Aaron Judge needs more tests. That mystery booboo on his ribs? It might be a bruise. But when have more tests ever brought good news? The Yankees can Baghdad Bob this, but increasingly, it looks like Judge missing weeks - not days. Jose Caballero won't cut it in RF. The Yankees are on the verge of being swept at home by the first playoff-bound team they've seen since mid-May. (Afternoon game today.)
Ten takeaways...
1. Anthony Volpe is flatlining - 2 for his last 17 - and revisiting his old neighborhood, the .220. batting average. This is bad. We appreciated Caballero at SS, but Yank fans secretly thought Volpe would return, hit, and take the job, once and for all. Over the last few games, we're seeing the Old Volpe, who gets his pitch and hits a harmless pop fly. The guy hustles, and he's fielding decently. But .220 won't cut it.
2. At Scranton, George Lombard Jr. isn't knocking down fences. Last night, the future Yankee SS went 0-2. At Triple A, over 31 games (114 ABs) he is hitting .193. Lombard is only 21, among the youngest sprites in the International League. The Yankees claim is glove is MLB-ready. If he starts hitting, would the Yankees vault him into the pressure cooker of a pennant race? Yeah, probably.
3. The Martian starts a rehab assignment tomorrow. This is his chance. The Yankees need an outfielder, and Jasson Dominguez he needs a shot. In the meantime, why not retrying Spencer Jones?
4. By the way, Jones went 1-3 last night for Scranton. Guy's hitting .268 on the season in Triple A.
5. Against Cleveland, the Yankee bullpen has been undressed. In both losses, it's been our kryptonite. Last night, it was earnest Tim Hill, formerly of the Circle of Trust. His ERA is now above 4.50 and - get this - he's one of our better relievers. Don't get me started on Greg Bird and Camilo Doval. They have become signs of the apocalypse.
6. Lost in the shuffle, Oswaldo Cabrera - of the CarShield commercial -is facing an existential crisis. Down in Scranton, he's hitting a Volpesque .222 and playing everywhere. (Last night, RF and 3B; he went 1-3 with a SB.) Oswaldo has been one of the most popular Yankees, and everyone remembers how, last year, he broke his leg sliding into home and came up asking whether he was out or safe? He's 27.
7. Without Judge, It's Bellinger Time? The Yankees are paying him Judge money. Somebody has to protect Ben Rice in the order. He's hitting .272 with 8 HRs. He needs to get hot.
8. Aaron Boone will soon decide: Giancarlo or Goldy? They have three DHs, and two can play 1B. Paul Goldschmidt has been hot lately. Would Boonie sit him for Giancarlo Stanton? Would they platoon Ben Rice? Something's gotta give.
9. Tampa is crumbling. They've lost 8 of 10. Remember how Nick Martinez shut us down on May 22? Last night, he got pounded by Detroit: 6 earned runs in four innings. The AL East looks weaker than in many years. It means that Boston, for all its strife thus far, is still in it. And they visit this weekend.
10. This weekend, nobody will give a shit about the Yankees/Redsocks. The Knicks could be on the verge of an NBA championship, and NYC will be going wild. The Yankees might just get to see what Canyon of Heroes looks like. Maybe it will give them ideas...
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8 comments:
To be fair, Lombard's first 15 or so games at AAA were offensively bad. His last 15 or so have been much better. Worthy, even.
The quick hook on Jones is beyond troublesome. Aren't they ever just going to give him a chance? I mean, if they used a similar yardstick on Volpe and Boone, they'd both have been gone a long time ago.
nothing changes, nothing changes. got to get on with my day. going to run it on back out there...
Birds of a feather
Die together
When they
Plummet
Out of the Sky
Their brains stop working
Their bodies stop jerking
Was it really
Fun while it lasted ?
Have to agree, with Judge out (and yes, it will be weeks if not months) now is the time for Jones/Dominguez. Personally, I’m not optimistic about either (slight preference for JD) but strongly agree this is their time. Play them or look to trade them. Adding Stanton to the mix is not a positive at this point. Volpe is Volpe.
Not sure what to say about the pen that hasn’t already been said. We’ve come to expect that they will give up runs over the last 3 innings, with the 9th inning being particularly shaky. The ready solutions down on the farm (Lagrange/Rodriguez) have control issues. Why not give Yovanny Cruz a real shot?
Day game today which usually portends a lineup from hell. But come to think of it, everyday is a lineup from hell around. Bravo, Cashman!
Trade Volpe straight up for Soto.
Problem solved
Forgot to mention that in this trade the Mets would pay for 69 percent of Soto’s salary and Soto’s family would get to keep the luxury suite over in Flushing.
LGK!!!
Ah yes, the Stanley Cup final between those two regions rich with hockey tradition.
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