So... why lie? I didn't coffee-up last night to watch the Yankees play a nothing game in a nothing city against a team of last place nobodies. Jeez, I've learned something from the last 60 years: Never stay up all night in May to watch a West Coast game against the worst team in the AL... because you'll end up catching an elbow to the cortex from the ghost of Capt. Joan. And last night, that's what happened to the Yankees.
But there's a deeper, more Babadook-like, reason why I trundled off to bed: Slade Heathcott wasn't in the lineup. After A-Rod, Gardner and maybe Brian McCann - who tapers his swing now and then to beat the overshift - no Yankee hitter is certifiably fun to watch. (Until Tex is hitting at least .250, it's still too frustrating to watch him lash liners into the teeth of the defense.)
Heathcott was supposed to play last night. Warming up, he tweaked a leg. The ever-plummeting Chris Young replaced him. Young went 0-3 with two strikeouts and a walk; his average now stands at .229 - down from over .300 in April. (Last year, with the Mets, Young hit .205, until they released him. Cashman gobbled him up and, after Young homered in a couple games, was hailed as the great scrap pile genius, blah blah blah...)
Heathcott's tweak is the juju gods screwing with us. It Carlos Beltran had snapped a gonad, the Yankiverse would have cheered, because a) Beltran has been a millstone in the lineup and b) Beltran will inevitably hurt something so - hey - bring it on! But it was Heathcott, the one guy without a concrete ceiling over his head... and, worse, a guy whose career problem is staying on the field.
Serious injury? I donno. The Yankees seem to claim otherwise. But if there's another thing I know from 60 year, it's that the Yankees lie about injuries.
So... we remain atop the AL East yard sale. But this looks like a West Coast swing from hell. We blew a three run lead and lost to the league's worst team. And maybe we lost one of the few fun players. Don't know what happened in that pre-game warmup. I sure hope Heathcott didn't run into Capt. Joan. That would explain everything, even if there is no there there.
This is torture. I did not even bother to tape the game ( I would only stay up to watch it at the lake ) because I saw the line-up. And with no Slade, I had no interest.
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees always lie about injuries ( see Ellsbury, who is now due back in maybe a month ). Slade is stricken, you can count on it. And if he can't stay on the field at his age, we should lose our interest in him because we shall only be haunted by " what might have beens."
Next up?
I listened to the whole thing. It was a slow train wreck. You knew C.C. was in there too long. And not only did Girardi let him pitch to Lowrie, he let him start the next inning so he could give the A's a sporting chance by putting the first 2 on. Then instead of putting in a real relief pitcher, he puts in Carpenter. You knew Carpenter would blow it and he did.
ReplyDeleteAs you'e pointed out, this is not a good bullpen. You never get to Bettances/Miller if you have the reincarnations of Dooley Womack, Joe Verbanic, and Bill Burbach coming out of the pen in the 5/6/7.
And then there's the idea of walking the guy ahead of Didi in a key situation. Didi out on the first pitch. You knew that would happen. You wouldn't want to try a pinch hitter there -- I mean lets save the pinch hitter for the "high leverage" situation when the game is lost with 2 outs in the ninth. And Teix once again lined out into the shift in a critical situation.
Yes, it's one game. But you do need some sense of urgency. And you can't keep doing the same stupid thing every game hoping that somehow the team magically gets better.
Carpenter has got to go.
ReplyDeleteUrrrggg, efffing Carpenter!
ReplyDeleteSomehow I woke up and tuned in just as Carpenter blew it, seems like he blows it EVERYTIME, this statistically can't be true, but I somehow I always have the pleasure of experiencing it.
Ceeja is spot on correct, there is no bridge between a shaky starter and Bettances & Miller.