In losing three of four this weekend, the team adhered to strict mathematical probabilities, as it has done in recent years when visiting its winter home. How did they lose thee? Let us count the ways.
1. In each loss, no HRs.
It's sad but simple: For all their power, the Yankees cannot score the old-fashioned way, by moving runners base to base. Yesterday, Aaron Judge went 0-5, leaving five. Not to pick on Judge - our MVP thus far - but he symbolizes the malady. Regardless of the situation, he takes long, looping home run cuts. Only two Yankees - DJ LeMahieu and Mike Tauchman - seem capable of adjusting to a pitcher, and that is cause for concern.
This problem gets overlooked when the Death Star bludgeons a weak staff, as it did with Baltimore and Boston. But against solid pitching, this inability to manufacture a run will eventually kill our chances. Yesterday, they loaded the bases in the first with one out - then were lucky to score one run when Mike Ford was hit by a pitch. Disastrous.
2. Bad decisions by Aaron Boone.
Who thought it was a good idea to play Giancarlo twice in a doubleheader? Now, he is once again an afterthought, perhaps for the season.
And yesterday, what was Boonie thinking by leaving James Paxton to pitch the seventh? The guy had thrown six shutout innings, his first solid outing of 2020, and he needed it under his belt. The bullpen was ready. It was time to seal the deal. Boone wanted more, even after a double and a home run. Disastrous.
3. Like grease through a goose, key pitches slide through Gary Sanchez. I'm ready to start calling him "Castor Oil."
In the ninth, Zack Britton uncorked a wild pitch, moving the winning run into scoring position. It was on Britton, no question. But yeesh, in critical situations, great catchers block those balls. Sanchez waves at them, as he's done throughout his career. He always will. He has become Matt Nokes - a lousy catcher, who runs into mistake pitches, but who is not enough of a glove or a hitter to play 1B.
Why are we still doing this? Well, one reason might be that the Yankees have Sanchez relatively cheap: A one-year contract at $5 million. He doesn't become a free agent until 2023. But he's not improving, and before Kyle Higashioka strained his gut, you could almost sense the Yankees were ready to move on.
For the last three years, we have made catches our top draft picks, and spent gobs on 16-year-old Latino backstops. Without the minors, we can't tell how they are progressing. I don't even think any were ready for Double A. But Sanchez is looking like a lost cause. He really needs to step up.
Gary, Gary, Gary. You seemed like a titan and turned into a Lilliputian.
ReplyDeleteMy mom (96 this past February) wrote me an email after the game in emotional frustration at Boone's inability to take a pitcher out when he's cooked. At this point, she's a better manager than Boone.
When the Yanks were on a tear just a short while ago, they did get base hits and doubles with men on base. The HR dominated, but the other part was there, too.
Same shit, different year. 10-6 does not inspire great confidence. Good to see Paxton work six great innings, though. I'm sure the seventh will derail him psychologically and we'll be back to square one, but it was good to see.
We can pile on Gary all we want, but this one's on Boone. Terrible managing. Contrast it with Kevin Cash, who always seems to push the right buttons, against us at least. Boone manages like an automaton. Having given up the back to back homers, I don't why he bothered to take Paxton out at that point. It ended up just burning our closer in the 9th. And why was our closer in a tie game? We all know about the closer in a tie game, how there's less adrenaline, and they don't pitch as well as in a save situation. We don't have enough pitchers to go a few innings without using Britton in the 9th? But obviously, this game was over when they tied it against Paxton. The 3 runs we scored were all gifts. We didn't deserve to win.
ReplyDeleteWhat irks me even more is that three of our guys got knocked down the other day. Did any of our pitchers knock down even one Tampa batter? Disgraceful lack of guts. I would've charged the mound. It was a mistake to trade a guy like Tyler Austin. I like guys who play aggressively. When your own pitchers don't protect you, you have to take matters into your hands.
The Hammer of God
Duque,
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly. I mean exactly.
I will only add: we stop the losing streak today !
I agree, Hammer. And the Tampa bench was chirping at Paxton after they got to him. Somebody should get it in the ribs after that.
ReplyDeleteBut really, I'm not sure what good any of it would do. They have the same problems they've had ever since that 2017 season didn't quite work out.
There's not enough starting pitching—great idea to go for Sonny Gray instead of Verlander—Sanchez is in a permanent, years long death spiral as a player, the "Three True Outcomes" approach to baseball is ruinous, and the fact that much of the team overtrains to the point where it can't stay on the field.
The farm system, unbeatable in 2017, fell apart, and young players—such as Frazier and Andujar—are regularly ruined, while Cashman tries to compensate with the big purchase. The team will be competitive for years, but it's not capable of winning it all.
Nothing to add. All of you nailed it 100%
ReplyDeleteThey are the same team from last year. First and second one out means strike out, fly out, done.
Instead, I offer a monkey's paw theory about Stanton.
What if Stanton's injuries were caused by a gypsy who made a deal with Frazier? The deal is this, until the Yankees bring Frazier up and keep him up Stanton will keep getting hurt to make that space for him.
Only releasing Brett Gardner and giving his roster spot to Frazier will remove the curse.
Just a thought.
Doug K.
@ Hoss, the one thing that we could try is to bring in a personal coach for Sanchez. Who in the minors was the one who brought out the best in him? Someone who knows what buttons to push. It's obvious to me that he has great talent, but he looks like a blockhead in most of his at bats. He might be getting a little better with the bat lately. If Sanchez doesn't wake up within two weeks, Aaron Boone has got to step up, recognize that the coaches here just aren't reaching Sanchez, take charge, squelch all the egos, and tell Cashman to bring in a handpicked personal coach who'll fix him.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the starting pitching is obviously not going to be cured during this season. There's no reason for anyone to make a deal during this free for all covid-19 season. We needed to make some moves during the winter, and Cashman did nothing. He threw a mountain of money at Cole and that was it.
The Hammer of God
@ Doug K. We should have traded Gardner at least a few years ago, maybe even before. We certainly should not have retained him as free agent. And I know it's tough to find a buyer for Stanton, but nobody said the Yankee GM job was a cakewalk. Cashman should have moved Stanton after the first year here. He obviously doesn't make the team better. He blocks the path to the roster for several guys who could make the team much better. Should've cut his losses and moved on. If all of us knew this, why didn't Cashman? He's like the academic scientist or historian. Too dependent on data and numbers, he's the last to know anything. There is zero vision or foresight.
ReplyDeleteThe Hammer of God
You're right, Hammer. I was citing the historical example of the Yanks using Bill Dickey, one of the greatest catchers of all time, to train Yogi Berra, and then Dickey and Berra—TWO of the greatest catchers of all time—training Elston Howard. Who in turn was around as a coach when Munson played on the team.
ReplyDeleteA natural to work with Sanchez would seem to be Posada, a guy who made the difficult conversion from second base to catcher, and had a helluva work ethic.
But that ain't happenin', I suspect, because our genius GM burned his bridges with Jorge years ago.
I frankly wonder if Sanchez will still be in baseball 2-3 years from now.
And Hammer, I agree with you about Stanton, except for this: Cashman learns NOTHING from history.
ReplyDeleteHe just had the recent history of Giambi, CC, Teixeira, and especially Ellsbury to tell him how dangerous huge contracts of that length could be. He also could and should have looked at Stanton's extensive injury background.
He did neither, just leapt in, thinking he was screwing over Jeter, a man he apparently thinks of as an imbecile.
This year will make 23 seasons that Cashman has been the GM, without winning with a team he built himself. I don't think there's a record like it in all of sports.
Somebody needs to go all 1982 Dave Righetti and find Gary his Sammy Ellis. Old medicine but I'd bet on it working.
ReplyDelete
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