You knew that, at some point, our vaunted bullpen would implode, our HRs would slice foul, and that two-out RBI single would elude us. Yesterday, the Babadook finally knocked. We lost, not only to the BJs, but to random occurrence.
Nearly halfway through a 13-game death march, the Yankees are 5-1. Win just two of the remaining seven against Tampa and Houston, and they'll emerge erect and unscathed from the most punishing run of the 2022 schedule.
Trouble is, Yank fans cannot easily bury the ghosts of our last five years. We have been groomed - (yes, word of the year) - groomed to expect every Yankee wondrous winning streak to be followed by an equally deflating succession of defeats.
No Yank fan can ignore last year's meltdowns, or the sinister notion that any single loss will blast open flood gates that cannot be closed.
Yesterday, the culprits were Wandy Peralta and Miguel Castro - two lug nuts during the recent surge, both viciously spanked by Toronto. The BJs were playing with their season seemingly on the line: To be swept at home would have been a huge psychological blow, maybe pushing them toward a trade deadline clearance sale. Not now, though. They have a win to remember, to fortify their hopes.
Also, before we fit ourselves into the noose, let's give ourselves credit: The Yankees went down fighting, mounting a challenge in the ninth.
Still, it's amazing how different they look today.
1. Ralph Kiner-Falefa has a "tightened" hamstring. What this means, who knows? It kept him from pinch-running in the final frame. The Yankees had stolen on Toronto all series. Had IKF had been able to steal second, he could have scored on Aaron Hicks' single - tie game - only, this time, no dice.
2. Both big Toronto HRs came after mound visits from pitching coach Matt Blake. This year, Blake has been a godsend. Whatever he said yesterday, this time, no dice.
3. Hard to fathom scoring nine runs and losing. But it's not hard to imagine the team floundering in Tampa and Houston. Still, after the Astros, we play the A's (22 games below .500), Guardians (6 above) and Pirates (13 below.) You win divisions by beating up on tomato cans and holding off contenders.
4. Tonight it's Gerrit Cole. How often do we find ourselves calling upon Cole to restore us after a tough game? Last time, he threw six scoreless innings to beat Cory Kluber. This time, it's Shane McClanahan.
Doesn't look easy. Then again, after a loss, nothing does.
Posts
62 comments:
I place the blame for the game on Boone. He sent Severino -- who was marked "ill" just a week ago, and was skipped in the rotation -- out to pitch the 6th after flinging more than 90 pitches in the first 5. That's 18 pitches an inning (average). Sevvy probably was really tired.
- the score at the time was 8-3 Yankees.
- Severino ended up with 102 pitches. Perhaps he "should" be able to do this routinely, but with a mostly rested bullpen . . . why not send a reliever out to start the bottom of the 6th with no runners on base? Also: Was he really sick last week? If so, you know he'll probably have less in the tank.
- I am old and stupid, but I have noticed that relievers who start an inning with no baserunners tend to outperform their own selves when they have inherited runners. The exception I have noted (many times) to myself is this Chapman guy.
-- NYYs used 3 relievers on Friday and 2 (King + Holmes) on Sat. Castro pitched Saturday, yet HE was the guy brought in behind Sevvy -- and Castro let his 2 inherited runners score. Would Manny B have done so poorly?
-- Yankees do have a game tonight, Mon. Perhaps Boone and his brain-rust were thinking to save the bullpen for the next 7 games. However, tonight's starter is Cole. Yes, he's been in-and-out this year -- but one might "expect" that he gives you 6 good innings tonight. Therefore, bring Holmes/King/whoever in to keep the score close. Yes, in the 6th.
-- If Cole starts tonight, he probably also gets a start vs. Houston. That's 2 games in which -- in theory -- the bullpen won't have to overexert itself.
-- Of note, of course, is that the other starters (Nestor esp.) have gone deep into games recently. You can't know anything about the next 7 games, but it might be reasonable to expect that your bullpen won't have to pitch 6 innings in each of 5 games coming up.
-- according to the roster I saw today at the Yankees site on MLB.com, 8 relievers are active.
I apologize for dumping on Lorna Boone again. Maybe I'm being unfair?
What the fuck was that industrial accident?
Fuck Boone.
Fuck.
Castro is a waste of roster space. Wanda started out fine, then wasn't used in a long stretch. He hasn't been the same since.
That Castro trade was stupid and unnecessary. And we paid for it--again--yesterday.
Our middle relief is shaky, a fact disguised by that string of long starts by the rotation. If every starter goes to the seventh, King and Holmes can take us home. If we have to bring in guys earlier, it's a crap shoot. And we can expect crap sometimes. That's what happened yesterday.
Blowing an 8-3 lead is just ridiculous.
Well - OUR team is going to need strong middle relief if we are going to take it all SO what should we do about it?
Castro has been inconsistent and yesterday
Wanda couldn't breath and looked lost on the mound.
David Robertson?
Someone else?
Or just keep the shuttle on high alert?
Can Andujar be converted into a middle reliever?
Why have so many relievers if you're not going to use them?
That said, we need to get back on the horse tonight.
For better or worse, Chapman is returning and will need to pitch. Boone is an inveterate liar, (see: Rortvedt, Ben) so Holmes will continue as the closer while Chapman will begin by pitching in middle relief. What about Loaisiga? Boone mumbled something about him being “almost ready” to start a throwing program, whatever that means. To me it means he may not pitch again this year. It appears the team is seriously considering Britton as an option by Sept. This I believe because of his high salary. German may not pitch again for us unless the injury bug bites hard. The most likely acquisition at the T/D will be an impact reliever, depending on who is available at that point.
Robertson and Transitioning Andujar.
Most likely the reason Loaisiga has been brutal this year is due to his injury. When healthy, he has got killer stuff. So that should be a big help. If we can get Mark David Chapman to pitch one efficient inning, that would be a huge boon for the bull pen. I think we will be okay in middle relief fairly soon if both pitchers injuries and rehab are as claimed.
As far as Toronto being a seller at the deadline (even if they had lost yesterday) it doesn't seem likely, in my opinion, because the overwhelming probability would have the BJ's making one of the last 3 wild card/play-in games.
Robertson would be fine. As for Miggy, what we need are a few ILs for, say, Hicks and Gallo. Gallo is batting around .250 lately, which isn't great but it's better than .167. Hicks is slowly coming around, but his offense is still very sporadic. Besides, if he gets any hotter, we know what's coming...the strained hammy or oblique or something.
The fact that Miggy is stuck in AAA, no matter how well he does, is a testament to Cashman's commitment to playing the bigger contract, regardless of performance.
It's hard to complain very much when you're 49-17. But I have to think AnDUjar would be better than the you-know-whos.
As for German, well, his career was completely derailed by his alleged violence. I only say "alleged" because we've never heard exactly what happened, who saw what, and why it deserved career destruction. If he had been smarter and less unbalanced, he just would've shot up his garage and been done with it.
JM - nice garage reference - hope your wife is feeling better, btw
@JM...we know some things about German..
https://yanksgoyard.com/2021/02/21/new-details-domingo-germans-alleged-domestic-violence-incident-force-yankees-hand/
Yes we didn't see it but it someone else "allegedly" saw it...
Been out of the loop the last couple of days so this is a catch up.
Sterling's Replacement
Sterling has a great and engaging voice but is absolutely terrible as a radio announcer for all the reasons mentioned. I can only listen to him if I have video as well so I know what is actually going on.
That said, while the guy from this weekend did a great job of covering and conveying the game his vocal quality seems a bit dull to me. So my vote is for Ricky Ricardo.
Yesterday's Loss
Bad. Very Bad but what's nice about this team is, even when we were being in the late innings you got the feeling they would pull it off. In fact it came down to a bad call on Judge on a pitch that was clearly inside so instead of 2-0 it was 1-1 and Judge had to expand the strike zone to compensate for the crappy strike zone.
Losing Streak
It's possible. But these are the games that determine champions or at least division winners. They should be up to the task. If they're not then they're not. That said, there's a lot of fight in this team so lets see what happens. Also it's another "toughness' test for our number 5 pitcher Gerrit Cole.
Middle Relief
They will find some. What happened to Sears? Castro can go. and Boone better not re install Chapman as the closer. That would be stupid. Holmes just broke Mariano's scoreless inning record for Pete's sake!
I am in the camp that says Boone mis-managed the game yesterday.
Severino should have either not started the 6th inning, or been pulled after the first batter got on base.
Castro had pitched the day before. The Blue Jays were ready this time. And Peralta had been used recently as well.
Here is the dope; Boone did not want to use King, Schmidt or Holmes. With Lasagna and Chapman still having rest periods in Florida, that didn't leave much. But the Yankees likely would have done better with some pitchers Toronto had not just faced.
We are not as deep in the bullpen as we think we are.
Seriously; they have little trust in Maraschino ( young right?) and the " Banuelos thing" is some sort of " we feel sorry for him and want to give him a few memories for his grand children to share.
But they have zero confidence that he can get big outs at big moments.
I have been speechless for awhile here because I was debaching in Las Vegas.
Boone still sucks, he just has a great team with seemingly few, if any, super ego types to rile the clubhouse.
We need to find a good reliever or two for an also ran and use AnDuhar and German as bait. Maybe a highly thought of MILB person too.
Someone with several years under contract that we can plug into the 6th.
There are some teams that would plug German into their rotation or AnDuhar in the oF/DH.
Not bad, Archangel. Hate to lose Miggy, but he deserves a chance to play. If not here then somewhere else.
And Ranger... yeah, we don't need or want German.
Mark my words, Pittsburgh is no tomato can. The Pirates, yes, the Pirates have the pitching to shut down the Yankees. I am serious. They may have laughed when I sat down to play the piano, but they're not laughing now.
On another topic, not having the Master call the play by play compelled me to listen to Michael Kaye for hours on end. Is there such a thing as "Premature Exultation". Like Premature Ejaculation, Kaye blows his load in the fifth inning as if the Yankees are unstoppable because the Blue Jays are just going to quit. Kaye is insufferable. I say the lack of Yankee Success since 2009 is his fault. He has drained all the positive juju out of the Yankees with his self promotion and ceaseless blathering. All this time it should have been the Master on the TV. We could have seen what was going on and not task him for his occasional, well frequent, mis-calls. I go further-- he should do the interviews on Center Stage. He should write a book with Jack Curry. Juju Gods, MICHAEL KAYE DOES NOT SPEAK FOR US. For how long must we suffer with his defiance of you?
RICKY!
AboveAverage - I didn’t hear about Andujar transitioning, but I’m sure the Professional Softball League could use the controversy.
There's no value to any human at all in throwing shade on people. Actually, negative value.The atmosphere starts to stink.
To go back to the topic:
I'm disoriented. I just turned on the radio, and it sounds like I'm somewhere near the game itself. Can such things be?
Mel, are you in Florida?
Vox Populi
The offense has entered the drought phase.
It's only a one run lead. McClanahan has brought his best stuff.
Regarding what Fonzie said, why do they have all of the pitchers on the staff if they won't actually -you know- *pitch* them?
Mr. Magoo is behind the plate.
Can Donaldson please join Hicks and Gallo at the James Webb Space Telescope?
So many low pitches called as strikes. Just crap calls.
Finally Torres scores. Jose!
Trevino needs to be the designated runner in base stealing situations.
The home plate ump needs a new career.
Cole hopefully finds Gold in his stocking. Great performance!
Shit!
Umps and Boone fucking the Yankees tonight
So that's a blown save.
Fuck.
It's Peralta. Fuck.
Boone bullpen management.
Why Wanda? Because he was so good yesterday?
Boone is an idiot. Even if they hold on here.
Yankees Win!!!
That was a nerve wracking Yankees win.
vulture win by holmes
That was disgusting.
Thuh Yankees win I guess.
7 inning no hitter, no decision.
Rick-ee! Rick-ee! Rick-ee!
HIX KIX HIX DIX!
Cole stepped up, too.
Some bad luck for Holmes, who really only let up one, hard-hit ball. And Wandy was magic, despite some poor fielding support. Plus...once again, clutch performances by Trevino and Gleyber, who seems to have awakened after two years in a coma.
6-1 in the 13 Days of Hell.
You know we're living right when Ji-man Choi makes a crucial error.
Oh, and the BJs lost. Carmine Hose won, though, defeating Fado. Not often a team beats the folk music of an entire European country, but there you are.
Wonder if the BoSox are going to be the real competition this year...
I have gotten so fucking spoiled.
Last year we would have lost this type of game…
So the Yankees are first to 50 wins. But! BUT! BUT THE METS HAVE 45!!$%$!! HOW FUCKING GOOD CAN THE YANKS REALLY BE IF THE METS - THE FUCKING !!@#$^*&^^%$@! FUCKFACE METS - ARE ALMOST AS GOOD!?!!???
j u d g e h o m e r u n s h a v e g o n e a w a y
Yeah, the Mets worry me, Warbler. And if they get deGrom and Scherzer back at full strength? Just in time for the playoffs? Brrrr!
Also...did anyone else notice The Gleyber kind of wincing in the ninth? Injury coming? Hope not.
But yeah, as ranger says, this is a very nice game to pull out, and NOT one we would have managed last season.
AAaaahhh-aah-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why was Peralta brought in instead of King, who I believe is rested? HC, I caught Torres' wincing, and that area can easily take a player out for a month or two. He's finally playing good baseball again and taking up the slack of slumping superstars whom I won't name. Praying that it was nothing. Still, we beat the Rays who have a lot of injured players. Now it's time to step on their necks.
12
14
14
This is getting real
@DickAllen, what's with the numbers? Is it the I Ching, or some variation? 🤔
PS, has it become poor form around here to give Cole his props when he throws the HELL out of the ball?
NYC. Always.
Oh, I get it. No, I was just joking about hearing an actual account of a game on radio.
Those three numbers are the games ahead in the AILC the Yankees are from each of the other teams in the east (Omitting Baltimore)
Thank you, Mr.Dick Allen. I guess I'd make a crummy investigator🙁.
Post a Comment