A Tale of Two Teams

Well, another day game after a night game, another Sunday of ineffectual hitting against mediocre pitchers and terrible fundamentals.

Apart from the increasingly obvious fact that this team can no longer afford to have CC giving us his big five innings (maybe) every time out, what reeked about this effort is that it was all too typical of the Yankees since late May.

To wit:

Exactly how brain dead this franchise is becomes more and more evident with every step closer to October.  As usual, it cannot settle in any way on a coherent strategy or direction, as so tries to do everything and nothing.

For instance, I realize that injuries have taken a serious toll on this team, much more serious than on its main rivals.  But why not at least try to adjust to that?

For instance, today we manage to load the bases with nobody out—AGAIN—and Hetch Hetchy, our defensive wizard pickup coming to bat.  All right, so the guy is lumber-challenged.  Then how 'bout...a surprise bunt, maybe?

No can do.  Hetchy kayed, and later contributed a lousy throw home to help score Seattle's winning run.  Gardner then gave us one of his patented pop foulouts, and struck out in the ninth, with a Serena flourish.  He's now hitting .237, and I can't remember the last time he got an extra-base hit.

Stanton popped out himself to end it.  I do appreciate how Giancarlo carried the team for a few weeks there, but since August 18th, he has contributed all of 1 homer and 7 ribbies, and his batting average has dropped by 19 points.

With the expanded rosters, why not give these outfielders who are dragging so badly some time off?  Because, that's why.

For that matter, if the injuries are making you play shorthanded, why not try to push the action?

Seattle's winning run wasn't Betances' fault (although WTF is Boone now pushing guys like crazy in the pen?  Because!)  but manufactured by a desperate Mariners team.

Why aren't WE bunting, or stealing, or anything?

In the 8th, Sanchez led off with a walk, and Boone pinch-ran Tyler Wade.  And there he sat, even as Seattle's catcher struggled with a Sancho problem, shall we say, with the Mariners reliever.

A passed ball and a wild pitch eventually got Wade to third, but an actual sentient, thinking manager instead of the mere extension of Brian Cashman's brain might've had Wade try to steal and so get to third in time for the long fly Voit hit in the midst of this.

Want to hear a sad fact?  The Yankees this year have 59 stolen bases, which would be the team's lowest total in 25 years.  Twenty-five years.

Joe FOB had the valid question as to why we're so upset with the performance of this team if it still has the second-best record in baseball.

The reason is because we got a glimpse of what it could have been, with that 50-22 start.  Since then, the Yanks have been 39-32, which is a long, long time to play mediocre, uninspired ball, injuries or no injuries.

Through their first 47 games, the Yanks were averaging 5.9 runs a game, and had scored 10 runs or more 8 different times.

In the 96 games since then, they have averaged 4.7 runs, and scored 10 or more all of 5 times.

One can blame this dramatic drop in production on the injuries and the implosions, but then how about bloody well reacting?  How about trying something like a stolen base in the 8th inning of a tied game?

Instead, we sit around waiting for the next home run.  Apparently not realizing there is nobody left to hit it.