Thursday, September 2, 2021

Cole saves the day (as will be expected in the Wild Card playoff)

Thanks to our ace, Gerrit Cole, the Death Barge's losing streak ended at four last night. 

And thanks to our dear friends, the Baltimore Orioles, this holiday weekend shapes up as a chance to solidify our tenuous hold on the home field advantage for the 2021 Wild Card. 

That one-game playoff - now 29 games off - could pit Cole against Boston's Chris Sale, a certifiable Yankee nightmare in his previous incarnation, before elbow surgery. Excuse me if I don't jump for joy at the prospect of facing Sale in a one-game gauntlet. 

As for last night:

1. I think we saw Boone's October bullpen closing protocol. (For now, anyway.) Jonathan Loaisiga pitched the eighth, and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make, El Chapo. It was always going to be the Chapster, who will either show command - in which case we have a chance - or our demise will resemble the fall of the Afghani government. Last night, Aroldis threw a 1-2-3 ninth, his first since August 23 against Atlanta. In his last six outings, he has thrown two perfect innings. I don't mean to hang an impossible task on Chapman - no pitcher is always perfect - and nobody will ever accuse him of phoning it in. He's a valiant warrior, throwing his hardest, even when it's clear he has nothing. Still, it's hard to imagine the guy holding up through a wild card, a divisional playoff, a championship series and a world series. Nope. We needed a Zack Britton for that level of fantasy. And Britton is gone.

2. When the post-season awards come around, the Japanese Babe Ruth will obviously take most of the hardware. But Aaron Judge should be one of the MVP front-runners. He has 30 HRs, and his next hit will vault him over .300 in that obviously meaningless statistic: batting average. He is a gold glove RF (who needs to play CF in the stretch, especially with Brett Gardner stumbling; Gardy went 1-4 last night, increasing his BA to .214.) Now and then, I ponder the worst case scenario: Judge tweaks something. He cannot be replaced. Judge has elevated his game, one of the best in baseball, and Shohei Ohtani wasn't the only great one on the field last night.

(I write the above to indemnify myself against the things I will say next time Judge goes 0-4 with three Ks.) 

3. Three game against the O's, then four against Toronto and three vs the Merry Mets. In our last 29 games, we have 13 against tomato cans - (Cleveland, Baltimore, Texas, Minnesota) - and finish with the big three: Jays, Redsocks and Rays (though some of those games might won't matter.) If we can take 9 of 13 against the tomatoes, 2-3 against the Mets, and go 7-6 against the contenders, we'll play the one game Wild Card at home. That's what we need. (And Boston currently has no lights-out closer, plus, it's facing a team Covid epidemic.) 

There is no divisional race. Our one chance is the Wild Card. And Gerrit Cole must pitch it. 

37 comments:

JM said...

Hey, all we have to do is make up 4 games on the Tampa Bay Virus Spreaders before that last series and then sweep them...

Yeah, that doesn't seem plausible, even by Susie Sunshine standards. But it was good to see the old Chapman throwing 101 and mowing down the Angels. Maybe the guy has sorted himself out just in time for the postseason, assuming we have one beyond the Wild Card baloney. Or is it bologna?

Judge has really turned it on. We have to hope it carries through the rest of this month and into October. Man, the guy is great when he plays a lot. If only there was a way to have Stanton play the outfield, I bet he could hit, too.

Boone is an idiot.

Anonymous said...

There is still a mathematical chance that the 3 games against TB will be meaningful for the division—thus, Cole might be needed then…. If there’s a single WC game….????

TheWinWarblist said...

Well done Chester, glad to see you owning up to your pedophilia. Admitting you have a problem is the first step.

ZacharyA said...

Aaron Judge's contract is going to be fascinating, whether it's an extension with the Yankees or a free-agent deal.

Since 2017, Judge's 156 OPS+ is second best in MLB (min. 2000 PA) behind Mike Trout. His 26.1 bWAR is third-best in MLB in that span.

A guy who puts up 150 OPS+ or better and an average of 7.5 WAR per full season is a true MVP caliber player. Not an All Star. Even better.

Of course, the knock on Judge is going to be his age (he's turning 30 next April) and his health. He's played just 516 out of 679 team games (76%) since 2017. (Though fun fact: Judge has played in more games since 2017 than the $400 million man Mike Trout.)

Judge is also extremely popular, he's probably a top-5 "face of baseball." Looking at his jersey sales, they rank 1st in 2017, 1st in 2018, 1st in 2019, and 2nd in 2020. Judge sells tickets and merchandise.

I honestly have no idea what Judge's contract will look like. Cashman doesn't usually hand out extensions and his last two (Hicks and Severino) have gone badly, so he might be scared off.

Joe Formerlyof Brooklyn said...


To change the subject: Luis Gil has pitched 15 innings for the NYYs this year. ERA: ZERO. Age: 23. Batting average against: .158.

I'm not sure why he's in the minors. I am of the opinion (so sue me) that, if Cole is needed in the TB series, Gil should start the one-game playoff.

Yes, over Kluber and even Nestor.

[2021 minor league stats: 72 innings pitched in 17 games - 16 started -- with 101 strikeouts. ERA 4.13. BA against in minors = .206.]

His presence in the minors explains why other teams have 23-year-old rookie sensations, and we've got not much along those lines. We're idiots.

ranger_lp said...

I want to point out the Matt Blake actually fixed a pitcher...our closer, albeit just for now. This is more than that Rothschild guy ever did.

I bring that up because of Gallo. Where's Marcus Thames? Isn't he our hitting coach? I thought he was. Marcus should be trying to work on Gallo's swing, right? So where the fuck is he?

HoraceClarke67 said...

The Joey Watch: BA, .139. PA, 133, and closing fast on Andujar.

This could be record-smashing!

HoraceClarke67 said...

Yeah, major-league history is full of talented kids who nobody has seen, and who then come on in the stretch or playoffs.

Buck would be manager of the Yankees still if he had only believed what he was seeing with The Great One in 1995. Valenzuela down the stretch in 1980 nearly brought the Dodgers home. Righetti was great for us in 1981—at least until the Series.

But of course, we never play outside the analytics. That we don't really understand anyway.

Sigh.

Anonymous said...

Hoss - good point about the 95 playoffs. I remember yelling at the TV, "Why don't you bring in the kid! He's been untouchable!"

Ranger - Thames has been working with Gallo and getting results! He now grounds into double plays at pretty much the same rate as the other Yankees.

Joe FoB - I'd give the ball to Gil as well. Why is he not in the rotation? The only thing I can think of is that the Yankees know that the division race is over and will be spending the month seeing if Kluber and Devi and Mr. Haney are capable of pitching in the playoffs. Answer. Yes if he doesn't get hurt again. Maybe but don't count on it and No. Hopefully they will give Gil a 3-4 starts to keep him sharp. But that would make sense. So... no.

Zach - Thanks for the stats. It will be an interesting call.

Doug K.

Alphonso said...

Listen. The conclusion is that we are fighting to play in the one "all or nothing" game, to back into the wild card playoff.

Wasn't that always the case?

We've had winning streaks, and devastating failures. Seen young guys come and go. Excel and fail. Excel and then fail. The Cashman has traded and dealt. Wheeled and dealed.

Chappy has been brilliant and woeful.. Sanchez has hit and not hit. Thrown and not thrown. Caught and not caught..

We've had no hitter and no shows.

Throw it all in the blender and we are playing the one desperate game for losers.

The Yankees are better in their game than the NY Giants are in theirs.

But that is a low fucking bar.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

September 2, 2021 at 8:31 AM
TheWinWarblist said...

Well done Chester, glad to see you owning up to your pedophilia. Admitting you have a problem is the first step.


Is the puckered pusillanimous pussy professing prodigious pedophilia again?

Anonymous said...

Hammer of God--you FUCKING DOUBLE-STANDARD HYPOCRITE. I haven't even posted in this thread, and the psychopath Firefly is unleashing his venom. There are countless examples of this kind of unprovoked vituperation from this deranged vermin and his tag-team partners Warblist and Kevin. But you couldn't find any such examples. Fuck off. You don't care about decorum--you care about sucking up to your fellow slavering frat boys.

Anonymous said...

Hey Firefly--how many kids did you kill today with your anti-vaxxer idiocy? Keeping "stats"?

Anonymous said...

Hey Warblist--I haven't posted in this thread. Get back to us when you manage to extract that dildo from your rectum--it makes you delusion.

Anonymous said...

Ricky Ricardo saved John Sterling's life last night:

https://thespun.com/more/mlb/yankees-john-sterling-stranded-flood-hurricane-ida-saved-suzyn-waldman-rickie-ricardo

Anonymous said...

delusional

Anonymous said...

That's an amazing story. It's also interesting that they live so close to each other.

I guess you could say that "This Lifesaving Moment was Driven by Jeep"

Doug K.

Anonymous Bosch said...

Well, now we know that (at least) two generations of Boones are idiots: Pappy Bob Boone (father of Our Little Problem) is leaving his job with the Nats because he’s too afraid to be vaccinated (the team also announced that the contracts of eight scouts will not be renewed, at least two of which because of violation of the team’s vaccination policy).

Then there’s Smoltz and Leiter: banned from MLB’s studios for the same reason. Why can’t they just spare us all and fire them instead of letting them call games from home?

Rufus T. Firefly said...

" Puckered Pussy Pedophile said...

Hey Firefly--how many kids did you kill today with your anti-vaxxer idiocy? Keeping "stats"?


Just like that "out of town girlfriend" you can't produce a single time I said *anything* against getting vaccinated. Still a pussy who wouldn't show up for a free game. Livin' in momma's basement.

You are too easily triggered. It must be you're really bitter from all those rejections at the John Wayne Gacy Patches the Clown middle school for boys.

That, and the fact that it is so difficult to see with your head so far up Joe Buck's asshole.

Care to produce a single instance where I said *anything* against vaccinations?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. I thought so.

Now be a good pussy and complain that you're being picked on. Make sure you're consistent and don't answer a single question, because that might shock us all.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

The Master's life would not have been in danger if the Yankees and WFAN weren't so cheap and they were actually broadcasting from the actual baseball game in Kalifornia.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

John had his apartment burn down a few years ago. Now a flood. He's avoided the plague so far. Let's hope he doesn't run into a swarm of locusts.

Anonymous said...

Shut up, Firefly. We all know about your sock-puppet idiocies and fuliminations on this blog, from your Pizza Boy jags to your anti-vaxxer crusades. The world--certainlyl this blog--would be better off without you.

Anonymous said...

Hey Firefly--what's this out of town girlfriend stuff? I never wrote anything about that. You're confusing me with someone else, or with the voices in your head. Time for another dose of Namenda and a change of your rancid Depends, ya' dumb old fart.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

Still can't cite a single instance.

Typical fanboy.

How's Joe Bucks ass tasting tonight?

Rufus T. Firefly said...

"Now be a good pussy and complain that you're being picked on. "

Too fucking easy with a pea brain.

Anonymous said...

Wow--Dufus the anti-vaxxer really got triggered tonight. One little dose of Namenda, sock-puppeteer, and a new set of Depends, and then stick your thumb in your mouth, and all will be well in Flame-addict-land.

Kevin said...

Says The Flamer. Really, do us all a favor and take a trip to Afghanistan.

You can't keep anything straight, torch everybody and everything. Then you have the temerity to cry that you're "getting picked on". Like the momma's girl that you are. So paranoid that you don't dare venture a name, you pussy.

Kevin said...

Six games to make up in a month. Tampa is due for something unpleasant. Besides, maybe they've been playing over THEIR heads. And yeah, I'm whistling in the dark, but concede, no!

Anonymous said...

I never wrote that I am being picked on that's a fiction concocted by Dufus Firefly, your fellow retarded flame addict. You really need to see someone about your cognitive issues. You're a total moron.

Anonymous said...

"Pussy" as a term of contempt, Kevin? So you're not only a racist pig, but also a sexist pig--with a little dose of closet gayness thrown in with your derogation of the female sex organ? Quite a specimen there, you lonely, depraved piece of shit!

Yankee Daddy Roger said...

Boys, boys. Listen to your Ol' Yankee Daddy. Enough ad hominem. Shake hands and be friends.

(OF course by wading into this fray even to dispense some avuncular advice I risk being attacked as a "butt" inski (Playing upon a theme) but fortunately my life is a closed book, out of print and and so poorly reviewed that it never made it onto library shelves. Reduced to self printing, kind of like self love. It's been hard on me, having a librarian fetish. But enough about me, let's talk about Luis Gil.

Kevin said...

Anon, "The man who would be clever", get back on your meds! Say hello to your "girlfriend", on whatever astral plane she lives on.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

@Yankee Daddy Roger,

It's all on Buck's puckered hemorrhoid, and she doesn't seem to be the friendly type.

Whatever continues is her doing. She even claims to never complain about being picked on while complaining about being picked on. A Freudian trifecta.

Anonymous said...

Shut up, you psychopathic anti-vaxxer creep.

Anonymous said...

KEVIN THE FRAUD

See the following:

Anonymous Kevin said...
Joey Gallo currently has a 3.5 WAR for the season which is pretty damned good. I for one hope that we keep him next year, and just SEE. He is a player that the old stats (not denigrating "old stats" because when you know what to look for....) won't, at first glance appreciate.

IMHO, the two positional players who must be moved are Sanchez and Torres, especially Torres. We should get some decent value for him due to his potential (there are always "miracle workers who believe, or can bring him around), but especially because he's cheap. Torres is not a SS, and we have a better second baseman already. It will amaze some (all) of you that the analytics have Odor has an above average second baseman. Obviously DJ will be at second for a few more years, barring injury.

September 3, 2021 at 1:52 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Kevin, you pathetic bullshit artist and worm. Odor has a 2021 defensive WAR of ZERO. His 2020 defensive WAR was MINUS 0.4. You just make shit up to promote your personal faves. You're a fraud and a liar and a moron.

September 3, 2021 at 4:53 AM

Rufus T. Firefly said...

Puckered,

Which player are you whining about? Gallo or Odor.

You should have listened when they said don't take the brown acid.

Kevin said...

Maybe ten days ago I happened to have read that Odor was above average at SECOND BASE. Sorry for my lack of clarification. Odor is no favorite of mine, but he's not as bad as you THINK... Why the fuck do I get drawn in arguing with someone who doesn't understand the game, accuses others of not "sourcing" their statements (as though this was a college term paper), never actually sources anything except a study on black armpits, all the while not noticing that no Black ballplayer in baseball sweats like that, and is a fucking sociopath? Food for thought.

BTW, "The man who would be clever", get back on your meds! Say hello to your "girlfriend", on whatever astral plane she lives on.