Even now, plodding through the dog days of August, they still possess the AL's 2nd best record, and no matter how badly they disappoint, it's hard to imagine them falling from a wild card race that resembles a Tee-Ball participation trophy.
If they face one problem, it's that sub-.500 teams like Baltimore - with whom they open a three-game set tonight - remain in contention. In a normal time, the O's - three games underwater, and having traded their cornerstone catcher - would be texting hotties in the stands. Instead, they're tied for the final wild card slot.
Thanks to the AL's mediocrity, the Yankees yesterday could put Max Fried on the 15-day injured list, a move similar to what the Dodgers do each year, parking players in bubble wrap with the hope of having them for October. One thing about injured players: They can't get hurt. (Note: This discounts Giancarlo, who can tweak a gonad while blowing his nose.)
You probably expected me to piss and moan Fried's bone bruise. Sorry to disappoint. No injuries rattle me anymore. Between now and October, we'll see some humdingers. Fried will merely miss five or six starts, mitigated by the return of Carlos Rodon and the fact that he was only pitching five innings, which made Fried's games feel like glorified bullpen starts. It's the long-term we should mourn. Fried is in the second season of an eight-year contract that should have been signed by Carl Pavano. For the next years, whenever a free agent hits the market, Food Stamps Hal will grab his fanny pack and hide.
For two months now, the Yankees have treaded water. Giancarlo Stanton is a punch line. The Yankees can point to Kyle Tucker's miserable season in LA, but the OF they preferred, Cody Bellinger, hasn't done much. In Toronto, the Yankees faced ascending players in a young lineup, while our rising stars have struggled.
Anthony Volpe was a swing and a miss. The Martian, thus far, is a swing and a miss. Spencer Jones looks increasingly like a swing and a miss. Ben Rice is barely hanging on, we keep squandering great starts by Cam Schlittler, and it's too soon to assess George Lombard Jr.'s bat.
AL slop is the gift that keeps on giving. The Yankees can sit on the league's wild card shit pile and try to run out the clock. But everybody knows it, everybody feels it: This team sure doesn't look like a future champion.
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11 comments:
This is how much Hal cares about the Yankees: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7514715/2026/08/18/new-york-yankees-macombs-dam-park-yankee-stadium-decrepit/?unlocked_article_code=1.6VA.Oyt6.4GueLRGMIHac&source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_copylink&smid=url-share-ta
Your New York Yankees
The turd heard round the werld
Ugh
The word heard round the turd.
When the Yankees lose two of three to the B Birds, things will start looking a lot more desperate. Baltimore has been playing better and better of late. Pete Alonso has come alive, found himself after a slow start. And he's another Yankee Killer.
They missed one feature. The smell of urine. That alone would make me not want to use the field.
A-well-a everybody's heard about the turd
Turd, turd, turd, t-turd's the word
A-well, a turd, turd, turd, turd is the word
A-well, a turd, turd, turd, well-a turd is the word
A-well, a turd, turd, turd, t-turd's the word
A-well, a turd, turd, turd, well-a turd is the word
A-well, a turd, turd, t-turd is the word
A-well, a turd, turd, turd, t-turd's the word
A-well, a turd, turd, turd, well-a turd is the word
A-well, a turd, turd, t-turd's the word
A-well-a don't you know about the turd?
Well, everybody knows that the turd is the word
A-well-a-turd, turd, t-turd's the word, a-well-a
Fried hurt again is not good news.
I was watching Yankee Classics (2003 AL Championnship) with my youngest daughter last night. We adopted her from China and she is unfamiliar with the history of the Yankees. She loved the game, but expressed surprise that boone actually played for the Yankees . She seemed shocked when he hit the game winning HR and asked “is that why they made him manager?” I didn’t know what to say…
I don't think that the Yankees preferred Bellinger. They chose Cody because they were shopping at the discount rack (relatively) and paid half the AAV of Kyle Tucker's contract.
Though, really, Tucker was incredibly overpaid and is not worth three-quarters of the money. Bellinger was a lot cheaper and no more of a crapshoot.
BTR, tell your daughter yes, that's why Boone was made manager. The truth is probably too complicated for her at this point...robot, follow orders, no arguments, pro-player even when the player is lousy, etc. (No wonder players love him. When they suck or fuck up, they only have to face good cop/good cop.)
Rodon pitched 2 2/3 innings in his last rehab start and gave up three runs. Yep, midseason form. So a certified black hole in the rotation, joining Warren, who's a fairly dark gray hole.
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