Last night, the Railriders looked like the Golden State Warriors of minor league baseball

Yeesh. I haven't seen such a stomping since Bruno Sanmartino avenged himself against Hans Mortier, that stinking Nazi bastard, on WPIX's "Wrestling from Washington." Last night, Scranton beat the hometown Syracuse Chiefs - (alias the "Salt Potatoes," for renewed marketing ops) - 14-2, with our two measly runs coming in the ninth, while everyone was Gameday-ing the Yanks on their phones, waiting for the fireworks display.

Some crude, uninformed observations:

1. Don't know why Josh Rogers gets such little respect from the Simon Cowells and Paula Abduls of the prospect-scouting scam industry. Last night, he so efficiently put down the Chiefs that I barely saw him pitch. He went 7 innings, gave up three hits and walked nobody. Three up, three down, repeat. You want a crafty lefty? They couldn't touch him. Half-innings lasted three minutes. The guy is 23, getting outs in at Triple A, and you'd think he'd be in the mix for call-ups. But nobody ever mentions him. 

Of course, he's been inconsistent; we can't know if last night started a streak or is just a temporary thing. Also, Justus Sheffield pitched well Thurdsay night, and Dillon Tate did well in Trenton - not to mention Jonathan Loiasiga - all coming together, just as Cashman looks to play musical chairs - trading someone for another traditional mid-season tin can. The official line is that the Yankees are playing so well that "they deserve" to be helped with a trade for pitching. I don't know about that. Seems to me, they're playing well because they finally gave rookies a chance. Would changing the strategy now actually be a reward?

2. Ryan McBroom - who I symbolically demand when the Yankees near a sweep - (hopefully, this weekend) - had a career - no, a lifetime - night. He went 5 for 6 with a HR. It was like something on the Sci-Fi Channel. At one point, he seemed to tap a ball, which soared into the left-center gap for a double. He made a nice catch in deep right-center. His homer is still on its way to North Korea; the outfielders barely twitched. Don't know what to do with the Broomer. He's 26, the 1B-OF we obtained for Brigadoon Refsnyder, which says something. Soon, Tyler Austin will arrive in Scranton, reducing his role even further. Five for six. Wow. This is why the Yankees need a trade.

3. Though he went 1-5, Clint Frazier crushed the ball almost every time up. One went out, blasted to the opposite field, a good sign. With every appearance, Frazier roiled the Syracuse crowd in the way Judge does in New York. People inched forward to watch. He played CF, which is interesting. Dear God, I hope the Yankees keep him. With Gardy approaching free agency, we're going to need an OF next year, and it doesn't have to cost $40 million. And if we trade Frazier for that Cashmanic "power arm," won't it just turn out to be someone en route to Tommy John? (See Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi, et al.)  

4. Brandon Drury looked MLB-ready... and smart. At one point, playing 3B, he backhanded a smash, set himself carefully, and then made the lamest throw to first I'd ever seen. It bounced three times and just barely nipped the runner. It sickened me, until I realized what Drury had done. The play happened as the sun was setting directly over Drury's left shoulder - it's a known factor in Chiefs home games - when throws from third are almost impossible for a 1B to see. So Drury, by rolling it to first, was saving his teammate from trauma. Smart. The guy deserves to be in the majors, another reason for a trade.

5. Tyler Wade and Billy McKinney keep hitting. Wade's average - which was in the shitter for his depressed first month at Triple A - is now .262. (He played RF last night.) McKinney hit his fourth homer in six games. I mean, really, these guys are ready.

6. Mark Payton, back from injuries, whacked two homers. At 5'9", he looks like a midget out there. Could he be the Torreyes of the outfield? Bats left-handed, lots of speed, but he's 26. Better move fast. 

7. Tommy Kahnle pitched a scoreless eighth but didn't look dominant. Walked the leadoff hitter. Surely, he'll soon be up. I hope he's getting it together. Didn't see it in Syracuse. But, hey, that's Syracuse. People miss a lot of things here - like summer.