Despite the Yankees’ current three-game losing streak (against the rival Red Sox and rotten Royals, no less), I’m not particularly alarmed about how this team is playing. Win ten in a row here, lose three in a row there, that’s more than acceptable. That said, there is no excuse for this team not to take the remaining two games of this series in Kansas City.
Joe Torre will be back in the dugout tonight, having served his one-day suspension resulting from the Quantrill-Tigers incident yesterday. Quantrill himself remains suspended for the duration of this series, which shouldn’t matter much as he could use a break after his disastrous appearance on Sunday and Tanyon Sturtze, who worked one scoreless inning last night, is the only Yankee reliever to have pitched since then.
Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui got the park early yesterday to work on defense and hitting respectively. Matsui, whose drills focused on hitting off of a tee, responded immediately last night with his first homer since the Cretaceous Period (a.k.a. April 8). Rodriguez’s results will reveal themselves over a longer period, but he did look good in the field last night.
The Royals are skipping the atrocious Jose Lima (8.13 ERA, 15 homers in 11 starts) tonight in favor of D.J. Carrasco, who has two quality starts in three attempts this season (the exception coming against the Orioles), but just five strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings (he’s a contact/groundball type). Randy Johnson, who will take the hill for the Yanks, really needs to have a dominant outing having allowed 28 hits and struck out just 8 (against five walks) in his last three starts combined (18 2/3 IP), and there’s no better team to do that against than the 2005 Kansas City Royals.
As always . . .
1. Yankees are a combined 0 for 7 lifetime against Carrasco. I shudder to think what this means for Torre's lineup construction tonight.
Matsui and Alex have walked against him, while Jeter, Sheff, Tino, Bernie, and Giambi are all 0 for 1 or 2.
My best guess of a lineup and batting order:
1 Matsui RF
2 Alex 3B
3 Russ Johnson 1B
4 Sanchez SS
5 Cano 2B
6 Posada C
7 Rooben DH
8 Bubba CF
9 Womack LF
2. Yo, I've just gotta believe that the Big Unit is going to wipe the floor with these last place hacks tonight.
And the bats should be on point too. Hey, we gotta have faith here. Plus, it's my damn birfday, so let's hope they win one for the Gipper, so to speak.
3. Alex,
Happy b-day, man. Hope the Yanks come through for you...and the rest of us.
4. Was A-Rod's defense truly on point? Forgive this commenter for not going back to review the details, but my recollection is that a pointless throw to first allowed a runner at second to advance to third with less than two outs, and to subsequently score on a sac fly.
5. Happy B-day Alex. Now we just need the Scooter on tv, announcing it.
6. YanksFan, E-Rod's problem this year has been catching the ball, not throwing it or deciding what to do with it once he has it. I was commenting on his ability to come up with the ball in last night's game only.
7. By the way, the Royals have made a roster move, designating Eli Marrero for assignment and calling up double-A OF and lefty bat Shane Costa, who wasn't exactly tearing up AA, but these are the Royals after all.
8. Wake is getting rocked... Baltimore up 7-0 after 5 1/2. Hard to know who to root for with Baltimore in 1st, but out of force-of-habit, I guess you root against the Sox.
9. Actually, you root against the team with the better record. It's more important that the O's lose than the Yanks shake the Sox right now.
10. Oh man. Giambi hits, Giambi gets picked off.
Any of you sabermetricians out there able to quantify this team's seemingly habitual gaffes?
We can't have this.
11. Having faith is great, but it's hard when RJ gives up 3 runs in 3 innings to the Royals.
12. This is no way to spend a birthday (by the way, thanks for the well wishes). Did you see Giambi's blunderful slide into second, and then find his ass nabbed off of second base like that on the very next play?
What's the this umpires strike zone?
What's with Johnson and his flat sliders?
What's with the listless offense, careless defense (Cano on the aborted double play), and our boys flat-out stinkin up the jernt?
13. (I should say hung up, not picked off)
14. Pathetic! Disgusting! Embarrassing!
PATHETIC! DISGUSTING! EMBARRASSING!
(I need Bold and Larger fonts to continue my thoughts)
P A T H E T I C!
D I S G U S T I N G!
E M B A R R A S S I N G!
Is 2 hits yesterday and 2 for 4 and a HR today for Bernie enought to GET WOMACK ON THE BENCH FOREVER!!!!!!!!
15. The Yankees' play in this series has been disgraceful. Two players have been picked off, catchable balls have been falling in, the hitters have managed four runs in 18 innings, and Randy Johnson allows 10 hits against a terrible offense.
This team exhibits a deadly combination--they don't play hard and they don't play smart.
Unfortunately, poor roster decisions aren't helping matters. Russ Johnson is somehow on this team and Andy Phillips isn't. There isn't a real center fielder to be found now that Bubba Crosby is in Columbus. And there's only player capable of playing right field.
I'm afraid the Yankees aren't going to get better until the following things happen:
1) a center fielder (Preston Wilson?) is acquired, allowing Matsui to play left field every day
2) Bernie Williams becomes the everyday DH and Jason Giambi isn't allowed to waste any more at-bats
3) Andy Phillips is brought up to platoon with Tino Martinez at first base
4) Tony Womack becomes a utility player, backing up Cano and Matsui and being used as a pinch-runner
5) Randy Johnson starts pitching like a dominant No. 1 starter and not an OK No. 3 starter
The last thing depends on Johnson himself; the other four depends on Cashman and Torre starting to make some smart decisions.
16. Another horrible loss. RJ gave up the 3 runs, but at least it was a quality start that saved the bullpen for goodness knows when they get used next. I can't remember the last time that I saw Mo on the mound.
Giambi gaveth and taketh away which will be the epitaph on his Yankee career. What nightmare that contract has become. The Yankees could have had at least one run in that inning with Bernie's single if Giambi hasn't been caught between bases.
Joe needs to plant Womack's butt to the bench and put Bernie back into the line up on a regular basis.
17. Actually, I thought of Preston Wilson until I saw:
1) His 12.5 million salary
2) Career .265 .333 .479
3) Last 3 years on the road: .244 .312 .441
Thats .312 OBP away from Colorado!
18. I hereby dub thee...Unit Mulholland.
Anyone else unhappy with tonight's installment of Mystery Lineup '05? Not so sure we want a slumping double-play machine batting second.
I agree that Bernie should be entrenched in this lineup (BATTING SECOND!!!!), but only as a DH. The Royals - THE ROYALS - ran on his arm all night. It's clear to everyone in baseball (except for Torre, of course) that he can no longer throw.
19. there's no one thing that's gonna fix this team at this point. they might turn it around in time to sneak into the playoffs, but with the shoddy starting pitching they're certainly not going to do anything once they get there.
and just think, soon jaret wright will be back, and our most reliable and consistent starter will either be sent down or, more likely and much worse, traded.
20. I agree with dtrain about how there isn't one key acquisition that might fix this team.
I think of 2000 when the team's offense was really struggling before they landed David Justice in what's got to be the most perfect acquisition, midseason or otherwise, in the team's championship years. He brought not only the offense needed, but from day one just fit right into the mix in terms of chemistry and attitude.
The reason that acquisition was so perfect is because the team was fine in every other regard. They could pitch and field and played fundamental ball.
This team sadly lacks the fundamentals (though obviously possesses extraordinary talent) which means that it's impossible for them to win when they're in a funk.
Sure they may be able to get to the postseason on pure talent, but without the focus required to consistently harness that talent, I don't like their chances.