss, which is often this season, he says, “They’ll turn the page.” I’m glad he’s a positive person, but I hope he knows reversing this skid is more complicated than that. The Yanks need to forget turning the page and start a whole new chapter.

Soooo Frustrating!

September 18, 2017

Yes, we won the series against the Orioles. Yes, Didi was an absolute stud. Yes, Judge hit more homers. But we lost yesterday’s finale and the Red Sox lost their game to the Rays, so guess what? We’re still 3 1/2 games back! It’s enough to make a person crazy.

When will we ever gain ground? When will that perfect combination of our wins and their losses amount to anything? Will we overtake them as the division leaders or not?

Our series (weather permitting) over the next few days against the Twins would have been a relief in the good old days when we owned them. Not anymore. They’re contenders too, and they’re hungry. They want that Wild Card spot. Girardi switched the rotation around, so Jaime Garcia could pitch against them tonight. I really hope he and Joe have worked through their little spat after Garcia was pulled early. I also hope he has the inside track against his former team and can pitch his heart out.

Stuck in a Ditch

September 13, 2017

Are the Yankees ever going to push the Red Sox out of the division lead? We win, we lose, we win, we lose. We won the series against the Rays with today’s “W,” but no matter what we do, we’re still 3 1/2 games back in the standings. It’s frustrating!

The good news is we’ve pulled ahead of the Twins for the Wild Card, so that’s something. But I’d still love to take the AL East. I’d also like to see Judge, Sanchez, Holliday (so glad he’s back), Castro, Didi and the rest of the gang get hits, hits and more hits. No more of these one or two-runs a game. Poor Sonny Gray gets no run support. I want runs, I tell you. Janer after Janer.

And I want pitching – from the starters as well as the relievers. Robertson had a great game the other night and Chapman seems nearly back to his old self. Girardi has had a quick hook with CC and Garcia, and I don’t blame him; these are all must-win games from here on.

Now it’s time again for the Orioles. They’re free-swingers but they can bash. And they’ve been on a slide. (How about the Indians, btw? Who wins all those games in a row? What a season they’re having.)

Not much else to say except it’s crunch time. I can’t believe we’re in mid-September already, but the leaves on the trees here in CT don’t lie. So let’s go, Yankees. For real.