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.
One thing we know: Boone will almost never put the best team out there in any game. It's just impossible. He can't seem to recognize who's good, who's not, who deserves more playing time and who doesn't. It goes beyond playing the guys making the most money at this point. Wells is the most glaring example. He should be the everyday catcher, no question, regardless of the opposing starter, lefty or righty. Verdugo should be harvesting splinters. Jesus, put Oswaldo out there. He's played the outfield, he won't be any worse defensively and is a huge upgrade offensively.
ReplyDeleteThere are things that are so obvious to improve our chances of winning, but Boone doesn't do them. We can complain about the lack of offense after Soto and Judge, but that's mostly Boone's fault now. He is so fucking terrible as a manager. No wonder Cashman keeps him. Birds of a feather.
Jasson will replace Duggie Bowser on Sept 1st. So if I had my way the lineup would look like this...
ReplyDeleteChaz 3B
Soto RF
Judge CF
Wells C
Dominguez LF
Stanton DH
Peraza 2B
Rice 1B
Volpe SS
We still have no bullpen and worst of all Boone is still the manager but the above lineup has a pretty good potential AGHAB.
One last thing... Given that Verdugo, Rizzo, and Gleyber are gone, or better be gone, after this year and DJ knows he's cooked I wouldn't worry about egos and hurt feelings too much. Put the best 9 out there.
ReplyDeleteOK one more. This lineup is predominantly young, plays solid defense and is athletic.
ReplyDeleteI have trouble believing Boone would ever create such a lineup for those very reasons. Seems out of character. Here's hoping.
ReplyDeleteBoone doesn't put out the lineup...Ca$hman does based on the numbers...
ReplyDelete"Soto and Judge and a load of sludge" should go down in the ancient scrolls as the saying of the 2024.
ReplyDeleteAnalytics is calling the shots. I’m still not convinced boone actually creates the lineup. He really is just a trained seal. This was supposed to be an “all-in” year with Soto, but Cashman fumbled that opportunity with his poor roster construction and unforgivable handling of the trade deadline. Whether or not we sign Soto is anybody’s guess. I hope we do, but I fear the ripple effect his salary will have on next year’s roster. Do you trust cashman to navigate such tricky waters?
ReplyDeleteDoug, after proposing the Gil as Closer experiment (and convincing me of its merits) it was even more disturbing and distressing and disappointing when I learned of his back problem and him going on to the IL. What another kick in croisnut holes.
ReplyDeleteThe New York JoTos
ReplyDeleteI don’t understand why teams pitch to these guys. I’d walk them before they had a good pitch to hit.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure Cashman dictates the lineups. He may influence them, but I think Boone bears more of the day-to-day. Perhaps one day secret documents will be revealed and we'll really know for sure.
ReplyDeleteDoug, who is Chaz?
ReplyDeleteJasrado Prince Hermis Arrington "Jazz" Chisholm Jr.
DeleteJazz. I keep going Chaz Jizzum. I apologize to all, including Jazz the player, who is both ok by me and shares a name with the musical genre I listen to the most. I'd also like to give a shout out to jizzum without which none of us would be here.
ReplyDeleteAha. Thanks for the somewhat graphic explanation.
ReplyDeleteSoto and Judge while Hal reuses to budge.
ReplyDelete1:05 start, remember, everybody. I'll be sitting this one out just like I sat last night out. I need a break from these Yankees. They actually made me angry on Tuesday. Not mock angry, but real angry.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain Steve. We usually lose these day games after night games anyway
DeleteDon't know if Jazz can stay on the field—or even get back to it. But Jasson needs to be up, NOW, and if not Chisholm, then the full Oswaldi, Cabrera and Peraza, need to be starting in the infield.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, if Rizzo is up to it, he can play first. And people such as Grisham, Vertigo, and DJ can stick around as defensive or base running replacements—though mostly they can't do that well.
But no reason to EVER start DJ, Flopsie Vertigo, Grisham, or especially Gleyber, ever again.
Roster crunch upcoming. Chisholm, Rizzo, Berti, Schmidt, Ian Hamilton, Nick Burdi, Lou Trivino and Cody Poteet are due back by early Sept. Add JD and that’s 9 spots, we only get 3 additional for Sept. Something’s gotta give,
ReplyDeleteCan we carry more pitchers in September? Though there are a couple arms we can certainly drop.
ReplyDeleteI just checked the score, everybody. I don't know if that counts as a quantum observation will cause the juju wave function of this game to collapse into a loss. I am neither watching nor listening to this game.
ReplyDeleteMen on base, men not scoring. Same old thing.
ReplyDeleteShame this Judge guy can’t hit more home runs.
ReplyDeleteGiancarlo…Ronzoni sono buoni…
ReplyDeleteCan someone please fix Verdugo’s batting stance? It hasn’t worked in 3 years…
ReplyDeleteMan, Stanton is a strong SOB to hit a ball out with that swing. He can still impress. Shame that his body just can't hold together...
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFlea Flicker of a blast
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was amazed that went out. End of the bat pop up... that cleared the center field wall. Cripes, how strong do you have to be to do that?
ReplyDeleteAnd that kind of thing is why I like Stanton, even with all the reasons not to.
Yeah, you never know when he'll pull something like that. Judge is the only other guy on the team who could do something like that.
DeleteAnd join Robert Merrill in singing God Briss America...
ReplyDeleteGod Briss America
DeleteLand that I glove
Stand behind her
And
And
And
(forgot the rest)
From the mountains, to the prairie, to the root beer, white with foooaaammm.....
DeleteWe need zero more runs to win
ReplyDeleteThis just might work out.
DeleteAre the folks watching this game together today at a bar somewhere in ManHatTon?
ReplyDeleteRice-Chus
ReplyDeleteWorking from home…
ReplyDeleteBe Iconic
ReplyDeleteIt looked as though Boone was pretty loose today - flirting with his players out in the field - blowing seed shells at them and giggling. It was touching.
ReplyDeleteYankees Win!!!
ReplyDeleteWon and Done
ReplyDeleteI know that most of you guys likely read this. Phil Mushnick's article on Boone's managing is perfectly captured here. Of course we have collectively been saying the same for years now so we is some Big Brained MFers:
ReplyDeleteTuesday on YES’ Yankees pregame, Aaron Boone delivered his latest repetitive pregame take on his bullpen, referencing “matchups,” as if he has a copy of the script. He has often spoken of his relievers as “lined up” — as in ready to go in order — one inning each regardless of effectiveness or circumstances.
That has long driven Yankees fans into the arms of a straitjacket. Boone is always more concerned with his next pitcher to the neglect of his current one. Thus before games even begin, Boone has them “lined up” in order, as if they’ll all be at the top of their game, in order, every game.
And he, among many MLB managers the past 10 years, commit their games to wishful fantasy rather than here-and-now reality.