Last August, the Yankees won 13 straight, then followed up by losing 11 of their next 13. So, there's that...

Peabody here. Sherman, set the Wayback for Aug. 27, 2021... 

Okay, here we are. The Taliban is overtaking Afghanistan, Covid is raging across Florida, and Pfizer just won FDA approval for its vaccine. (Ten years, every week, eh?) On this date, the Yankees wallop Oakland, 8-2, behind Gerrit Cole, with HRs from Giancarlo, Luke, Judge and Higgy - their 13th straight win, putting them 24 games above .500, four games behind Tampa in the AL East, three ahead of Boston in the Wild Card. And think - just imagine - how good they'll be when Gary and Red Thunder start hitting!

Fun, eh? Unfortunately, on the next night, the Yankee bats will go quiet, Nasty Nestor will give up three runs, Aaron Judge's 2-run HR in the ninth will merely close the gap and we will lose, 3-2. The first of four straight. We'll win two, then lose seven more. By the time the losing streak ends, we will sit 10 behind Tampa, a game below Boston, and the rest of 2021 will be a dismal race for the final Wild Card, which we'll botch, anyway.

I'm not here to killjoy our Yankee Arab Spring. We all know how fickle April/May can be, and no matter how we fret over what comes next, a 10-game winning streak is a joyous ride, and - at our ages - we should know enough to enjoy life when the getting is good. 

Last night, we could experience a world where Gleyber Torres is the player we dreamed of, long ago, when we traded El Chapo to Chicago. 

And last night, we won a grinder against arguably our greatest threat in the AL East (though, frankly, I still fear Tampa, until they show themselves unworthy.) 

Last night, we saw reasons for hope:

1. Tim Locastro. Once again, he came through. In the ninth, he pinch ran for Giancarlo and - with all of Canada determined to stop him - stole second base. He then threatened to steal third. With two outs, Gleyber singled sharply to right, and there wasn't even a play at the plate. 

Without Locastro stealing second, Gleyber's hit - assuming it happens - is just another lost opportunity, and we've seen what happens when the Yankees become the team that blows chance after chance. 

I know this is a lost cause. (A poem: Fish gonna swim/Bird gonna fly/Cash gonna say/Ignore this guy.) I believe if Loki played every day, he'd hit .240 (his career is .229), with about 10 HRs, play a lockdown CF and lead MLB in stolen bases. (He is currently tied for 8th, with four.) I believe that, somewhere in Cashman's vast number-crunching software, there's an alt-Yankiverse where Locastro beats a Joey Gallo who hits .190 with 30 HRs and 180 strikeouts. 

But here on World 2022, the reality is that the Yankees are committed to Gallo, at least, until the All-Star break. 

2. Will we ever provide righteous run support for Jordan Montgomery? I mean, this is getting to be ridiculous. 

After five starts, Monty ranks 17th in the AL with a 2.88 ERA. He is 0-1 on the season.  Last year, despite a serviceable 3.88 ERA, he was 6-7. (I know what you're thinking, why be obsessed about W-L? It's still the stat that gets most attention.)

The Yankees never seem to score for him. As a result, Montgomery has achieved the impossible: He's being in New York. 

Peabody out. Next up, Bullwinkle's Corner...