Maybe I'm watching too many Knicks games, but who feels safe anymore without at least a double-digit lead? This weekend, the Yankees seemed to rediscover the three-point play, er, run HR, that game-changer from the distant past, in Old Milwaukee.
Ah, yes, the town, not the beer. True home of the Braves. The soulful oasis of cheese and testosterone, which hasn't hurt me since Eddie Matthews and Warren Spahn, whom even I am too young to remember.
Before continuing, look - LOOK - at those wondrous numbers from yesterday: 14 base hits and six walks - braced against only 5 Ks and only one GIDP (Stanton, of course.) It was like Candyland, moving Lord Licorice to Cupcake Commons, along with the Duke of Swirl - taking our minds off the puppy-shooting headlines of today.
Was the sudden output due to installing Peachfuzz Verdugo at cleanup? Either way, I'm all for anything that lessens Giancarlo's appearances in crunch time moments. Even when the Yankees roll, he wriggles. His average is leaking toward last year's sorry output, and I gotta believe that, somewhere within the Yank brain trust, Cooperstown Cashman is eyeing a replacement. Is Willie Calhoun out there?
Not saying Stanton should be benched or Scrantonized, nothing yet. He deserves another month. But the question is simple:
The MLB Fastball: Can he still hit it?
If so, he'll get hot and maybe bat .250 with 30 HRs. If he can't, why are we even reading this paragraph? Between now and July, when The Martian should be playing rehab games at Scranton, Giancarlo can determine his fate. But if he's still loitering, hitting below his weight, the drums will be beating. We don't need a guy who can't hit, can't field and can't run.
Other thoughts:
1. There is a real possibility that the Yankees' back page tabloid dominance in NYC will end this year. The Knicks should grab at least 110 covers, many at the Yankees' expense. If the Jets or Giants win any games in 2025 - (a valid question) - they will poach more Yankee covers.
For the first time since Hal took over the Death Barge, around 2008, his franchise could be an afterthought in Gotham. Considering the amount of money that's been spent, there would be absolutely no way to spin the outcome, other than pure mismanagement.
2. Tonight, we enter the gauntlet: Four games in Baltimore, which once was - according to HossClarke's wonderful book - baseball's dirtiest team. Right now, the O's might be MLB's best, and they might even be improving.
Tonight, we line up Clarke Schmidt, without whom we would be toast this season, then follow with Nasty Nestor, Blue Gil and Rodon. These four games will set the agenda through the first half of 2025 and maybe cement this team a reputation as "road warriors." It's up to you, New York, New York.
Judge looks like he's back on track. Must be feeling better. Maybe tweaked his mechanics a bit too. Saw on the homer video that he has cleaned up the leg kick and stride some. Only picked his foot up, a fairly short stride, then put his foot back down again as he swung. Looked very good there.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else check out the home run that Gary Sanchez hit against Gunslinger Chapman? I think it was on Thursday. Two Yankee rejects dueling. Chapman threw a 102 mph fastball high and outside, probably at least a few inches off the plate. Sanchez must've been sitting dead red. He put a big hard swing on it and deposited it into the right field seats. Mighty impressive. Looked like the fastball even had a hop on it but Sanchez still hit it solid.
ReplyDeleteGuess that just shows why getting an outside fastball up is not a good idea. A big strong hitter can put his bat on it and it might sail out the other way. Even the great Mariano Rivera got burned by Sandy Alomar in that 1997 playoff game (painful memory), as we all remember too well.
When Judge hit that repeat pitch homer the other day after the balk call, the second fastball was a few inches higher than the first one. Thigh high vs knee high, big difference. 'Course, if the pitcher could hit spots every time, nobody would ever get a hit.
Emmanuel Berbari, a/k/a Emmanuel the Barbarian, has the best sounding vocal quality amongst the suitors for the Yankee radio play by play job. Does a pretty good job, IMO. Much less annoying than Justin Shakil. I'm not sure what it is about Shakil, but he annoys me, though I think he's been getting better of late.
ReplyDeleteLike I said, score 15 runs per game and we have a pretty good shot.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Hammer. Judge does look like himself, finally. And Sanchez did nail Chappie a pretty good one. Speaking of hitting out of the strike zone, did you notice Trevino getting a Yogi-type hit? Ball must have been four inches above the zone, and he reached up and singled to center.
Something in the water in Milwaukee, and not hops. Now, can they do it in Baltimore? John Waters needs a plot for his next movie.
Thanks for the shout-out, Duque!
ReplyDeleteBut you make me laugh: Giancarlo is through? That's hilarious.
Stanton has 3 more years on his contract after this one (not counting the Yankees' team option). Even figuring in the Marlins' total of $20 million in contributions, that means Cashman having to admit that he was simply wasted $66 million of HAL's money.
Remember the Yankees' First Rule of HAL: it is always better to pay a player big money to hurt you, than to not hurt you.
We will see Giancarlo in pinstripes in 2027.
If any of us can still see by 2027, Hoss.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the best day/night in at least 10 years for NY sports fans, though.
ReplyDelete.250!? 30 HRs!?
ReplyDeleteI'll have whatever he's having, bartender!
Fuck Hal.