Yes, I know A.J. Burnett has great stuff. But, he also had 8 losses and an ERA of 5.23 coming into this game – so, he can be beat. But, yeah, I know…these are the 2008 New York Yankees.
Remember that Yankees game of July 3rd? After that “contest,” Joe Girardi called his team on the carpet and told them that time was running out and that they needed to play better, now. And, what’s happened since that time? In the nine games which have followed, the Yankees have gone 5-4. Worse, in these nine games, the team has batted .220 – yes, two-twenty.
So much for playing better, huh?
O.K., we’re at the All-Star break now. And, in their last 15 games, the Yankees are 7-8. Further, in their last 22 games, the Yankees are 10-12.
As Yankees fans, why should we believe that this team will play anything better than .500 after the All-Star break? Because some recent Yankees teams have played well after the break? Really? Is this team the same as those teams? I don’t think so.
Besides…just because something may have occured in the past for a baseball team, it’s not a rule that it’s going to happen again. There are no guarantees when it comes to baseball seasons…none at all.
12 Responses to “July 13th @ The Blue Jays”
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July 13th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
The guys will play better in the 2nd half because there is no way in hell that Cashman wouldnt make a big trade to push the team forwards.
Then with Damon and Matsui coming back, we should have enough to make a push.
At the moment, I can see why you would be skeptical though.
July 13th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Is it just me, or does this particular Yankee team resemble the 1965 squad: A new manager, aging stars, injuries to some key players, phenoms that aren’t all that “phenominating,” and the insitence—more and more a hope than an expectation—that the Bombers will somehow turn it around, tear off a winning streak as they had the previous year (1964), and make it to October just fine?
July 13th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Well, the Jays asked Burnett to pitch on short rest at least partially to see if he’d have a good day and up his trade value. I can’t see the Yankees doing much in the trade market to get some offensive help – there are too many guys coming back from injury and too many guys playing below their usual level to make big changes. Offensively, they are basically stuck with the guys that brung ‘em. Either Abreu and Cano and Jeter improve, or the offense will keep killing them.
But on the pitching side – do you really want Ponson and Rasner making starts til September? What if the Jays asked for two of the pitching prospects, or maybe Ian Kennedy alone? Do you make that trade to get a decent starter like Burnett? There’s no commitment, because he’s sure to opt out at the end of the year.
Personally I see the bats improving as more likely than seeing both Rasner and Ponson pitch well down the stretch. Getting Burnett could be the move that gets them to September in a position to make the playoffs.
The problem is that there are other teams, like the Cards, more desperate for help than Cashman is for making a trade to save this season. I honestly think that both Cash and the Steins are willing to look at this year as a “oh well, injuries crippled us but we’re still on the right track” season and they’d rather miss the playoffs than make a significant trade.
July 13th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Good compare Tresh Fan. Very interesting, indeed.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:18 am
Is it just me, or does this particular Yankee team resemble the 1965 squad: A new manager, aging stars, injuries to some key players, phenoms that aren’t all that “phenominating,” and the insitence—more and more a hope than an expectation—that the Bombers will somehow turn it around, tear off a winning streak as they had the previous year (1964), and make it to October just fine?
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Good compare Tresh Fan. Very interesting, indeed.
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just because something may have occured in the past for a baseball team, it’s not a rule that it’s going to happen again.
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Sounds like comparisons appeal to you only if they support your “glass half empty” viewpoint, Steve.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:33 am
LOL …good one DG.
Except, aren’t you talking apples and oranges here?
It’s one thing to compare teams in terms of make-up, etc., and say they look/feel alike – which is the point, I believe, by Tresh Fan here. It’s another thing to think your team is going to win 50 of 70 games in the end because it happened the year before…
…at least, it’s different to me. Your mileage may vary.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Yeah, I just thought it was amusing that you were agreeing with one comparison while making that statement in your first post.
I do recall though that last year, the same comparison was being made – end of a long run of success, older team, everyone waiting for them to snap out of it. It does look like the comparison is more apt now, when you add in phenoms who aren’t playing as expected, and the new manager.
But the big difference is that last year, the Yanks had a run differential that suggested significant improvement was possible, and they exceeded it, perhaps in part because of that soft patch in the schedule that coincided with the need for a strong push. This year, the team is playing exactly up to its deserved level, so aside from expecting guys to play like the back of their baseball cards say, there isn’t a lot of reason to expect great improvement. And you can add in to that the relatively strong stretch of the schedule they’ve got coming up – Twins, A’s, Sox, Angels.
I still can’t see them being true “sellers” because they don’t want to broadcast to the fans that they are punting on the season, and also I don’t think they are sure yet what they want to do in the offseason with the guys who will be free agents. If Abreu picks it up, will they want him for a couple of years again? When Giambi was on his streak, there was talk that they might actually keep him. Add in the fact that Wang and Hughes might actually help in September, and there’s no reason to give up yet.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Steve, AJ Burnett might have 8 losses BUT when he’s on he’s really on. His stuff is up there with Halladay’s according to Cito Gaston not his mental makeup so much. Jeter’s comments were very revealing regarding these losses to Toronto:Halladay and Burnett beat us! It was as simple as that. In addition, even though the Jays’ offense sucks their pitching is insanely great so these two losses are no shock. It’s not so much that the Yankee bats were dead but the Jays pitching was so dominant.
One more thing, Suzyn Waldman talked to Gibbons (when he was still manager) and the Jays were playing smallball because of their power shortage. Yeah, Wells and Rolen were out for a spell but the team made adjustments to put across some runs in their time of crisis. IT wasn’t like the Jays hit 20 homers to win the two games either this weekend.Is this an approach, the Yanks have to take? That is playing smallball. As bad as their season has been, the Jays (playing smallball and more aggressive “Cito” ball) are still only 3 games behind the Yanks.
Is this like the 65 team? NO way!The Yankee front office has a long term plan to be in the mix for years. This might be an off year,but this is not like 65 ‘coz the Wild Card didn’t exist neither did the Jays or Rays for that matter. Is everybody getting old at the same time like 65? THe first half of the last few years ,the Yanks have been dormant offensively so is this a surprise? The question really is if they can pick it up this year….again? Unless they shore up their offense, that remains to be seen.
July 14th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
I still can’t see them being true “sellers” because they don’t want to broadcast to the fans that they are punting on the season,
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If you’re a contending team, which Yankee would you trade for?
July 14th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
A contending team could go for Abreu or Giambi as a middle of the lineup bat rental.
but the Yanks would probably want to part with Melky, and contenders won’t see Melky as someone that would get them over the hump. He’s more a guy that a small market team would accept because he is still cheap and under their control.
July 14th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
A contending team could go for Abreu or Giambi as a middle of the lineup bat rental.
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I’d have to look into it, but I think most contenders are already set @ 1b, DH, & L/RF
July 14th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Who is gonna pick up Giambi’s contract? No one, so he’s not a pragmatic selloff. Abreu is probably the best choice, since his contract is up and someone else on the Yanks can go back and catch flies near the fence!