For the Yankees, it's Soto and Judge, and a load of sludge

 

Last night, the '24 Yankees defined themselves squarely to not only the Cleveland Guardians, but to the free world.

They scored eight runs, all from the bats of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. The rest of the team? Well, it showed up.  Not much else.

That might  turn out to be how we remember 2024 - the year when the Yankees brought forth the greatest slugging twosome since Mantle and Maris, and surrounded them with a lineup of Mario Mendozas.

Today, two questions haunt the Yankiverse:

1. Who in hell can pitch the ninth inning of a close game? (The answer, my friends, is blowing games in the wind, the answer is blowing games in the wind.)

2. What batter in this otherwise dead lineup, aside from Soto and Judge, can contribute through the season's final month?

In simple terms, is there hope somewhere in that  dugout, beyond waiting for Judge and Soto to hit home runs? Honestly, I dunno. But here is what I consider our best shots, as September closes in. 

1. Jazz Chisholm. He might return next week. Depends on whether he does a minor league rehab. Over the last two weeks, before he sprained his elbow, he was hitting .333. Not sure if he'll be compromised by the elbow, but he's our best bet.

2. Oswaldo Cabrera, hitting LH (which is becoming sort of a problem.) Over the last two weeks, he's hitting .346 - 8 for 23, and that doesn't take into account a bunch of line drives that were caught. Do we dare dream that Cabrera is finally becoming a MLB hitter, the one we imagined during his days in Scranton? What's sad is that he seems to be lost in the shuffle, as Boone shows loyalty to Anthony Volpe, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu. Oswaldo needs more chances.

3. Austin Wells. Another lefty. (Get it? We are top-heavy from that side.) More and more, Wells looks like the Yankee Offensive Game Instigator - the YOGI, our catching hope for the future. He's hitting .302 over the last two weeks, and - at times - he actually seemed to be protecting Judge. Considering Jose Trevino's problems throwing to second, it's hard to not see Wells catching full time in the post season.

4. Giancarlo. A pity placement. The guy isn't showing a damn thing - .232 over the last two weeks - but he's the consummate streak hitter, and one of these days, he'll get hot. The streak will last maybe two weeks, and then the coachman will revert back into a mouse. Caveat: He  still can't run, which makes him a singles hitter on balls off the wall.  

5. Volpe and Gleyber. Both have flirted with hot streaks, only to turn cold. Their statutes of limitations are both running out. Torres will be gone at the end of the year. Volpe's time as The Next Jeter is almost over. If Oswald Peraza starts hitting, if the toe-tap thing is real, either of these guys could disappear.  

6. Anthony Rizzo/Ben Rice. Both are sketchy, rolls of the dice. Rizzo will get a shot at returning. Trouble is, he wasn't busting down walls before he got hurt. Rice simply should not be here. He's a legitimate prospect, who should be playing at Triple A. It's ridiculous to see him sitting the bench. 

7. Your name here. Can your grandmother swing a bat? There's that mite, Caleb Durbin down at Scranton, and the Martian is still out there. He went 2-3, and the next day was playing in the Little League World Series, where he sorta shat the bed. If Jasson Dominguez gets hot, shows anything... 

8. Alex Verdugo. Folks, it's time to start thinking the Redsocks weren't so dumb after all. (They were right on Benintendi, too. And Youkilis. And - gulp - Ellsbury.) The pitchers of MLB seem to have figured out Verdugo. It looks like he'll never be the star we sought. 

9. DJ LeMahieu. This is sad, because he's a great clubhouse presence, and he was on the path to becoming a great Yankee. But damn, this isn't working. The guy is a GIDP waiting to happen, and his fielding has been corrupted. A few weeks ago, he had a nice couple of days. We hoped he was back. It was a false positive. He's 8 for 38 - .211 - over the last two weeks. He's 36. There really isn't much cause for hope, beyond the Biden solution.