Nine ponderings:
1. Isn't May 5 too early to subject your closer to a two-inning save? That's what Boone did last night with David Bednar. In the modern reality, no closer lasts the season without a series of meltdowns. Are we doomed to overuse Bednar until he frays? We did it with Clay Holmes. Here we go again.
2. Yanks' hype over the impending return of Geritt Cole and Carlos Rodon gleefully ignores the gorilla pooping in the woods: Both are getting pummeled in their minor league rehabs. Last night, for Scranton, Rodon gave up five ER in 6.1 innings. WTF?
3. Last night's big, beautiful bat: Jose Caballero's perfect bunt single, which led to the rally. I believe bunt singles unhinge pitchers even more than a HR. A bomb clears the bases, lets the pitcher start over. A bunt leaves a nagging distraction at first, and a reminder that we can steal a run without hard contact. (Yanks must use this tonight against Eovaldi.)
4. Last night for Scranton: Anthony Volpe, 2 for 4 with a SB. In Volpe's new reality, he must run, run, run...
5. Also for Scranton, George Lombard 0-3 and Spencer Jones 1-4 with a three-run HR. (He is 2nd in the IL, with 11, behind another giant outfielder, 23-year-old Kevin Alcantara, 6'6", whom the Yankees traded away for Anthony Rizzo.) Jones struck out once.
6. If you're a rookie appearing in Yankee Stadium for the first time, giving up three runs in the first inning is par for the course. Elmer Rodriguez walked his first two batters and ended up surrendering three runs in the first Still, he straightened out and lasted five innings. He's been sent back to Scranton, but I gotta believe he feels good about himself, and that he'll play a role in October.
7. Down in Double A Somerset, a 24-year-old 2B named Marco Luciano is having a moment: batting .326 with 9 HRs. He's an ex-Pirates farmhand, picked up last winter by way of Baltimore. Last year, in the PCL, he hit 23 HRs, batted .224. Not the greatest record, but if he keeps hitting the Scranton infield could soon be crowded.
8. Considering how well the Yankee starting rotation has done, it's hard to justify how threadbare this bullpen looks. Last night, when Tim Hill faltered, the bullpen backed up like a sewer pipe. Blackburn, Bird, Doval... who has faith in any of them? This is our weakness, and it will take us down.
9. The death of John Sterling has unified the Yankiverse in a manner that few players could have done. Of all the words and emotions poured into moment, I'll take Suzyn's refusal to take last night's game off: She said John would never approve of missing a game. Fuck me. Tears.
Right on duque, everything you wrote is on 🎯.
ReplyDeleteEventually boone, the bullpen, and the return of Cole & Rodan will drag us down. Not sure what to make of TB at this juncture. I am somewhat surprised by how bad the teams in the AL are.
Has anybody seen Stanton. Boone did blurt out that he is unable to run and his recovery may be “longer than expected”.
Oh man, you got me with that Suzyn quote. I didn't know she said that. We need to establish a "John Sterling Award for Decency" that gets bestowed on someone every year.
ReplyDeleteApologies if someone has already posted this. It’s long but worth the time:
ReplyDeletehttps://keefetothecity.com/a-sunday-with-john-and-suzyn/
Thanks for the link. Really good read and oh so accurate on all counts.
DeleteI don't believe Cole and Rodon are actually necessary, but they'll be inserted into the rotation and fuck it up. The only good thing about them coming up is we could move Weathers to the pen. Gotta be an improvement.
ReplyDeleteHow long will they stick with Doval? The obvious answer is, too long. He's a total head case at this point. Trade him for a prospect, he probably can't be moved for anything more. I'm sorry to see Hill having such a rough stretch. I'd give him a longer leash than Duval.
Beldar, the closer from a small town in France, really looks like a closer when his arm isn't falling off. But, you know, Boone.
Cashman is simply awful. Boone is an idiot. Aside from that...
Hence my dismay at Boone using Bednar in a blowout on Sunday because he hadn't had any work in a while. It's a long, LONG season, you idiot! Get your closer as much rest as you can, when you can!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if Cole and Rodon are as bad as they look right now. Veteran, rehabbing pitchers—particularly one who has been out as long as Cole—often muck around, looking to do things when the results don't matter. In the majors, it may—MAY—be a different story.
ReplyDeleteAnd the way that Boone uses a bullpen, we can use as many arms back there as possible.
I, too, have great concern over Cole and Rodon. I don't think either should be elevated to the Bronx until they have at least one dominating outing. And that is at AAA level not A+ level.
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DeleteI don't see how Boone ever puts Bednar in with men on base. If there was ever a pitcher that needs a clean inning it's him. And I know, yesterday he got out of bases loaded and then gave up the run with a clean inning but it felt like an outlier.
ReplyDeleteEvery win is an important win, but Crap Almighty the bullpen is a collection of shit logs rolling in a dry wind.
ReplyDeleteSuzyn is a true professional. Working the game was her way of grieving for and honoring The Master.
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