More Ed Whitson every day.
Sonny Gray, Sonny Gray,
Let's lay the nails on his driveway...
Last night, from his Joel Sherman-proof command bunker a mile below Lake Ontario, Aaron Boone assured the terrified Yankiverse that all is well with Sonny Gray, and that the diminutive, shell-shocked hurler will get at least one more start, probably two, before the All-Star break.
Translation: That's two losses out of the next nine.
Boone added that, in Gleyber Torres' absence, veteran firewall Neil Walker will receive an extended shot at playing second base. Mark that down as an 0 for 20. Also, the Yankees high priests remain committed to Greg Bird, aka "the Yankee Ike Davis," at least into the dog days of August. Write in a one for whatever.
The Boone administration - which quickly gave opportunities to Torres and Miguel Andujar - seems to have fallen back into the Yankee way of waiting for underachiever veterans with big price tags. Thus, we'll watch Walker play for the next two weeks, while Tyler Wade - who was hitting every day at Scranton - gets a chance to experience dead zone inactivity. Meanwhile, we're not close to seeing Gary Sanchez return, or knowing if when he does, he'll be worth the wait.
Suddenly, the Yankee boat is leaking everywhere. The nine-man strong batting order that terrified pitchers in May has become an atrophied bottom half. Didi Gregorius has gone from MVP (April) to the middle tier of shortstops (May), despite hitting in the most advantageous spot in baseball - between Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Right now, our best threat is Aaron Hicks, who - if history is any indication - will soon tweak something and miss a month. In Scranton, Clint Frazier is breaking down fences, yet when Austin Romine bats in the ninth, we have no pinch-hitter.
Ronald Torreyes has left Scranton to deal with a family crisis. It probably didn't help that the Yankees ditched him, despite his .323 batting average. Domingo German is struggling, and CC is reaching his annual midsummer pitch count. We're about to enter a trade market heavily balanced in favor of sellers. Last year brought us Sonny Gray. Need we say more?
I know you can't draw too much negativity from merely one game. But it wasn't the 2018 Yankees that took the field last night. It was the 2008 team, or one of any in the early 2010s, and it looked dead on arrival. I saw Vernon Wells and Pronk, and Stephen Drew and David Hale - (wait, that was David Hale!) Maybe we'll storm back and take the series. But last night's Yankees sure didn't resemble a division champion, and it's probably going to get worse before it gets better.
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28 comments:
I can't take any more of this. It's only July and I just can't take anymore.
Benedícat vos omnípotens Ruthus, et Scooter, et Mantleus, et Spíritus Jeterus.
So endeth the JuJu.
After all the build-up for the last 2-years, its really a major concern had badly this team is playing! Judge is really a major disappointment, he takes pitches down the middle of the plate and swings at pitches on the opposite side out of the strike zone-than with a 3-2 count takes another right down the middle for a called strike three. He not aggressive as he was last year and seems to be unable to get the big hit with runners in scoring position when we need him to hit one out, he fails, when we don't need one he "fouls" one out to right for a cheap homer! Stanton has also failed miserably he seems to want to be aggressive, but swings at everything in the dirt. Hicks is the only one that has a very aggressive swing and it is a level under control swing, pretty swing almost like the swing Byrd use to have, I now turn the game off after we get behind, because their is no fight left in this team anymore and I just can't stand to watch this team fail one by one every inning and loose.
If the Yankees have any hope of avoiding the wildcard crapshoot, they need to make some moves. Unfortunately, we are in the same division as the red socks In addition to our starting pitching being thin ( only CC and Severino are giving us any quality starts) our first base production is at the bottom of the league. My prediction is we will not catch the red socks with what we have. The trick will be address these weaknesses without giving up guys like Frazier. If we go for stars it will cost us. If we go for solid professionals we should be able to keep our top prospects. None of us want to give up key talent for a three month rental or a used up stiff. But,if we do nothing get ready for the Mariners in a one game crapshoot. This is why Cashman gets the big bucks. We are about to see if he can earn them.
News: Hale down, Red Thunder UP.
Will they play the guy?
But Boone is the one asleep at the switch. He has swallowed the Kool-aid, and believes that Bird will come around, that Walker is a professional hitter, blah blah.
The point is; Wade is going to fail again because Boone is sitting him on the bench. Boone's argument is that we are facing two lefties.....so what? Does Wade sit for lefties in Scranton? I guarantee you that sitting Wade is a killer move. And not in the positive sense.
Drury is a total waste. If he can play second base well, then why bring up Wade? Drury is not a first baseman, and he will only play third if Andujar is tweaked or needs a day off. Not enough to get Drury going either. So Drury remains, what, a pinch hitter ...in the AL?
And sticking like cement with the notion that Sonny is not mentally broken, is simply naive. He should be moved to relief and see if he can give a useful inning or two in a blowout. If that doesn't rebuild his confidence, send him to Dr. Andrews. Give him some form of surgery, even if it is not required by arm damage.
The Yankees are finished, as far as competing for the AL championship. Only a slew of serious Boston injuries will provide an opening, and we cannot control that.
So please don't blow the future by trading our remaining talent for a rental. Remember this Mr. Cashman: YOU TRADED FOR SONNY GRAY. How do you like the results? Don't repeat this same error.
Live with our system, and live with the consequences of it.
This is our fear:
That Cashman has consumed the Kool-Aid as well, and will get us another Sonny Gray for a much, much higher cost this time.
A agree, Alphonso. If we just change our perception: this is a rebuilding year, not another "win at any cost" year, suddenly everything is looking good AS LONG AS WE DON'T TRADE THE FARM.
They get to keep loyal fans, have fun, and have hope for the future. If they revert to the norm, which I honestly expect them to do . they lost fans, have no fun and have no future. Which scenario would you choose?
And what if you were a crackhead and had no choice. I can see Brian reaching for the phone, unable to stop himself, saying "oh no, I'm doing it again..."
alphonso,
Yep! On all counts.
Doug K.
It is amazing how often and how much I am in full agreement with Alphonso. I checked with my mother and verified that, no, we are not separated twins with amazing psychic powers. Incredible.
Today, Bird is batting ninth. Huzzah, finally. And probably by mistake, Boone has set the top of the lineup as Gardy, Judge, Stanton, Hicks, Didi, finally putting the big boys back to back to back (I'm including Hicks in the "big boys" category due to his recent performance, only). Higgy is catching and batting eighth, which means we might see some power from the bottom of the lineup. (I'd include Bird in that, but, I mean...)
The other bit of news is that Lasagna has a shoulder issue. Great. When exactly will we see Sheffield? And why is it taking so long? German comes up, Lasagna comes up, Cessa comes up, but not Sheffield. I don't get it.
The saddest thing about Sonny Gray, other than his height, is that he is very honest and forthcoming about how bad he is. I can't hate a guy who sucks but bravely faces the press and says, "I suck." On the other hand, I wish he could figure it out already.
By the way, Boone was on the pre-game show saying that Sonny has great stuff. So do Oreos.
Walker is a fine hitter whose only problem is that he isn't playing every day. Cough.
Here's the thing about the Yankees. They sign Walker and Drury because the front office doesn't have the guts, balls, or faith that the kids in Scranton are ready. Drury begins to suffer the residual effects of the tests that aliens performed on him when he was captured a while back, so Andujar gets the nod. He was ready. Wade puts in a nice Spring but can't follow through, and only then does Torres eventually get the call. He was ready.
So the two guys we signed only as insurance that we had a full component of starting infielders are no longer needed. Do we trade them or cut them or allow them to move along and get some joy out of life? Nope. We keep trying to force a place for them, where they can't be good because they're not playing every day.
Meanwhile, inexplicably, Toe remains forgotten, after showing last year that he's better than Walker, for sure, and Drury, very probably.
This year is deja vu all over again. Last year, we sucked until Girardi and Cashman let the kids play. Then, down the stretch, Joe heavily preferred the vets over the kids and we dropped like Icarus.
God forbid we stick to who we have and play the best players, dealing away or releasing the unneeded folderol, giving more kids a chance instead of trading for another Sonny and Garcia.
Obviously, that is not the Yankee Way.
Btw, the lineup today has Gardy, Judge, Stanton, Andujar, then Didi.
It might seem that playing Frazier instead of Gardy today would be a good idea with the lefty Happ, but, of course....
I like Gardy a lot, but jeez Louise.
HAPLESS! Back to Back!!!! Belly to Belly!!!!
Is Happ doing his Sonny Gray impersonation?
I should never doubt Gardy.
My brain knows that we are 19-4-4 in series this season, but there are days when heart feels like it's Stump Merrill all over again. And then they go out and crush Haplesz.
The season is so long and the team you take into October is not the same team you bring North from Florida.
This game is interminable. Hour and a half for 3 innings. Sev already up to 73 pitches. What's on the Food Network?
Haplesz is not a good major league starter. I would only trade Sonny for him. And then DFA him.
This game is beyond brutal,,,,,,,at least we're ahead, JEEEEZE!
I love me some full counts. I made a big bowl of punch for my birthday today. And I'm getting all these full counts as an unexpected gift too! Whee-heee.
Warblist, I'm just finishing up my first vodka and tonic. Of course, it's a very large glass.
Frazier's in. Doesn't get a hit, but he's in.
We have friends over. They always lay out a great spread for us. So there is a quite nice cold antipasti out. The punch is a black tea punch made with rye and black rum. It's delicious.
Hey People, who was that young kid that once threw for the Yankees. Skinny Hispanic kid? Threw a Bugs Bunny changeup? Wasn't around that long?
Edwar Ramirez.
Doug K.
Thank you Doug! I couldn't think of his name and it was driving me nuts.
And look! Didi got a base hot going the other way!!
Base hit. Base hit. Toy boat.
Happy birthday, TWW! May you warble long and proud.
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