The trade of Nuni. We picked up a 20-year-old LH single A pitcher, who has been dealt twice in two years. The reality here is that Cashman fished Eduardo Nunez on a jagged hook for a week, and nobody was biting. We found no backup 1B, no utility IF, no veteran bat, no salary dump, no BP fodder. This kid was not listed by Baseball America as one of Minnesota's top prospects, for whatever that's worth. (Not much, to me.) Still, the Nunez experience leaves a bitter taste. Nuni showed so much promise, raised so many hopes, and ended up as such a disappointment.
The injury to David Robertson. This is the second time the real Robbie has been handed the closer role - and promptly gets hurt. Not suggesting anything - his character is sound - but it's worth noting. Can his thin body stand up to the added physical pressure of being the day-to-day closer? As much as his injury hurts now, here's the positive: We get to audition closers. Let's see who has it, and who doesn't.
At this point, I want to abandon any sense of knowledgeable analysis here and state what every Yankee fan is dreaming: That Dellin Betances can step in and become the stopper. This is our ultimate hope - that after all these years, Betances has the stuff to close. Frankly, I've wondered whether I can handle an entire season of Houdini walking the first two batters in every ninth inning. I'm all for seeing what else we've got. (Let's hope it's something.)
"Ellsbrury." A reader - MANX - noted this, and the excellent blog, Big League Stew, was on it earlier. This is what happens when you partner with Fox News. (I'm still dealing with John and Suzyn having to deal with the NY Post in the Murdoch Fifth.)Yangervis. We are on a sugar high with Solarte. But everybody knows it cannot last. Yesterday, in the eighth, it looked like he had crashed a home run to RF. I mean, he nailed it. The ball died at the wall. Maybe balls were carrying yesterday. Maybe the air was too dense. But from the CF camera, it looked like Yangervis crushed it. And it died at the wall. Bad sign.
First place. That's us. Pitching, pitching, pitching. I am officially climbing onto the bandwagon!
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Fear not, Dear Leader. The ball was not carrying yesterday in the cold, damp air. Witness the Captain, looking a little too much like Robbie admiring a "home run", then barely making it to second. Robbie would have been thrown out, of course.
This is an interesting tidbit from LoHud on Robertson. Calling Dr. Freud?
"Dave Robertson has only gone on the disabled list one other time, and that was the last time he was handed the ninth-inning (after the Rivera injury in 2012). “Every time I get the chance, something just stops me from it,” Robertson said. “But I’ll get healthy. I’ll get back.”"
What the F happened to Robertson? I watched Shawn Kelly close out the game, but assumed Joe wanted to give David a rest, having pitched in nearly every game so far.
Now I wake up to learn he is on the DL.
WTF?
I totally agree about Solarte's last at bat. It looked as if that ball was headed for the upper deck.
The air can't be that heavy.
I can't argue with Alphonso. Perhaps there ain't much pop in Solarte's bat. We'll just have to settle for the doubles.
Nothing on here about John's calling Jeter's double as being "GONE"? This is still johnsterling.blogspot.com, isn't it?
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