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Wednesday, June 14, 2017

An Ace of an Opportunity

I received a postcard, recently, from Jesus Montero.

He has always favored me because I was pretty firm in my position that the Yankees lost the trade that sent him to Seattle for Pineda.

He wishes everyone on this blog well, by the way, and harbors no ill feelings toward his critics.  Jesus always asks me send him a freezer pack of mint-flavored ice cream sandwiches ( which I have been secretly doing ).  Some things never change.

As June 14, 2017 dawns, however, I am looking pretty much out of gas on Jesus' defense that the Yankees got the better half of that trade.  Numbers only lie for a while.

Pineda used to hurt us when he started.  Jesus never hurt us sitting in the minors, trying to learn another position and putting on pounds.  This was my position.

Now we have a true test of who we got in that trade.  And Pineda needs to deliver for the Yankees today. It is not enough that he has a good record.  A dominating win tonight is what differentiates an Ace from a guy having a decent season.

When the team has a flat loss, particularly after a spectacular winning streak, it needs an Ace to put a stop to the bleeding.  An ace has to shut down the opponent, with no mercy, so the team can get back on track. An Ace must stops losing streaks. Like the one we just fell into last night.

Who would have expected that M. Pineda would be in that spot for us?

This is an opportunity no one expected.

We'll be watching closely.

11 comments:

DutchFan said...

How nice, Big Stick Santino provides a cushion.

Leinstery said...

We're five batters into the game, the curse of saying we won the trade seems to be striking again. Hicks just saved a grand slam while I'm writing. Not out of the woods yet and more innings of this to go. Never again can we utter those words.

Leinstery said...

Yep. Never again shall we declare that trade won.

DutchFan said...

We have a fried bullpen according to Joe.
Great timing not to have won the trade that dare not speak its name.

DutchFan said...

One thing you can say, it isn't boring.......

Alphonso said...

How do you say, "Pineda sucks," in Dutch?

DutchFan said...

Pineda zuigt
We use the exact same expression

DutchFan said...

Simmons.
Well one thing he has going for him is that he is Dutch. Not that I am proud of it right now, but, well, you know.

DutchFan said...

Are we reeling now?

SADLOVE said...

We have a fried bullpen according to Joe.
Great timing not to have won the trade that dare not speak its name.
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