"The Crisis"

"These are the times that try men's souls.  Gone are the glass Giancarlo and the pouting Toonces."

Yep.  2015 it looks like.  Or the dog days of 2017.  Or last year.

Hmm, funny how this keeps happening over and over again.  Part of it is natural, just what goes on over a long season.  Part of it...well, what's the definition of insanity?  Doing the same thing over and over again and sticking the profits in your personal bank account rather than the business you run?

Never mind.  

You go to war with the team HAL allows you to have.  The question is what we can do to maximize that team.  Besides, that is, the imminent pitching deal that Coops is plotting which will be hailed as pure genius and prove within a couple starts to be...not so much.

A few immediate things come to mind, most of which have already been alluded to here:

—Why do we have two closers?  It seemed like a good idea at the time...but it only works if we actually use them.

We all saw that El Chapo looked ready for a meltdown.  I think I even wrote it.  So...why not Britton last night?  "Chapman tomorrow, Britton tonight!"

Nope.  Ma Boone, who is proving as rigid in his own way as ol' Binders was, believes in two days for Chapo, only then the other guy.

—Time to return to a sensible lineup?  Some things have been written here about Judge's power drop.  Maybe it IS due to a sensible caution after the lat thing.  Maybe it's the accumulation of what are now three straight years' worth of serious injuries.

(As I think Alphonso wrote the other day, it doesn't seem as if we ever quite got the same Judge back who was the pre-Home Run Derby of 2017 Judge.)

Maybe it's simply that other teams' pitchers—unlike the Spawn of Larry Rothschild (this year's big summer horror/chiller)—have made adjustments and are throwing him stuff that is harder to hit out.

In any case, Judge seems to have adjusted back and started hitting a lot of singles.  Which is really fine by me.  I'm never going to criticize a guy for going with what he's given.

But why oh why then, keep him in that no. 2 spot???

Wouldn't we rather see a Judge constantly hitting with a couple guys on base in front of him, distracting the pitcher?  Wouldn't we rather see him where a single would drive in a run or two, not simply leave him to die on the vine while lesser power hitters fan the breeze?

Again, there may be a reason why managers put together lineups in a certain way for 130 years.  It just could be that they weren't all idiots, but had a reason for what they did...

—No more letting-up nonsense.

I'm sorry to beat this drum again, but it has to be said:  deciding to treat those last two games in Tampa before the All-Star break as spring training in July was a huge mistake.

If only unconsciously, Ma sent the message that the season was over, the division wrapped.  The usual suspects in the press box duly fell into line.

It was ridiculous.  As we all knew, there would be a period of adjustment for everyone getting back from the break as was.  No need to take extra days off.  No need to throw away games to the team chasing you.

Slumps will happen, even if you have a real manager and an owner who cares about winning.  They are why, like good little ants, you pile up the wins while the sun is shining and the opposition is in disarray.

Instead, expect a daily struggle through the rest of the summer doldrums.