There's something about Oswald & Oswaldo that the Almontes didn't have

About seven years ago, the Yankee YES men started grooming us to anticipate the arrival of the Almontes - Abe and Zolio - two unrelated outfielders, who would make us forget the Maas bros, Kevin and Jason. 

Zolio twice homered in spring exhibition openers, raising hopes in February. He played two years, a lifelong Yankee, with 37 games and a .211 career average. Abraham lasted 10 years, a career .234, bouncing around MLB and finishing 2022 with one bat for the Redsocks. (He struck out.)

Sort of like the Hudson brothers, the Almontes never quite captured our dreams. Oh, well... they can't all be Matty & Felipe Alou. (Or even the Jonas brothers?) 

All of which brings me to Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza, who aren't brothers, but who brought incredible moments in last night's exhausting DH sweep over our amicable cousins, the Mini Twinkies. 

Together, they went 6-for-18 - Oswaldo with 2 hits, Oswald with 4. Both saved the game with defensive plays, and Cabrera won game one with a walk-off single. 

(Yeah, it was against the Twinkies, who made four errors in game one. Still, the Yankees seemed hellbent on botching these games. By the 11th inning, "Ronald Guzman" was trending nationally on Twitter, with Yank fans screaming about Guzman's apparent jog to first on a DP grounder that killed a bases-loaded, no-out rally.  I mean, how does a guy, fresh up from Triple A, after years of bouncing around the minors, NOT bust it on a DP grounder? Maybe there's an excuse? Yeesh. It didn't look good.)

Which brings me back to Oswald & Oswaldo - both of whom have played with the discipline of a grizzles vet. Cabrera last night broke out of a doomsday slump - 0-for-24 - which would crush many rookies. Something about this kid transcends his numbers. He just looks like a ballplayer, in the way Willie Randolph once did, before he became Willie Randolph. 

Then there is Peraza, who played 2B in game one. At one point, he barehanded a roller and made a whip to first, just beating the runner. They replayed it, over and over. Each time, it looked more dangerous. Both players - out of their normal positions - saved the games with defense.

At Scranton this year, Cabrera hit .262 with 8 HRs. Peraza finished at .259 with 19 HRs. Neither stats jump out, unless you consider that both began their seasons ice cold, not hitting a lick in April-May. Cabrera also missed a month. 

As for next year, who knows where they'll be? Depending upon the fate of Aaron Judge, you can imagine anything. But here's a comforting thought: Peraza at SS and Cabrera at 2B - Oswald & Oswaldo. We'll have come a long way from the Almontes. (And meanwhile, next up will be the Monteros, Hans and Fidel, unrelated, waaaaay down in the rookie dirt leagues.)

This we know: 

We stand four games ahead in the loss column with 25 to play: Three with Tampa, three with Baltimore, three with Toronto and - gulp - six with Boston, which has nothing more to do than spoil our October. We need more breathing room. We need Oswald & Oswaldo. (And DJ, Stanton, Rizzo, et al.)