Last night, with a game on the line, Casey Boone turned to someone named Tyler Lyons. He is 31 and a recent escapee of the MLB glue factory, signed by Cooperstown Cashman after compiling an incredible 11.25 ERA with Pittsburgh. Last night, well, it just didn't work out, and the Yankees blew a winnable game.
To explain why Boone turned to Lyons, we should acknowledge that he had already burned through two innings of Luis Cessa, which is like walking on hot coals after taking a shower of Kingsford Odorless. It is amazing how the Yankee bullpen collapses into Doritos dust once the big four set-ups have pitched. After Otto, Chad, Zack and Tommy, no lead is safe... which is why the Yankees are now desperately seeking Dellin.
Last night, Betances pitched for Double A Trenton. He threw 16 pitches and gave up a home run. His velocity hovered around a demoralizing 92 mph, which is old CC territory. It's shuddering to think of him facing MLB hitters. The Yankees will need a blowout situation to justify bringing him in.
They might get one soon. Luis Severino may start tomorrow's game. In Scranton, he pitched one inning, gave up two runs.
And then there is Jordan Montgomery - back from TJ surgery. He pitched 1.2 innings for Scranton: 2 hits and a run, albeit, unearned.
I recognize that small sample sizes and rehab stats mean nothing to a veteran making his way back to Gotham. But damn, it sure would be nice to see a one-two-three inning, especially when the opposition is the Bowie Baysox. It's starting to look as though, at least with our pitchers, the cavalry might be arriving too late.
Meanwhile - sorry, but I have to go there - Dallas Keuchel has allowed only four runs in his last six starts - 37 innings with an ERA of 0.97 - for Atlanta. Keuchel is the pitcher we needed, but Food Stamps Hal Steinbrenner couldn't be bothered to reach for his wallet. He has become the Braves' ace, and if Halligator Arms had done his job - that is, spending a quantum speck of his uncountable fortune - we would not be worrying about losing home field advantage because our best hope in a cliffhanger turned out to be somebody named Tyler Lyons.
Uh-oh...that's not Dellin, it's fake Dellin...Fellin.
ReplyDeleteHow many times have we lived through last night over the years? I haven't kept count, but it's a mucho grande number. Long gone are the days of the bridge to Mariano. Now we have a bending plank across the gorge to...Lord? Oh Lord.
ReplyDeleteBoone's strategy seems to be two-fold: one, always lose the first game of every remaining regular season series in laboratory mode, and two, prove to Cashman that these guys he's unearthing are total crap, allowing Boone to leave them off the postseason roster without incurring the wrath of the repeller.
So far, number one is working. Hopefully number two comes to pass without incident.
Actually, these cast-off pitchers can best be described as number two, in a Mr. Whipple-associated way.
RIGHT AGAIN MR. DUQUE...
ReplyDeleteKEUCHEL WOULD HAVE PUT US OVER THE TOP AT A PRORATED SALARY OF $13 MILL. (FOR THE 1 YEAR DEAL THAT HAL AND COOP LOVE).
COOP AND THE GANG HAVEN'T YET FIGURED OUT THAT IT'S GONNA BE HOME FIELD, OR GO HOME.
I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE....
WHAT A SHAME.
THIS WAS OUR YEAR.
It's not just Keuchel, either:
ReplyDeleteDallas Keuchel: 8-5 3.35
Pat Corbin: 12-7 3.20
Sonny Gray: 10-7 2.80
Nope, couldn't use those guys. Or whatever pitcher we might have got for Gray.
Don't forget Lynn.
ReplyDeleteSuzyn just cracked me up. Trying to explain why the Yankees couldn't win last night, she said, here's a team that had two ten game road trips, with a very short home stand in between, and played two long games in a double-header in Detroit, then they get on a plane AND TRAVELED TO ANOTHER COUNTRY, so of course they make a mental mistake and can't get a hit for the last six innings.
ReplyDeleteOh my aching sides...
John is a victim of himself.
ReplyDeleteWow, Suzyn just said Vlad Jr. Has lost a lot of weight.
ReplyDeleteHe's still incredibly fat.
Wow.