Hate to even bring up his name on this Yankees holy day—first Old Timers' Day, July 4th, 1939, to celebrate/commemorate Lou Gehrig—but why is Flopsie Vertigo still in the starting lineup?
After a decent hitting start to this season—in a park where, no doubt, Brian Cashman figured that he would be just boffo as a lefty, no need for that pricey Cody Bellinger—Flopsie looked about to break out, following his big night in Boston on June 14th. That evening he homered, doubled, and drove in 4 runs, upping his average on the season to .266.
Not exactly world beating—even for Verdugo's constantly disappointing career—but enough.
After that...it all went south.
Flopsie's average has dropped 40 points in the 54 game since. In that whole time—with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto ahead of him in the lineup—he's had 38 hits, including just 1 home run and 12 RBI, and 30 strikeouts. This is almost a clinic in non-clutch hitting—or non-hitting in general.
Why is this so?
Hey, maybe it's just a slump. Maybe Vertigo is worn down tending to the child that he and his wife just had. That might just account for why he's so bad at home—a nauseating .208/.275/.310, as opposed to a merely miserable, .243/.300/.391 on the road.
Hey, it happens. Should we castigate Flopsie for just being a caring dad??? (Maybe fatigue also accounts for his vertigo in the outfield in The Game That Shall Live in Infamy against Baltimore.)
But then there's this: even in the throes of his month-and-a-half batting and fielding slump, Verdugo has still kept playing relatively well against the Red Sox.
In his 9 games against Boston this year, he's hit .310, with an .850 OPS. What's more, against the OTHER former team with whom he flopped, the Dodgers, Verdugo batted .357 with an .857 OPS.
The evidence seems to suggest, as with so many of your New York Yankees this year, that when Alex Verdugo is motivated, he can play very well—and that he only gets motivated when he feels like it.
Why the devil this guy should play another inning for us, save as a pinch-runner, pinch-hitter, or late-game leg-saver when we have Jasson Dominguez available, is beyond me.
Bright side of today's game? The more runs No. 98 gives up, the more they will pitch to No. 99.
ReplyDeleteStanton check swings a HR - and Soto check swings an infield single. WHooT!!!
ReplyDeleteWhy, why, why, is Will Warren pitching? He doesn't just throw baseballs, he throws baseball games.
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah. The Yankees have absolutely no decent starting pitchers in AAA.
The fact that W2 is the best (healthy) SP in our system speaks volumes about how bereft crashman left our farm system. We’re having our usual RISP failures, so safe to say this will be a L today, but hey College Football starts today.
ReplyDeleteSuzyn pointed out early that Warren is learning to pitch in the big leagues...in the big leagues. This will stop when Schmidt is back.
ReplyDeleteJudging by his 6.11 ERA in Scranton, he hasn't learned how to pitch in AAA. But hey! He throws strikes harder! (when he throws strikes at all).
DeleteLol!! Well, he can go back to learn AAA pitching, then.
ReplyDeleteWonder what's on the Food Network?
ReplyDeleteThere is no other way to put it. This was an intentional, programmed loss.
ReplyDeleteEvery time this guy comes up from the minors he gets pounded. I mean what the fuck? There must be someone better even down in Somerset that would fare better than Warren. Can we please never see this guy again as either a starter or a reliever?
ReplyDeleteWell, there's hope. DJ is available off the bench if he's needed. Gak.
ReplyDeleteVertigo hit one out. Wtf?
Teams sure caught up to Rice fast. And he hasn't adjusted at all.
ReplyDeleteWoof! They replaced Warren with Leiter. Did they Yankee front office bet money that the Yankees would lose today? Levine, Cashman and Trost are smiling...
ReplyDeleteLeiter isn't always bad. Who knows? Might be his lucky day.
ReplyDeleteMaybe not.
ReplyDeleteNow we have Mayza and his golden, 8.04 ERA. Yankees are determined not to pitch anyone who can get anyone out.
ReplyDeleteWhat's on the Food Channel JM? I'm not into the jewelry they are pimping on the Home Shopping Network.
Rice will be sent down as soon as Rizzo is ready
ReplyDeleteLittle League World Series game is on, so if you want to watch a higher quality of baseball, there’s that…
ReplyDeleteFood Network is Bobby Flay shows. Never liked Bobby Flay.
ReplyDeleteBad Monkey it is on Apple plus.
ReplyDeleteBad Monkey is warming up for the Yankees.
ReplyDeleteI'd say Monkey Brains is managing, but that would insult the intelligence of any chimpanzee.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you dislike the most about Bobby Flay, JM?
ReplyDeleteIt sure gets late early out there......
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnother great game to miss.
ReplyDelete"Although, I wouldn't say I've been missing it, Bob."
AA, I think it's the eyebrows.
ReplyDeleteI was also thrown out of a restaurant of his almost 30 years ago, totally smashed on martinis.
ReplyDeleteWas it his restaurant near 15th/16th and Broadway? Didn't really care much for that place - and had you asked me thirty years ago I might have steered you towards The (original) Temple Bar on Lafayette for a fabulous Martini.
DeleteTEAM OF THE CENTURY!!!!
ReplyDeleteSimply amazing. I'm afraid you are right, Pocono Steve. This was a programmed loss, a throwaway game...AND ON OLD TIMERS' DAY! What's wrong with these idiots?
ReplyDeleteAnd again, a nice big FU for all those fans who decided to bring the kids, for a great day to enjoy the long, glorious traditions of Old Timers' Day. Hurrah.
HAL doesn't care about fans. 30 years from now, they'll complain that kids from this era don't follow baseball anymore. This is why.
DeleteUnwaveringly in Decline
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Hal doesn't care. He got enough suckers to come through the gates for old timers day. Good day to put garbage on the field and laugh at the suckers who paid for it. Ka-ching!
ReplyDeleteAnd we wonder why the Yankees always flame out in the end. Like this game, it is losing by design.
The changes they made on blogger -- some good, some bad.
ReplyDeleteWish they had a like/thumbs up button. For most of the posts here.
As for Flay -- a great salesman. Ate at Gato (the missus is a big cat person so we had to go) when we were in town so I could attend the 1st meetup. Good service. Mediocre food. Overpriced. (Yes I know NYC is expensive, still overpriced)
Have eaten at *many* better restaurants in the city.
And JM, I've been kicked of of nicer joints. Lucky they made good martinis. n.b., worst martinis in the world are made in Australia, ironically Italy makes horrible ones also. Although, I never asked for one in the middle east. ;)
Golly R.t.F. what were wrong with the Australian martinis?
DeleteWaaAAAAaaaaaay too much vermouth.
DeleteThis is what Australian people drink:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zHmw0u2G9kw