Clemens is gonna miss a start? What were the odds of that happening? After dominating the Red Sox last week, the 45-year old version of Roger Clemens came back. And Mussina didn't look much younger following him up. King Felix kept the Yankee bats at bay, and Seattle broke a losing streak with a big win.
Key here is, Seattle now can't lose much ground in the series. Even if the Yanks win the next two, they'll still be only 3 games out. Yanks now face a couple of must-win games, or else their October slot will once again be in jeopardy.
- In the past seven days, only one team has had a worse average than the Yanks (.235) - the Giants at .215. Key guys are struggling, such as Damon (4-last 24, .167), Abreu (4-25, .160), and Matsui (4-25). Cano had 2 homers in the Yanks win last Thursday, but aside from that, he's 2 for his last 21.
The Yankee bats were hot all summer, but it was inevitable that they'd slow down. And that just might doom their playoff hopes.
Showing posts with label slump. Show all posts
Showing posts with label slump. Show all posts
Monday, September 03, 2007
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Sunday Roundup 7/1/07 - Write 'Em Off
For weeks, we've heard rumblings like "it's only April," "it's only May," "it's gonna be 1978 all over again." After yesterday's embarrassing loss, the Yanks are almost halfway done with the season, and a long ways from the division and the wild card.
Very good piece by Larry Brooks in the Post, about how the Yanks aren't in a rough patch; this is just the way the whole season has gone. He points out what Despiser mentioned a few weeks ago, that aside from A-Rod, the Yankees have no power bats. This team could use Gary Sheffield.
Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant also discusses the Yankee troubles, and mentions that the lefties (Matsui, Abreu, and Cano), who usually hit well against lefties, have not hit them well in '07.
Classic Joe Torre: Igawa gives up 4 runs in 6+ innings, but he's headed in the right direction. What's he gonna say next, that Clemens is a Cy Young candidate?
Mike Lupica echoes a piece I wrote in May. His piece, entitled "Who's Watching The Store?" is basically the same as my "Who's Running The Show"? But Lupica doesn't even address George's health issues. Bad job there.
Great piece by Bill Madden, who says things will only get worse for the Yanks in '08, '09 and beyond. Here's an excerpt:
"Take a good, hard honest look at this underachieving, uninspired, aging Yankee team and then weep if you will. The entire outfield of Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu is clearly past its prime and in need of being replaced. There is no first baseman. The catcher, Jorge Posada, is 36 and a free agent at the end of the season. The DH, Jason Giambi, is a broken-down, old 36 and probably done, certainly as a big-time middle-of-the-order run producer. And lest we forget (easy to do since we've seen him so infrequently this season), Mariano Rivera is going to be 38 in November when he, too, will be a free agent.
Nobody wants to talk about the fact that Derek Jeter will be 35 when the Yankees are in the new ballpark in '09 - and the silence has been deafening regarding that opt-out clause in Alex Rodriguez's contract. Whereas a couple of months ago the Yankees could smugly say they would not allow themselves to be held hostage by A-Rod, now it may not even be their choice."
The only area that Madden doesn't address is that the Yanks will likely pick up some big-name free agents over the next few years. They'll make huge offers to Johan Santana, Jake Peavy, Andruw Jones, and others. But as we've seen over the past few years, that won't help them all that much. Plus, with revenue sharing, maybe teams like the Twins and Padres will be able to keep their young stars.
Torre was not a big fan of Farnsworth's antics on Friday, but the guy isn't going anywhere. He's gonna get $7 million next year, and no team will take him unless the Yankees eat that up. It's one of the worst signings in the Cashman era.
Manny Ramirez is playing harder than ever this year, says Tony Massarotti.
ANTI-PICK OF THE WEEK: With the Yankees having their worst season since 1992, what could be more juicy than an interview with George Steinbrenner/Harold Rubinstein? Instead, the folks at the Daily News serve up bigger softballs than the ones Andy Pettitte gave to the A's this afternoon. Very disappointing. Terrible job by the News.
Then again, maybe I can't kill the News here. The interview was probably rigged by George's handlers. They don't want him to cause any controversy. There are a lot of layers there, and I'm pretty sure they didn't let the News ask the questions the fans wanted to hear answered.
PICK OF THE WEEK: One of my guilty pleasures? Checking out nyyfans.com when the Yanks are playing lousy baseball. Check out this piece: "DAMON HOLDS YANKEES HOSTAGE: DAY 82 + COUNTING."
- Yanks lose again, with Pettitte putting out his worst effort of the season. Everybody was impressed with his hot start to the season, but I figured he'd lose a step or two as the season went on. He had a 4.77 ERA in June, and he'll have to do really well to bring that figure down on July. The guy isn't getting any younger, and was pitching above his level, better than he did against the weak NL Central the past couple of years. I'd be surprised if he ended up with a sub-4.00 ERA.
- Two of my favorite teams, Minny and the Angels, take on the Yankees for the next seven days. Looking forward to this one.
Very good piece by Larry Brooks in the Post, about how the Yanks aren't in a rough patch; this is just the way the whole season has gone. He points out what Despiser mentioned a few weeks ago, that aside from A-Rod, the Yankees have no power bats. This team could use Gary Sheffield.
Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant also discusses the Yankee troubles, and mentions that the lefties (Matsui, Abreu, and Cano), who usually hit well against lefties, have not hit them well in '07.
Classic Joe Torre: Igawa gives up 4 runs in 6+ innings, but he's headed in the right direction. What's he gonna say next, that Clemens is a Cy Young candidate?
Mike Lupica echoes a piece I wrote in May. His piece, entitled "Who's Watching The Store?" is basically the same as my "Who's Running The Show"? But Lupica doesn't even address George's health issues. Bad job there.
Great piece by Bill Madden, who says things will only get worse for the Yanks in '08, '09 and beyond. Here's an excerpt:
"Take a good, hard honest look at this underachieving, uninspired, aging Yankee team and then weep if you will. The entire outfield of Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu is clearly past its prime and in need of being replaced. There is no first baseman. The catcher, Jorge Posada, is 36 and a free agent at the end of the season. The DH, Jason Giambi, is a broken-down, old 36 and probably done, certainly as a big-time middle-of-the-order run producer. And lest we forget (easy to do since we've seen him so infrequently this season), Mariano Rivera is going to be 38 in November when he, too, will be a free agent.
Nobody wants to talk about the fact that Derek Jeter will be 35 when the Yankees are in the new ballpark in '09 - and the silence has been deafening regarding that opt-out clause in Alex Rodriguez's contract. Whereas a couple of months ago the Yankees could smugly say they would not allow themselves to be held hostage by A-Rod, now it may not even be their choice."
The only area that Madden doesn't address is that the Yanks will likely pick up some big-name free agents over the next few years. They'll make huge offers to Johan Santana, Jake Peavy, Andruw Jones, and others. But as we've seen over the past few years, that won't help them all that much. Plus, with revenue sharing, maybe teams like the Twins and Padres will be able to keep their young stars.
Torre was not a big fan of Farnsworth's antics on Friday, but the guy isn't going anywhere. He's gonna get $7 million next year, and no team will take him unless the Yankees eat that up. It's one of the worst signings in the Cashman era.
Manny Ramirez is playing harder than ever this year, says Tony Massarotti.
ANTI-PICK OF THE WEEK: With the Yankees having their worst season since 1992, what could be more juicy than an interview with George Steinbrenner/Harold Rubinstein? Instead, the folks at the Daily News serve up bigger softballs than the ones Andy Pettitte gave to the A's this afternoon. Very disappointing. Terrible job by the News.
Then again, maybe I can't kill the News here. The interview was probably rigged by George's handlers. They don't want him to cause any controversy. There are a lot of layers there, and I'm pretty sure they didn't let the News ask the questions the fans wanted to hear answered.
PICK OF THE WEEK: One of my guilty pleasures? Checking out nyyfans.com when the Yanks are playing lousy baseball. Check out this piece: "DAMON HOLDS YANKEES HOSTAGE: DAY 82 + COUNTING."
- Yanks lose again, with Pettitte putting out his worst effort of the season. Everybody was impressed with his hot start to the season, but I figured he'd lose a step or two as the season went on. He had a 4.77 ERA in June, and he'll have to do really well to bring that figure down on July. The guy isn't getting any younger, and was pitching above his level, better than he did against the weak NL Central the past couple of years. I'd be surprised if he ended up with a sub-4.00 ERA.
- Two of my favorite teams, Minny and the Angels, take on the Yankees for the next seven days. Looking forward to this one.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Wow, They're Bad - Yankees 5, White Sox 1
The White Sox have looked awful the last two nights. They couldn't hit a lick tonight, and Vazquez pitched poorly against his former team. No wonder Ozzie may be on the hot seat. You get the feeling that in '05, they won it all because everyone was hot that year. Contreras, Konerko, Buehrle, Jenks, etc. all had great years. This year and last, however, it simply hasn't worked out for them.
And you look up and down that lineup, and man, are they cold. Dye is batting .224, Pierzysnki .246, and Konerko .232. And center field has been a disaster since they traded Rowand. So I wasn't surprised that Wang pitched so well tonight.
- And some of the Yankee hitters are starting to heat up. Abreu's been very good over the past couple of weeks, and hit his third homer of the year tonight. His average was in the .230s for most of May, but is now at .254. Melky's done pretty well too, up to .250. And defensively, he's a big improvement over Damon. At least Melky throws like a guy.
- Boston's been stinking it up lately, but I'm not too worried. Manny and Papi haven't heated up yet, and I still think we haven't seen the best of Dice-K. So even if Youkilis and Lowell cool down, I think they'll be fine.
And you look up and down that lineup, and man, are they cold. Dye is batting .224, Pierzysnki .246, and Konerko .232. And center field has been a disaster since they traded Rowand. So I wasn't surprised that Wang pitched so well tonight.
- And some of the Yankee hitters are starting to heat up. Abreu's been very good over the past couple of weeks, and hit his third homer of the year tonight. His average was in the .230s for most of May, but is now at .254. Melky's done pretty well too, up to .250. And defensively, he's a big improvement over Damon. At least Melky throws like a guy.
- Boston's been stinking it up lately, but I'm not too worried. Manny and Papi haven't heated up yet, and I still think we haven't seen the best of Dice-K. So even if Youkilis and Lowell cool down, I think they'll be fine.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Abreu: Another Justice
The biggest disappointment for the Yanks thus far? Easily Bobby Abreu. In '06, his arrival was the turning point for the Yanks. They had trouble catching the Sox in the division, and once Abreu came, opposing pitchers were up to 90-100 pitches in the 5th inning, and the Yanks pounced on teams' lousy middle relievers. After Abreu came along, the Yanks were able to knock Boston out of the race and easily win the division.
Abreu's numbers as a Yankee last year? Excellent. .330 batting average, .926 OPS.
This year, his average has fallen over 100 points, to .228. His OBP (.313) and SLG (.289) are both worse than his average in '06. The .602 OPS is pathetic.
In 2000, David Justice was huge for arguably the weakest of the dynasty teams. He had a .309 AVG and a .976 OPS, with 20 HR to boot. He capped it all off with a huge ALCS, winning the MVP in that series.
But in '01, Justice fell apart. He hit .241, and his OPS fell over 200 points. He hit .167 in the World Series, and was shipped to Oakland after the season.
One can speculate about the reasons for Justice and Abreu's dropoffs. Did they just get old? Did the Indians and Phillies know something Cashman didn't? Did they need a change of scenery to succeed, and then lose that motivation?
Last year, Yankee fans owed their October to Abreu. This year, Abreu may be the reason the Yankees miss the playoffs.
Abreu's numbers as a Yankee last year? Excellent. .330 batting average, .926 OPS.
This year, his average has fallen over 100 points, to .228. His OBP (.313) and SLG (.289) are both worse than his average in '06. The .602 OPS is pathetic.
In 2000, David Justice was huge for arguably the weakest of the dynasty teams. He had a .309 AVG and a .976 OPS, with 20 HR to boot. He capped it all off with a huge ALCS, winning the MVP in that series.
But in '01, Justice fell apart. He hit .241, and his OPS fell over 200 points. He hit .167 in the World Series, and was shipped to Oakland after the season.
One can speculate about the reasons for Justice and Abreu's dropoffs. Did they just get old? Did the Indians and Phillies know something Cashman didn't? Did they need a change of scenery to succeed, and then lose that motivation?
Last year, Yankee fans owed their October to Abreu. This year, Abreu may be the reason the Yankees miss the playoffs.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Line Of The Night
Mientkiewicz, Cano, Damon, A-Rod, and Abreu -- combined 0-for-16. Five hits total for the Yanks.
The one saving grace for the Yanks is that they'll continue to have company in the cellar, as Tampa Bay is getting drubbed by the Tigers. Two homers for Gary Sheffield, who now has 12 on the year. How'd that trade work out for ya, Cashman?
Beckett pitched great tonight, and in a possible playoff preview, the Sox beat the Indians, extending the lead to 14.5.
- And just like in the Subway Series, Tyler Clippard will be out there tomorrow looking to avoid the sweep.
The one saving grace for the Yanks is that they'll continue to have company in the cellar, as Tampa Bay is getting drubbed by the Tigers. Two homers for Gary Sheffield, who now has 12 on the year. How'd that trade work out for ya, Cashman?
Beckett pitched great tonight, and in a possible playoff preview, the Sox beat the Indians, extending the lead to 14.5.
- And just like in the Subway Series, Tyler Clippard will be out there tomorrow looking to avoid the sweep.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Flunkees Fail Big Test
Two weeks ago, I wrote about how the series against Chicago, the Mets, Boston, and the Angels would tell us whether these Yankees can win this year.
Well, a 4-8 run tells us all we need to know. After George's comments and getting swept by the Angels, the Yankees are a game out of the cellar. This is not April anymore. The season's about 1/3 of the way done, and this team stinks.
Damon refuses to go on the DL and will remain a part-time player. Coco Crisp never looked this good (and he had quite the web gem today). But even if the Yanks sidelined Damon, Melky Cabrera (.219) is not an option. Abreu has bounced all around the lineup, and still can't hit. Cano (.375 in the last week) looks like he's doing better. A-Rod (.227 in the last week) does not.
The Yanks pen is still in bad shape. Proctor blew it today, and Luis Vizcaino is not helping Cashman's job security.
The Red Sox and Mets sweep, making it a great weekend. The Yanks-Sox series seems like a million years ago, as the deficit is now 12.5 games. And Beckett is coming back.
When it comes down to it, this team can't win. The outfield is terrible, 1B is a joke, and the '06 A-Rod is making a comeback, as is the '04-'05 foot-in-mouth Jason Giambi.
- The Blue Jays looked done when Halladay and Ryan went down, but they've got a better record than the Yanks. With Clippard and DeSalvo pitching two games, they've got a pretty good shot at taking two of three.
Well, a 4-8 run tells us all we need to know. After George's comments and getting swept by the Angels, the Yankees are a game out of the cellar. This is not April anymore. The season's about 1/3 of the way done, and this team stinks.
Damon refuses to go on the DL and will remain a part-time player. Coco Crisp never looked this good (and he had quite the web gem today). But even if the Yanks sidelined Damon, Melky Cabrera (.219) is not an option. Abreu has bounced all around the lineup, and still can't hit. Cano (.375 in the last week) looks like he's doing better. A-Rod (.227 in the last week) does not.
The Yanks pen is still in bad shape. Proctor blew it today, and Luis Vizcaino is not helping Cashman's job security.
The Red Sox and Mets sweep, making it a great weekend. The Yanks-Sox series seems like a million years ago, as the deficit is now 12.5 games. And Beckett is coming back.
When it comes down to it, this team can't win. The outfield is terrible, 1B is a joke, and the '06 A-Rod is making a comeback, as is the '04-'05 foot-in-mouth Jason Giambi.
- The Blue Jays looked done when Halladay and Ryan went down, but they've got a better record than the Yanks. With Clippard and DeSalvo pitching two games, they've got a pretty good shot at taking two of three.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Can Clemens Close?
The tables have turned; suddenly, the Yankees starting pitching has been excellent, while the bullpen's been bad. Aside from the Igawa disaster Friday night, the starters have done really well. Rasner and DeSalvo pitched very well, though let's not go crazy; the Mariners, Ichiro aside, just plain suck.
Anyway, it's May 7th, and Mariano Rivera has an 8.44 ERA. So Yankee fans, wipe that smile off your face. Stop dreaming about the Rocket. Because you have to start worrying about Rivera.
I know, I know, he got a couple of saves against the Rangers last week. Still, there was Marco Scutaro, that awful night in Boston, and now this. Hard to keep calling them flukes.
Don't get me wrong. I don't think Rivera has suddenly morphed into Armando Benitez. But he's no longer Mr. Automatic. He no longer gives Yankee-haters that awful feeling in the stomach when he trots out of the bullpen.
So Mo hasn't totally lost it yet. But now, he's human. No more lights-out.
Anyway, it's May 7th, and Mariano Rivera has an 8.44 ERA. So Yankee fans, wipe that smile off your face. Stop dreaming about the Rocket. Because you have to start worrying about Rivera.
I know, I know, he got a couple of saves against the Rangers last week. Still, there was Marco Scutaro, that awful night in Boston, and now this. Hard to keep calling them flukes.
Don't get me wrong. I don't think Rivera has suddenly morphed into Armando Benitez. But he's no longer Mr. Automatic. He no longer gives Yankee-haters that awful feeling in the stomach when he trots out of the bullpen.
So Mo hasn't totally lost it yet. But now, he's human. No more lights-out.
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