Two years ago, he's our breakout stud pitching marvel, belching up through the system with a 15-5 record and 2.45 ERA. He lands high on all those "Top 10 Prospect" chunks of online crapola, which dot the Yankiverse like sores on a leper.
In simple terms, he was then what Deivi Garcia is now - the grade-skipping flavor-of-the-day, whom the Yankees refused to trade at the deadline. And he's a lot like Michael King was last year, right about now.
But Adams developed a bone spur, underwent surgery, and last year crapped the bed from Day One. (I happened to attend his first spring training start against the Orioles, and he barely kept a ball in the yard.) He hasn't done much better this year.
(Which reminds me that King showed up this spring with arm issues and has missed most of 2019. And don't forget Jordan Montgomery, who flew through the system until Dr. Andrews called, and who now is rehabbing. Frankly, I won't be surprised if Garcia arrives in Tampa with his arm in an ice-box.)
But I digress. Last night, the Yankees scored 11 runs and lost. They not only lost the game, but they lost a chance to take the lead in the race for post-season home field advantage. Houston holds the tiebreaker, so we either go on a streak or plan on beating Verlander at home, in front of his wife, which - frankly - just won't happen.
Eleven runs and you lose. A six run lead, and you lose. Two Gardy homers, and you lose. At the end, you're using a guy two years past his sell-by date, with a 7.50 ERA, after you've run out a conga line of castoffs, including the Toe-Tapper himself, and some guy named "Dull." And you lose.
Listen: I'm not questioning Aaron Boone's decision. Supposedly, Tommy Kahnle has a wrist problem. (Uh-oh.) But where are all those pitchers from Scranton we were auditioning last month? Adonis Rosa, Brady Lail, Raynel Espinal? (We traded JP Feyerisen and Joe Harvey.) Why not Ben Heller? The Redsocks have 21 pitchers wandering around the clubhouse, and we turn to Chance Adams, our resident WTF? And here's a dark thought: If Deivi Garcia is the next Chance Adams/Micheal King, should we not use whatever bullets he's got in his chamber?
Eleven runs, and you lose. Did we really have a Chance?
The team with the best record can do no better than tie the season series against the worst. Sonny Gray would have won last night
ReplyDeleteDuque, be careful. You just said you assume Boone knows what he's doing. That's dangerous ground right there. You start thinking Boone knows what he's doing, next thing you know, you'll think Rothschild can make pitchers better. That Cashman is a genius when acquiring moundsmen. That Hal wants to win at any cost. That the concession stands at the stadium are so spic and span, you can eat off the cockroaches' backs.
ReplyDeleteIt's a slippery slope, my friend. Very, very slippery, much like the stadium men's room floor. Be careful.
And here's a thought, instead of arriving in Detroit at 3am ( and in bed at 5am), enforce a mandatory 1pm game for any fly away day, period, across the board for all teams, screw the networks. Not making excuses for the crap pitching performances by pitchers who shouldn't even be pitching on this team at this point, but I don't want The Master ( and the players) taxed any more than is needed down the stretch.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteFangraphs has pages that monitor pitchers and their outings. The one for NYYs is here:
https://www.fangraphs.com/teams/yankees/player-usage/pitcher-usage
Note: I am not paid by Fg or a paid member of their thing.
I consulted it after seeing Chance in the game in a key sitch.
El Chapo has thrown 19 pitches in the past 7 days, it says.
Kahnle has thrown 15 pitches in that time, in 2 appearances.
Both El and K last threw on 9/7. Yesterday was 9/10.
NOT using either guy last night makes on wonder if Boone (or Rothschild, or both) made a heavy bet on the Tigers . . . ?
Hear, hear, Duque!
ReplyDeleteWe've bitched about this all year: Ma Boone's propensity for letting games go for the darnedest reasons, and before anything is wrapped.
It does seem to me that we could at least have had an inning last night from Chad, who threw 3 against Boston, I know—but on Saturday.
LAST NIGHT MADE NO SENSE.
ReplyDelete....AND IT MAY HAVE COST US EVERYTHING.
FOR STARTERS, WHY USE OTTAVINO IN THE 7TH, AND BRITTON IN THE 8TH, IF YOU'RE PLANNING ON BRINGING IN CHANCE ADAMS IN THE 9TH????
WHAT?
DIDN'T BOONIE (OR COOP), HAVE THAT BACKWARDS?
CHANCE ADAMS TO CLOSE????
EVERY GAME SHOULD BE VIEWED AS A WORLD SERIES GAME AT THIS POINT.
IF WE DON'T WIN HOME FIELD, THERE IS NO TOMORROW.
FOR ALL THE SABERMETRICS COOP AND THE GANG BELIEVE IN, HERE IS ONE STATISTIC THAT HOLDS THE MOST WATER......
TEAMS THAT HAVE HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE, WIN.
Kahnle had wrist tendonitis so he wasn't available. He's available today.
ReplyDeleteWill be interesting when Monty, Sevy and Dellin finish their minor league stints.
Also, 6 of the 8 pitchers we put in the game last night wont be on the PS roster.
Every team is subject to lose any contest on the 162 game schedule. But at several important junctures during this season, Boone has made very unexplainable lineup changes, no more so than with his pitchers. Apparently, Boone doesn't put much stock in the home field advantage in baseball. You know, "momentum is in that day's starting pitching matchup."
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Duque, Adonis was DFA'd while Heller added to the roster early this morning and is with the team.
A possible explanation...
ReplyDeleteLet me start by saying that I don't fully believe what I am about to type.
Nevertheless what if...
Having the best record in the AL (or MLB) doesn't matter to Boone as much as sticking to his plan to see if there are any new pitchers he can trust in high leverage situations. (Chance Adams just failed BTW we will not see him in that type of situation again.)
Madness? Is it though?
If Houston ends up with the best record then they get the wild card winner. Right now it's Tampa and the A's -- two teams that can actually beat them. So it is POSSIBLE that the Yankees don't have to face the Astros at all. Not probable but possible.
We would get the Twins and takes our chances. Actually I'd rather face the Twins than the A's or Rays.
If we beat them we get the A's or Rays WITH HOME FIELD Advantage.
If we end up with the best record in MLB that's good too. But...
Do we need home-field against LA? We looked good there. And we would have home field against everyone else in the NL.
So while I wouldn't say that Boone would blow games DELIBERATELY I don't think he cares as much as we do. (About home field) He needs to know what he's got.
Doug K.
Doug...very good point!
ReplyDelete
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