That's one way of putting it. Stanton is 6'6". Willie is 5'8". For those of you scoring at home, that's a 10-inch deficit. It's like Jason Statham being replaced by Danny Devito.
Stanton will be gone for four to six weeks, give or take. Knowing Gio as we do, it could easily be eight to ten. That brings us to mid-June, when only God knows what the lineup will be. Again, knowing Gio as we do, a pulled hammy in April hardly guarantees a tweak-free August. He'll still have two months to tweak something in time for the playoffs. It won't matter if he's playing LF or DH. It never does. There is no reason to count on him being healthy. There never was.
But here's a prediction: By August, with all due respect, Willie Calhoun - currently 3 for 19, hitting .158 - will be a distant memory.
Meanwhile, Carlos Rodon yesterday went for tests on his back, which is "barking," according to Aaron Boone. This happened after Rodon missed a month due to a barking forearm. Sensing a pattern here? It might just be that Rodon is - well - a dog.
Thus far, he's been replaced by Jhonny Brito, an afterthought back in spring training, which now seems 100 years ago. Like most rookies, Brito has been erratic. Lately, his outings have deteriorated into "bullpen starts," burning all available arms like raked leaves in October.
The takeaway? Replace two key players, Stanton and Rodon, with Calhoun and Brito, and you've effectively declawed a team that was expected to challenge in the AL East. It's too early to count out the 2023 Yankees - or anyone, for that matter - but let's no kid ourselves: The lineup is ordinary, and the pitching staff is barking.
That said, let's at least take pleasure from the state of Boston. Here's the Redsock pitching line from last night's loss to Minnesota.
Say aloud - "kluberbras-ierblier-ort." It sounds like the giant robot's password on The Day the Earth Stood Still. Whatever our woes, Boston's looks worse.
Not saying the Redsocks can't turn it around, but Cory Kluber? I dunno. I thought the Yankees two years ago rung out the last decent season from his dish rag. Then the Rays took their cut in 2022. I think Ort's a former Yankee farmhand. Check out those ERAs. It could be a long year in Boston. Take joy wherever you can find it.
The Rays are 16-3 and have a 4 1/2 game lead on April 20th. At this rate they will have the division wrapped up by Tisha B'Av.
ReplyDeleteTisha B'av is kinda like today, the Jewish 420. Believe me, I've been stoned in temple several times. Oops, wait, that holiday commemorates their temples being stoned by the Babalonyans and Roman's. My bad.
DeleteWillie Calhoun is our DH. IFK with a .115 batting average is our pitch hitter.
ReplyDeleteDoug, I had to look it up. I didn't know about the day of disaster.
ReplyDeleteWhich, imo, the loss of Stanton is not. He can be a dangerous hitter when he plays, but mostly he's not. And his home runs tend to not matter in the scheme of any particular game.
He is better than Willie. Willie is short and should work walks. Then he can steal second and third...
LOL, ok, ok...can't keep a straight face.
JM and Carl - :)
ReplyDeletedoug , i think the 17 of tammuz!
ReplyDeleteAs far as I'm concerned it's addition by subtraction for Stanton. Maybe they can get a guy who runs the bases when he hits the ball and might not strike out 4/10 AB. I didn't expect Rondon to pitch much anyways, another steal for Ca$hman!
ReplyDelete"Mighty ordinary" is right. But I think, pretty much, this is what we expected of the Yankees this year. I still think they'll somehow manage to win a total in the mid to high nineties, mostly because there are a lot of bad teams. And, even if the team looks like it'll falter, to give Dumbass Cashman a bit of credit, (and I know I'll get the evil eye from y'all for this), Dumbass will find a piece here or a piece there and cobble together another wild card berth.
ReplyDeleteTampons are probably going to go wire to wire, as far as the division title. Unless they suddenly hit hard times, and there is absolutely no reason in hell that I can think of for that.
The only extra-ordinary player on the team, as far as position players, is of course Aaron Judge. After getting off to kind of a slow start so far this year, he did have a tour de force type game yesterday. The ice cream cone/barehanded catch and grab over the center field wall. The two run homer in the 1st inning. The walk in the 10th inning that set up the hit by pitch that set up the sac fly.
Some interesting goings on this game, mostly in the 1st and 10th innings. Another game with Judge as the #2 hitter hitting a home run. This time, it happened to be a two run dinger because the leadoff man reached. But as I've said before, the leadoff man will only reach what, maybe one-third of the time? 40% of the time if he's really good. The rest of the time, if Judge homers in the 1st, it'll be a solo homer. If memory serves, that's the first two run homer by Judge in the 1st inning so far this year. I think he hit a two run homer before, but it came in his second at bat of the game.
In the 10th inning, MLB is still doing the bull shit with the ghost runner at second in extra innings. Looked like Judge might get a big at bat, but of course the Hells Angels decide (smartly) to give Judge the intentional pass. It turned out to be a big play, because then they (unintentionally) hit Rizzo to load 'em up for the sac fly. Gleyber finally putting the bat on the ball and getting it done.
BTW I hated the attempted bunt by Volpe in the 10th. Even if he does bunt successfully there, he gets the runner to third, but then they'll walk Judge to set up the DP and pitch to Rizzo. I think that's just giving away an out there. I don't know if Boone told Volpe to bunt, but I hope I don't see that in an identical situation again. Because of the ghost runner there, they 'd have a better chance just letting Volpe hit. If Volpe walks, then Judge comes up with two on, nobody out.
ReplyDeleteIt was as if Volpe had sacrificed a runner on first to second base. Then they'd walk Judge intentionally to set up the DP. In either situation, I don't like it. You're giving up an out and then taking the bat out of your best hitter's hands.
One last thing to get off my chest, this is still a home run or nothing team. The only reason they scored that run in the 10th is the ghost runner situation. Ghost runner, walk, hit by pitch, to set up the sac fly. Wow, what a rally! What a phenomenal demonstration of major league prowess with the bats! These boys are really knocking down the fences!
ReplyDeleteAfter Judge's home run in the 1st inning, absolutely nada until the ridiculous ghost runner inning in the 10th. Yanks were fortunate to win this game. How many games do you think you'll win scoring 2 runs in 9 innings?
I still think they should tweak the lineup and put two guys in front of Judge. With Stanton out, I'd be tempted to put three guys in front of Judge, but that would mean he might not come up in the 1st inning. Home run or nothing team. And their best home run hitter, who is a bona fide big time home run hitter, hits #2. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Couldn't agree more, Hammer. And let's not forget, as well, the sliding Judge catch at the warning track, in the 8th inning—something else that saved the game.
ReplyDeleteSo, basically, if we get great pitching and Judge plays like Superman, we can win. If not...
I agree, Hammer: Cashman may well do a successful dumpster dive (again) sometime later in the season. But this team right now is already like a set of bald tires. Won't take much to run it off the road.
Wasn't "The 17th of Tammuz" a Pat Boone hit back in 1959?
ReplyDelete"I'll love you until the Temples fall
Til Tisha B'Av and that ain't all
I'll love you til the 17th of Tammuz..."
HC, wasn't it a Johnny Mathis song?
ReplyDeleteHammer -- your Judge batting third obsession is going to destroy you faster than cheap whiskey. It's not going to happen. It is not smart baseball. Move on and buy a Strat game set with which you can make your own lineups.
ReplyDeletehorace,tammuz preceeds av and if aharon hashofet (aka the franchise ) gets hurt the seasson will be over even sooner!
ReplyDelete