In the 1st, Verdugo grounded out to 1B.
In the 2nd, LeMahieu grounded into a DP.
In the 3rd, with the bases loaded, Verdugo grounded out to SS.
In the 4th, LeMahieu hit a pop fly to LF.
In the 5th, Verdugo grounded out to 2B.
In the 6th, LeMahieu grounded out to 2B, and Verdugo struck out swinging.
In the 8th, LeMahieu grounded out to 3B.
Eight plate appearances, no hits, one RBI (on a measly bouncer), a strikeout, no erections, six slow and fruitless runs to first, scattered booing, and multiple moments of existential dread.
Off in the distance, you could hear the rhythmic pulsations of Brian Cashman's auto-dialer, phoning other GMs in search of a taker for this year's Yankee disappointments. We could add Gleyber Torres, but maybe - maybe - (oh, why are we doing this to ourselves?) - maybe he's starting to hit?
This might be the last great opportunity either sees.
If the Yankees punt on the slumping Verdugo, they will become his third team - after the Dodgers and Boston - to cut bait. He's only 28, and a lifetime .275 hitter, but that big contract he was expecting next winter will be as misplayed as that lame fly ball in Baltimore. Three strikes, and you're out. Already, Cashman might be looking for a RH platoon in LF, greatly diminishing Verdugo's chances to save his season. That blown pop fly from Cedrick Mullins might turn out to be Verdugo's most memorable Yankee moment. What a wart.
As for LeMahieu, who turned 36 last week, he's lucky to have scored his payday contract several years ago. No matter what he does, the Yankees have him for two more seasons at $15 million per. More and more, he's falling into Willie Calhoun/Franchy Cordero territory. He's hitting .182, without power, (three doubles on the season), and you can feel hope draining on every grounder off his bat. There is no dealing LeMahieu without adding millions in salary, and I'm not sure Food Stamps Hal would approve such an expenditure.
It looks as though the Yankees must sink or swim with the pair. When contracts always supersede performances, that's your only move.
And that, my friends, is modern Yankee baseball.
Verdugo was supposed to be Martian insurance. How did that work out?
ReplyDeleteGerrit Cole had a Gerrit Cole like night. So everything will be all better from now on.
ReplyDeleteFuck CashBrain.
Fifteen men on the Cash-man's chest
ReplyDeleteYo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Drink and the devil have done for the rest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Amazing that Mr. Prima Donna did not lay a giant turd last night! 'Course, that means that the rest of the club will lay a giant turd these last two games against the Tampons.
ReplyDeleteHeard some interesting tidbits from Ma Yankee yesterday. She says Aaron Boone now has the rotation lined up and reset the way he wanted it. (As if Ba-Boone couldn't have lined it up any time he wanted to by merely moving a few guys back and inserting Mr. Prima Donna where he wanted to in the first place.) Then she said Boone is being careful with Austin Wells by intentionally not putting him in the cleanup slot. They want him "to concentrate" on his catching. Imagine, a ball club, where one good game means that you're the new leadoff man or the new clean up hitter, wants to baby its catching prospect because they don't want to put too much on his plate! You can hear the laughter up to the highest reaches of heaven.
ReplyDeleteWait a second hand (yes over there on that clock), E.D. - NO ERECTIONS ? !
ReplyDeleteI would have to image that if either DJ or Vertigo had erected last evening during the game it might have made it even more difficult to perform well.
But it was very much in the are last night in the Bronx because after all, Michael Kay did tell Meredith on the air about the three some that He, Paulie and Cone once had. He said it was fun but Paulie did say that those things can really go on forever…. (middle innings somewhere- search it out).
What musky wonders will be in the air today at the stadium?
With Cortes on the mound it could get a little nasty.
OH BEHAVE!
Most nights we have a lineup with 5-6 players batting around .240 or less (i’m including you Volpe). It was worse last year, most nights that was true of .225 or less. Remeber when Volpe was hitting over .310. I know modern baseball stat heads don’t sweat batting average, but, in general, if you can’t do something more often than a quarter of the time…no pinchy bueno.
ReplyDelete“When contracts always supersede performances…”. So beautifully put. ❤️
ReplyDeleteIt’s easy enough to walk away from Verdugo after the season.
LeMahieu will have to be cut. An organization based on winning would have done so already. The idea behind his contract was to spread out the payment for salary cap reasons. Well here we are. It’s a sunk cost, and they’re hurting the team by not replacing him with a ready made player such as Vivas.
Very true, 999.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, we'll walk away from Flopsy Vertigo, but that's a waste, too. We gave up a couple pitching prospects for him; why not trade him for magic beans, at least?
Not the Cashman way.
An internal conversation with myself:
ReplyDeleteAA: Did I type "it was very much in the are last night?"
AA: No I could have sworn I entered the word AIR not ARE
AA: Blogging on an iPhone can really be a blast sometimes, huh
AA: Should I copy, trash and repost with the correction?
AA: F@K that, post a conversation with yourself instead
AA: Lets look the darn thing over again and see if it needs any other corrections
AA: OK
AA: And then look this darn thing over before we post it to make sure it has no screaming errors in it
AA: OK
AA: There are a couple of things towards the middle and end of the erection post that could be punched up a bit, but it'll be fine.
AA: Great!
AA: And this one is pretty much set to go, too
AA: Perfect!
AA: We want another cup of coffee
AA: YES, we do!
Damn
ReplyDelete@ AA....I know all about performing under the conditions that you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI would have been one of the best Broadway actors of my generation except for one thing: My cock is so big that I constantly tripped over it whilst on stage!
Whilst? Are we speaking British now?
ReplyDeleteJM - soon we all might be wishing we were British*
ReplyDelete*insert your favorite people or culture here
No one wins anything with sink holes in left field and at third base.
ReplyDeleteAnd rookies still finding their way at first base and at catcher.
And with a huge question mark at second base and pretty much nothing at clean-up.
Alphonso - you may have left out one additional item.
ReplyDeleteA manager that is ____________________________ *
* Insert your preferred qualities/characteristics here.
Please limit your list to ten items.
UNCTUOUS (adj). having, revealing, or marked by a smug, ingratiating, and false earnestness or spirituality
ReplyDeleteButtery
ReplyDeleteSmarmy
Fawning
Verdugo .
ReplyDeleteSwings at first pitch
Ground ball
Double play.
I guess he was in a hurry to sit down.
Then he gave up on that fly ball and flipped his glove in the air after it went off the wall and bounced over to Grisham.
ReplyDeleteAnother pathetic AB by LeMahieu. He doesn’t have the grace to retire….he wants his money.
ReplyDeleteHe is embarrassing himself and the team .
Cut him.
Vertigo needs to go. He's totally unwinding now.
ReplyDeletePoor DJ. Must feel like shit.
Oy very ist dir. Flushing money down the toilette.
ReplyDelete.082 hitter that was
ReplyDeleteNasty, all right.
ReplyDelete….aaaand that’s your ballgame.
ReplyDeleteNestor IS also DONE
ReplyDeleteCompare these two starting pitchers today.
Yikes
Oh my god these Botox Cosmetic commercials are driving me nuts.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Tonkin in in this situation?
ReplyDeleteGames over, put your worst reliever in
I can’t anymore with this team, it’s ape manager.
It ain’t over until Verdugo grounds out to second.
ReplyDeleteNow it’s over.
So disappointed I don't have access to the game.
ReplyDeleteActually, um, no.
Need my account access and password, rOOfuzz?
ReplyDelete10 ground outs in a row
ReplyDeleteTonkin has, incredibly, become a pretty good reliever. Not perfect, but he's not the disaster he was at the beginning.
ReplyDeleteIf there were a cereal named Feeblies, the Yanks would be eating it.
ReplyDeleteSiri has . . . uhm . . . style
ReplyDeleteBut I agree, AA. Nestor is done. He had his career year a couple years back, when he made the All Star team, and ever since, I've said it would be all downhill from there.
ReplyDeleteSaid the same about Trevino. Though he's been hitting. He can't throw out runners anymore, though. Obviously. But a great pitch framer, which is what they said about the disaster known as Brian McCann.
The Montefiore Einstein Turning Point of the Game was when they exchanged the lineup cards…
ReplyDeleteStadium already emptying
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI forgot the game was this afternoon.
Now I'm gonna go back and forget again.
That’s funny Ranger underscore lp
ReplyDeleteMr. A,
ReplyDeleteThat offer is enticing, but while the Yankees are screwing the pooch, I'll be screwing the porch. Well actually screwing down the trex floorboards on the porch of my mountaintop lair.
From the Athletic:
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees designated Josh Donaldson for assignment last season after he posted a .659 OPS and 75 wRC+. LeMahieu sits at a .482 OPS and 47 wRC+. He’s under contract for two more years...
Hard to blame anyone for NOT walking away from $30 mill. Yanks need to do it for him.
ReplyDeleteAs for Vertigo, he's fast becoming this year's Aaron Hicks.
Yes. This year's Aaron Hicks. Why is there always an Aaron Hicks (or three) on this team?
ReplyDeleteBase hit for the kid...
ReplyDeleteDonaldson was a corrosive asshole. DJ is a nice guy.
ReplyDeleteAmazing what that will get you.
JM - True.
ReplyDeleteDisgraceful performance by the entire team, manager, coaches…
ReplyDeleteThis is an old, slow, lazy, overpaid team.
Couldn’t answer the bell for a day game after a night game.
Went bother playing?
…or watching
Totes not worth the $$$$$, the 1:15 drive from the Poconos to Crouton-Harmonium Station and then the 45-minute Metro North claustrophobia-fest.
ReplyDeleteYou got screwed, Steve. No doubt about it.
ReplyDeletePocono -
ReplyDeleteAnd you didn't even get a Harry Potter Themed NY Yankees Mesh Cap for your troubles.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePocono
ReplyDeleteHere are two thoughts that might cheer you up.
1) If that catcher kid goes on to be in the Hall of Fame and mentioned in the same breath with Yogi Berra and Johnny Bench you can say you were there for is first hit.
2) You didn't get a Harry Potter Themed NY Yankees Mesh Cap only to discover you are a Hufflepuff.
As usual, the pitching staff is Cole & the black hole. And unfortunately for us, there isn’t another Ca$hman out there to dump our overpaid losers on.
ReplyDeleteAt least Aaron Hicks hit a home run every few hundred at bats and often got the ball out of the infield.
ReplyDeleteWait...did we lose today? That would not be possible. This is the Team of the Century.
ReplyDeleteMy buddy, the Goombah that was at the game with me last year, is going tomorrow. Let's hope his experience is better than Pocono Steve's.
ReplyDelete(Nothing personal Steve)
If he was a real friend he’d sell his tickets and head north to lend a hand in screwing the porch.
ReplyDeleteDisappointing….
Thanks all of you for your kind regards. Doug, unfortunately, we were part of the early exodus, so we didn't see the catcher kid's big hit!
ReplyDelete