It's foolish to fear a 12-game losing streak; remember what they say about stopped clocks. But over the last six weeks, only the White Sox have played worse, leaving Yank fans respectful of this team's capability for mediocrity.
This week, they should have been nominated for an EMMY: Best Comedy Ensemble.
Last night's loss reminds us of how utterly rancid this team can be, when it comes to celebrating its own hubris. The 7-3 loss to Atlanta showcased THE FIVE TENETS OF YANKEE FAILURE.
1. An injury. In this case, our newest phenom, Cam Schlittler, was pulled from his second start due to "upper arm soreness." They say he'll miss a week.
Yeahp, that's Chinatown, Jake. Because d we all appreciate the Yankee front office's unyielding quest for truth-telling, especially when it comes to injuries.
Fuckme. This is nuts. In one start, Schlitter had already become our great hope. Now, wtf? It's worth noting that, in his debut, Schlittler was recorded as throwing nine of the 10 fastest pitches from a Yankee hurler this season. In other words, he hurt himself, trying to make an impression. I know that coaching pitchers is a complicated science. But how could the Yankees let this happen?
2. A key strikeout by a star. In the seventh, the Yankees rallied to cut the lead to 7-3 and bring up Aaron Judge with two runners on. You could dare to dream but - sadly, everyone knew better. Judge fanned, and that was that.
Look, we all love the Captain. He's great. He's wonderful. Cooperstown, yatta yatta. But the dirty little secret, whispered across the Yankiverse, is that he's not the guy you want coming to the plate with two men on, late in a 7-3 game. I'm sorry to say this, but with a outcome on the line, Judge's already Godzillian strike zone grows an extra two sizes.
3. A baserunning blunder. Gleyber is gone, but his legacy remains, and let's face it: There will always be a Bobby Meachem. Last night, we could celebrate Jorbit Vivas, thrown out at third on a fly ball tag up, because - of course! - he didn't slide.
The thing is, here's a guy struggling to make this roster. He's a step away from Scranton. He should be running through walls. Instead, he dogs it running to third? It was a blunder - he got deked - but these are the little things that little guys are supposed to do well.
What does that tell you about the coaching of the Yankees?
4. An imponderable early deficit. Atlanta scored three in the first, and - damn - everybody knew what was inevitable. We've seen this movie too many times.
Even the mini-rally in the 7th. By then, up 7-0, Atlanta unloaded its biggest bullpen tomato cans, looking to save arms for tonight. So the Yankees scored a few. It didn't matter. Just three pointless hours of struggle.
5. Another drop in the standings. For months now, we've been telling ourselves, "It can't happen here! It can't happen here!" Well, take a look around, buckos. It IS happening, every day. We are sinking fast, and our greatest fear - Boston - could soon bypass us. Every other team in the AL East has a younger and hungrier lineup, and we just keep flailing.
No trade deadline deal can save this team. And the next 12 games might just make that apparent to everyone with eyes. Will the Yankee front office open theirs?
We've been worrying about what Cashman will do at the deadline. Maybe this team is sending him a message: Don't do anything, because this is a lost cause.
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18 comments:
Yep, the season is in the Schlitter...
Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.
But once again, the "greatness" of Judge is questionable. Terrible in the postseason. Conspicuously non-clutch in late innings (with some exceptions, but not enough). Those two points make me aske the question: what exactly does "greatness" mean? Big average, big HR total, big RBI total, very good defense: he's got all that. But is a player truly great if he has tremendous trouble coming through when the team needs his greatness the most?
Look, I appreciate the big guy. Hell, I appreciate Stanton, even with his limitations. But "greatness"--I still don't know. He's often great when it matters least, and average or worse when it matters most (talking offensively here...that botched WS play was a defensive anomaly).
It's not that his early inning heroics are useless. He contributes, he gets a lot of runs in. Then there are the supposedly meaningless HRs, when we're way ahead or way behind, and often solo shots. Or am I misremembering that?
The guy is an enigma to me. I'm really glad we have him, but "greatness"? I don't know. Kind of yes and no.
@JM...they said the same thing about ARod...until 2009...
It’s been my contention that you can’t “save” a season at the T/D. You can enhance an already good team, and of course you should always be looking to improve your team. But with so many fundamental flaws on display throughout this organization, it’s clear there needs to a shakeup from top to bottom. I’m not talking about tanking, but a hard reset in philosophy and culture. To be one of the worst teams in the league for 6 weeks is more than a tough patch, it’s an indictment.
Not sure what to say about all the pitching injuries. Like many of you, I grew up in an era where pitchers often made 40 starts a season and would top 300 innings pitched. The stress pitchers are now putting on their arms is a world away from past days, so coaching pitchers must be more rigorous. Schlittler? Who knows. Nobody would be surprised to see him hit the IL…or worse.
Obviously, Vivas has not received proper coaching and development. Maybe he was “deked”, but why is he watching the 3rd baseman instead of the coach? Again, fundamentals not being taught or learned.
It’s arbitrary as to what constitutes greatness. Certainly Judge is a stats monster but his late inning / clutch situation / post season failures are obvious and have even come to be expected.
So, maybe Duque’s point that the season is beyond saving is valid. If so, no need to trade away genuine prospects in a last minute panic. But any such acceptance must come with a change in team culture and a real effort to remake the team into a true powerhouse, not just a “good enough” marketing enterprise that values profit over performance.
Boone Sings the Beatles:
When I make another blunder
And I feel my finger on your wrapper
I know nobody can do me no harm
Because
Happ-i-ness
Is some warm gum
Chew,
Chew
Spit
Spit
The RailRiders are in first. 15-3 in their last 18. Scored double digits last night. For years now, the RailRiders have been the best team in the organization. Cashman is a first ballot Intetnational League Hall of Famer.
Or Python:
I'm an idiot and I'm okay
I sleep all night and fuck up all day
I wear manager's clothing
And hang around the show'rs
Volpe is my buddy
I'll de-fend him for hours
I'm an idiot and I'm okay
I sleep all night and fuck up all day
In other words, we're fucked.
Funny, I've never thought of him as being great. Weird, yes. Bizarre, sure. But great? I guess. But I wouldn't say so.
JM, sadly, I feel much the same about Judge—the only guy really worth watching on this team. As for A-Rod, well, his greatness was compromised from the beginning by the juicing—and his desperate, emotional neediness. (Though I guess one could argue that he was also playing against so many juicers.)
999, well said. And this is what we have been calling out for years here. No matter what Hal does or does not want to spend, this is the sort of deep, organizational rot that could easily be corrected by Cashie...but never is.
and of course, this, JM:
Money,
Money,
Money,
Money,
Money,
Money,
Money,
Money,
Money !
Katie Sharp:
Yankees Last 14 Road Games:
2- 12, 85 Runs Allowed
This is the 1st time since August 1945 that the Yankees had a span of 14 Road Games with 12+ Losses and 85+ Runs Allowed.
Pretty much…
Illuminating stat, 999. And as I recall, there was something else going on in the summer of 1945, something both limiting and distracting...
Well, at least that ‘45 team had an excuse!
Team has already DFA’d Rico “Suave” Garcia. Allan Winans back up from SWB
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