Six games up in loss column, 20 to go, and - yes - Boston is a tomato can

Honestly, dunno how Boston lost last night. Smoke and mirrors? Artificial Intelligence? Team effort, top-down.

I mean, all they needed to do was read a scouting report: Pitch around Aaron Judge. Walk him. Shave him. Escort him to first. Don't give him anything hittable.  

And it wasn't as if they were behind. They had leads, thanks to Gerrit "Little Game" Cole. Nope. Somebody weighed the pros and cons, decided to pitch to Judge, to prove he's not for real and - kaboom. Delightful. 

Boston this year has unveiled a rookie cavalcade. But their future - hey, everybody, Bobby Dalbec! - dangles like dice from a rear view mirror. They'll probably lose Bogaertes this winter. There is talk that they'll chase Judge but a) Even cheap suit Hal would never let Boston outbid him and b) I doubt Judge would insult the NY fan base that loves him so much. Boston must keep Rafael Devers in the stable, and he looks bored and ready to play DH. The answer is not Tommy Pham. And if they don't know enough to pitch around the greatest HR hitter since Barry Bighead, can anyone help them? 

This we know:

1. If the season ended today, Houston and the Death Barge would enjoy first round clambakes. Cleveland, winner of the AL Central dirt league, would play the team with the worst record among Seattle, Toronto and Tampa. The Yankees would get the winner of that series. Considering Cleveland's issues, that's probably the friendliest path we can expect.

2. The Yankees promoted Jasson "Our Favorite Martian" Dominguez, to Double A. Last night, he celebrated by going 0-5 with a K. Oh, well... growing pains. 

This year, at three levels, Dominguez hit .277 with 15 HRs. He fanned 125 times - once every four at-bats. He stole 36 bases - thrown out 7 times. All things considered... not bad for age 19.

Remember: He's a switch hitter. At Tampa, where he played the most, he batted much better from the left side - .288 with 7 HRs. (From the right, .211 with 2 HRs.) He will surely play winter ball. (Remember: He missed a year of development due to the pandemic.) Would they send him to the Arizona Fall League, which guarantees more attention? It's worth noting that Cooperstown Cashman supposedly offered him around at the trade deadline. He's still overhyped. But by this time next year, we will know...

3. Also playing last night at Double A Somerset was Harrison Bader. He went 0-3 with two strikeouts. He's now 1 for 6 in rehab. 

Frankly, I feel sorry for Bader. For the rest of his Yankee career, he'll be tied to Cashman's overreach and hubris -perhaps the worst deal of Cash's career, and that's saying something. 

Jordan Montgomery is now 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA with St. Louis, and it's hard to imagine Bader having such an impact on the Yankees. Donno what magic he can bring to CF, but two of the greatest fielders in recent history - Kevin Kiermaier and Jackie Bradely Jr. - never struck that much fear in us.

We gotta give the guy a chance. But sometimes, a bad deal just begets more bad juju. And this guy comes wrapped in it.