Actually, you could say the Padres lo-s-s-s-s-st, as their pitcher, Robbie Ray, walked the bases full and then some, gifting a rally that even the '26 Yankees - kings of the eternally stranded - could not botch.
Takeaways:
1. I cannot recall an injury being so cheerfully toasted across the Yankiverse than Trent Grisham's unholstered hammy. It's not about Grish. It's about the guy who should replace him.
2. Since spring training, when he hit .367 with 6 HRs, Spencer Jones has been our fantasy CF. With him, we run barefoot through a field of erect nipples. But lately, it looked as though he'd be relegated to late inning defense, if not the mud fields of Moosic.
3. Now, with Grisham on the IL, Jones has three weeks to secure CF, his Wally Pip moment, no looking back. Damn. That's all we wanted. Screw the Ks. Jones is hitting .245, with 9 HRs in 197 ABs, and we haven't seen a legitimate tear. He's gotten big hits off tough pitchers. Last night's two-out double caused Ray to implode, walking the next three, breaking open the game. Jones did it. Grish wouldn't have.
4. Re: Grish. The best part of his injury is that it's nothing permanent. No career implications. Hammies come and go. In two months, Grish will be a free agent, and he can sell himself without the caveat of a torn whatever. It's a hamster. Wish him the best.
5. Last night, the Martian reappeared, though he's surely gone when Aaron Judge returns, in a few days. In Scranton, he had lifted his BA to .283, after a horrible start. (Depression?) He has 7 HRs. We must remind ourselves that Jasson Dominguez is 23, two years younger than Jones. He won't play CF, but he is still viable.
6. Meanwhile in Scranton, the prodigal son, Anthony Volpe, went 1-3 last night with a stolen base (and a caught stealing and a pickoff; brain fart baserunning.) It's time for the Yankees to try something crazy. At Triple A, he's hitting .273 with 11 HRs, and he's been hot. Could they put Volpe at 2B against lefties and see what happens?
7. Yes, Jose Caballero deserves a shot. He outplayed Volpe throughout the first half, only to be replaced by George Lombard Jr. But Cabby can platoon at 3B with Ryan McMahon. Somebody needs to spell Jazz Chisholm against tough lefties. (Last night, it was Cabby.) I know, pleading Volpe's case is a tough hill to climb. But he's 25, same age as Jones.
8. Jazz says he wants to return to the Yankees next year. That's nice to hear. But it isn't gonna happen. The ship has sailed.
9. Last night, Carlos Rodon seemed to be throwing harder than usual. He nearly blew it in the first, then overpowered the Padres. Dare we believe?
10. Game is at 4:10 p.m. Almost an Eastern time.
I get to watch a game, something I haven't been able to do this whole West Coast road trip.
ReplyDeletePlease, Duque, keep Volpe down on the farm, even if he's seen Paree. Yes, hitting was an issue before, fielding was an issue before, but also baserunning and baseball IQ was maybe the biggest issue of all. And as you noted, that hasn't improved a lick since he was in the majors. Maybe it's something you can't teach, or certainly the Yankees' coaches can't teach, given their track record.
The Martian is young, as you say. We can only hope that these sporadic call-ups during his youth haven't fucked up his head so much, he doesn't develop into the player he's capable of.
Amen.
Well, yesterday, The Martian made a nice catch in right field. So there's that. Plus, in his only at-bat late in the game, he just missed hitting a two run homer, flying out deep to center. The at bat was left handed, against a righty pitcher. So it was good to see him drive the ball from the left side. He has struggled this year from the left side.
ReplyDeleteAgainst the lefty pitcher, Spencer Jones looked dominant. Against the righty pitcher, Spencer Jones looked dreadful. I don't think it's coincidence or small sample size. There must be something in his approach, his swing, or his mechanics that favors hitting against the same side pitcher. Unusual, but not unheard of. There are righty hitters who seem to hit righty pitchers a lot better than lefty pitchers, for instance.
ReplyDeleteSo he just needs to get more tutoring from a good instructor in order to hit the opposite side pitcher. Maybe go back to Richard Schenck, the hitting guru. Jones looks kind of lost against righty pitching. Looks like he's not seeing the ball well. Certainly not recognizing the off speed. Plate discipline a problem too.
All these problems disappear against lefty pitching, the same side pitcher. Ain't that something?
I thought the Battlin' Bronx Bastards were going to get killed yesterday. They always to seem to win when I don't expect it. And they usually lose when I think they'll win.
ReplyDeleteSo today, I think the Bastards should win. Because Cole has been pitching very well. Plus the good vibes from yesterday. Does that mean they'll get killed today?
I wouldn't be so fast to write off Grisham. You know how much Cash-hole loves him. Grisham might be able to get back by the end of the season. Then Boone'll put him back in center field and in the lead off slot.
ReplyDeleteIf there's baseball next year, I'd say there's a very, very high probability Cash-hole inks Grisham to a new contract. It'll be a long one. Maybe seven years.
BTW, I've heard that MLB is ready "to burn the house down", that they will impose salary caps, that the world ain't big enough for the owners and the players to co-exist.
ReplyDeleteAlex Rodriguez is on the record as saying that the fans won't tolerate another long work stoppage. He says there's just "too much competition for our eyeballs". That the world has changed. He's right. A long work stoppage will destroy MLB for good this time.
I don't think a salary cap is necessary. Some small market teams cannot compete? Who the hell told those owners to buy a franchise? I think there are way too many ball clubs today. It's not healthy for the sport. Salary cap is not the answer. Belt tightening is. The sport needs to contract. Bigger ain't always better. When you get big enough, there's not enough money to go around.
Going back to Spencer Jones, he's 25 years old. That's old for a rookie, old for a prospect. Just another indication how the Yankees don't develop their players quickly. Jones should have been at this stage of his development FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO. These days, athletes peak in their early twenties. By 25, they're middle aged. By 30, they're washed up. Of course, everybody is different, so there are exceptions. But that's generally the trajectory these days. If they send Jones down again to the minors, he's going to be wasting his best years.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing will be happening to Jasson Dominguez in just a year or two. JD should've been at this stage of his development a couple of years ago, at least.
It comes down to poor managing, poor coaching, sloth-like player development organizationally. If those two played for the Rays, they would have already established themselves in the majors years ago. They Yankees have wasted a great deal of time. They may have wasted both of these guys in the minors.
Actually, Spencer Jones went to college, so that does cause a delay. But still, the Yankees were too slow by a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteIf I squint, I suppose I can see Volpe at 2b, but barring further injury, how to fit him in? Could they finally release Rosario?
ReplyDeleteStill not sold on Jones. Remember, he is a streaky player, his current peak will soon be followed by a Gallo-esque valley.
As for Grisham, who I never wanted and never liked ( I can say that about half the roster) I think this is the end, and we need to lay the blame at casshman’s gnarled feet.
For me, due to the impending lockout, next year is just a black hole. I can’t see anything right now,
I think Spencer Jones should be looking to hit more the opposite field against righty pitching. He looks a little too home run happy against righties. Stop looking to launch homers and try to hit liners the other way. He's got more than enough power to hit home runs to left field.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I'd say Spencer Jones looks a lot like Jazz Chisholm against righty pitching. Don't you guys think so too? Taking ridiculously huge swings against off speed going down and away. Do it that way and you're going to hit less than .200 against righty pitchers.
Great points about Spencer Jones, Hammer. I think Jazz is gone, too; at this point I really would rather see Volpe (who is not good) there.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can't cry any real tears for Grisham. He has likely made something in the vicinity of $40 million dollars in his major-league career. And he's what, 30 or so? He set for life, and down the generations, with even a modicum of sense in handling his money. I wish him a joyous and happy, post-Yankee life, however that may work out.
As to the looming labor war...A-Rod is right. As it was, the 1994 battle really endangered the game. A major fight this time might kill it.
ReplyDeleteAnd really, as major-league ball is at present...it deserves to die. Both sides, owners and players, are ignorant, right-wing greed heads, ceaselessly milking the public treasury, as well as the fans.
Even worse: the game they insist on playing now—whether the fans like it or not—stinks. It's not skillful, it's not entertaining, or exciting.
Let the awful corporate structure known as "MLB" collapse. Some form of baseball will arise in its place. And it will probably be better.
100% to everything you said, Hoss. Every game has become a really shitty home run Derby.
DeleteIgnoring the elephant in the room (Cashman) and his 'yes man' (Boone), there's a lot of dead wood that needs to go: Rosario, Heliot, Grisham, Goldschmidt. Chisholm, McMahon., Doval, Stanton, plus a few more scrubs on the margins.
ReplyDeleteSend wells off to a head doctor, preferably unaffiliated with the Yankees.
For most of them, their replacement can be found in the minors. But this assembled crew should net us at least a Nazim Nunez or a six-pack of cheap beer.
One thing's for sure, this crew ain't getting far in the playoffs, even everyone gets a prize for participation. But even just getting rid of Cashman and Boone would make this a better team.
Wally Pipp, I wonder how many games Gehrig played before the streak started. Was he a 28 year old rookie?
ReplyDeleteJazz needs to be replaced with volpe6, even as flawed as he is. Volpe4, the resurrection.
I'd bet Grissom has made at least twice that in his career.
Boone is an idiot. Ca$hole is a sycophant, an HAL is evil