TwitterCrunch Time
23 Sep 2012
Here’s the good news. Since leaving Baltimore on September 9th with a one-game lead, the Yankees have gone 9-2. Here’s the bad news, the Orioles have matched that record.
I thought the Orioles would fade away, boy was I wrong. In fact, while both teams have been a lucky, from a runs scored/allowed perspective to go 9-2 over the past 11, the Orioles have been the stronger team, outscoring their opponents 58-34 as compared to the Yankees’ mark 53-41.
So, in a race that looks like it is going down to the wire, what could tilt the balance? Keep an eye on Tampa. The Rays close the season with three games at home against Baltimore. Before that, they have a game against Toronto, two @ Boston and four @Chicago. They currently sit 3-1/2 games out of a wild card spot, meaning those games against Baltimore could be tuneups for next year or could be critical.
On the other hand, today marks the last time the Yankees will play a potential playoff team. They close with three @Minnesota, 4 @Toronto and three against Boston. Obviously, if Tampa is still playing to win, the Yankees have a scheduling advantage over the final 10 days of the season.
One final note. At this point you have to wonder if the Yankees will make the playoffs, but burn out their bullpen in doing so. They have won seven-straight, but everyone of those wins has been by three runs or less. In fact, apart from their 13-3 victory in Baltimore earlier this month, the last time the Yankees won a game by more than three runs was August 13th. Joe Girardi did a great job managing the bullpen most of the season and you can’t blame him for overusing some of those arms now. It’s crunch time and he has no choice. But, there is a good chance that it will come back to haunt the Yankees in the very near future.
Sep 26, 2012 @ 16:14:36
I went to the Yankees/Twins game yesterday. To put things in perspective, my tickets in the lower deck behind the screen would cost $300/seat in Yankee Stadium. Here I pay about $60. Things are different here.
Also, the insane expectation that any season without a World Series victory is a total failure is alien to the lands West of the Hudson. Wait till the Yanks go in the tank like the Twins and Red Sox. You’ll appreciate a team like this year’s edition with generally likeable veterans who battle for a playoff spot and who hit the cover off the ball.
A couple of things strike me about this team. Hughes pitched well against a pretty good hitting team. He has a very curious way of slinging the ball; makes me worrry a bit about his longevity.
A. Rod was totally overmatched by mediocre fastballs. But things turn on a dime in baseball. He finally turns on one and hits it 402 feet to deepest part of the field. But, alas, it does not leave the park. It seems like he’s just missing home runs this year by the slimmest of margins.
Swisher is absolutely dialed in. He crushes everything. He’s a streaky hitter, and when he’s on, he’s on. Same with Andruw Jones. He hit a Ruthian shot which, while not deep into the stands, was stratospherically high.
Granderson looked terrible. He had a lot of bad swings. But here’s a guy who was tremendous in Game 1. Another very streaky guy.
Boone Logan blew the game with an absolutely awful outing. His speed was fine, but he had no idea where his pitches were going. No control whatsoever, forcing him to throw it down Broadway when he needed a strike. Since he so obviously did not have it, why stick with him so long? Yes, he was facing lefties, but you did have Rapada as an option. And the way Joba has been pitching, I would have liked to have seen him. This lefty/righty thing is overblown. Sometimes a guy just plain does not have it. When that happens — in a late September game in the middle of a playoff race — you pull him.
Lowe sure looked good; I’d like to see more of him.
Jeter hasn’t changed a bit (except for the hair) in the 17 years I’ve been watching him. Suzuki looks like a different player from what he was in his last year at Seattle.
The best player on the team is obviously Cano, even on a quiet night. He does everything well, and the opposing team clearly fears him.
In sum, despite the loss the state of the Yankees looks pretty good to me.
Sep 26, 2012 @ 20:06:42
Corey
A few years ago Andy and I went to a few ballparks. I was stunned that in Pittsburgh we could sit about 15 rows behind home for $25.
Anyway, I totally agree with you. I appreciate this team and having lived through the 80′s and early 90′s as a Yankees’ fan, I don’t subscribe to the idea that it’s World Series or bust. (On a side note, I don’t like Girardi wearing #28 at all)
I think this team could be very dangerous opponent in the playoffs. Ichiro adds something the Yankees haven’t had since Gardner went down and since he actually played today, they could have quite a lineup in the playoffs. In fact, if Gardner is healthy enough to hit and play the field, I would put him in Center in the playoffs against RHP and DH Granderson.
The key is Teixeira, the lineup is so much tougher to navigate if he is in it.
Sep 27, 2012 @ 10:21:53
Well I felt good about how the team looked, even in its one losing game. With a diminished A Rod and with Texeira out and Jones hitting below the Mendoza line, they are vulnerable to left handed pitching. But there’s no shortage of depth or character on this team, and they have pretty good pitching.
It’s all a question of luck. If they get hot they win the division and blow through the playoffs. If they suddenly go cold, like they’re prone to do, their season is quickly and brutally ended.