The Last 26 Games In Yankeeland
At the close of business on May 7th, the Yankees had just completed a 5-game losing streak. At that point, their record on the season was 13-15, which put them in 3rd place in the A.L. East – 5 1/2 games out of first place.
Since that time – meaning from May 8th through June 4th – the Yankees have gone 19-7, and, now, they are tied for first place in the A.L. East (as of this morning).
During this 26-game run, the Yankees pitchers, as a unit, has posted an ERA of 3.79 – and has only allowed 3.8 runs per game…thanks to a Yankees defense which has allowed just one unearned run in their last 26 games.
Also, during this 26-game run, the Yankees batters, as a unit, posted a BA/OBA/SLG line of .287/.360/.506 (in 1,019 PA) – averaging 5.8 runs scored per game. (They’ve also hit 44 homeruns in their last 26 games.)
A major league team can’t play much better than the Yankees have over their last 26 games.
But, the big question here, for me, is: Can they keep it up? Will the Yanks pitchers/defense continue to allow, on average, less than four runs per game? Will the Yanks batters continue to perform at a clip where they’re scoring close to six runs a game?
I like the chances of the latter happening – especially with Matsui staying somewhat sound and Posada being back in the line-up…but they will also need Cabrera and/or Gardner to keep producing as well. But, the pitching…well…I dunno…
The Yankees bullpen still needs help. And, what about Pettitte’s back, Wang’s struggles and the inconsistency of Hughes, Chamberlain and Burnett? Because of all that, I have to wonder if their pitching can hold up…and, if it doesn’t, can the hitters offset any pitching downfalls?
How about you, what do you think? Will the Yankees continue to roll or should we expect them to come down to earth in the near future?
After the Yankees finish up the next 7 games against the toughest teams in the league, they have a cupcake schedule. They play, in order, the Mets, Nationals, Marlins, Braves, Mets, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Twins.
The Mets are a crippled NL team. They’re certainly without Reyes and Delgado for these two series against the Yankees. I don’t view them as any tougher than the Blue Jays to beat.
So even if the Yankees only win 3 out of the next 7 games, all is not lost. But if they win 4 out of 7, they’re in great shape. I wonder what that one game in these next 7 will be that will decide whether the Yankees did poorly or did good work?
The reason I think they can keep the pitching up, Steve, is that there’s no reason to think it will get worse. Everyone but CC has been inconsistent for the past month, and they’ve still found a way to post a 3.79 ERA.
CC since May 8th:
5 starts, 4-1 record, 2.08 ERA, 39 IP.
Can even he keep that up?
@ Steve Lombardi:
Probably not. But you would also expect a bit of an uptick from some of other guys. Unless CC craters, I have no reason to believe that the Yankees rotation will get significantly worse.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Hmm…let’s see….
Last 17 starts, 2008: 11 W, 2 L, 4 ND…130 2/3 IP, 106 H, 31 R, 24 ER, 6 HR, BB 25, K 128, ERA: 1.65, WHIP: 1.003
But, wait, wait; that was the NL, so it doesn’t count, right?
Now, the 14 AL starts before he was traded (and after his horrendous 4 games at the start of the season…):
6 W, 5 L, 3 ND…104 1/3 IP, 85 H, 27 R, 25 ER, 8 HR, 20 BB, 109 K, ERA 2.16, WHIP: 1.007
His last 31 starts, both leagues, combined:
17-7 with 7 ND; 235 IP, 191 H, 58 R, 49 ER, 14 HR, 45 BB, 237 K, ERA 1.88
WHIP: 1.004
And there’s 2007:
Last 28 starts: 16-5 with 7 ND, 214 2/3 IP, H 173, R 53, ER 44, HR 13, BB 41, K 21, ERA 1.84, WHP: 1.005.
And all that led to was the AL Cy Young Award.
So, basically, CC’s history is that he starts slow, but once he starts rolling, he rolls like a runaway train. A blip start here and there, but one more-or-less crushing tank start after another, until the regular season’s over.
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Can he? Yes, he obviously can.
Will he? I dunno, but I wouldn’t bet against it.
Caveat #1: Accumulated wear and tear on an ace starter can cause an arm injury at any time.
Caveat #2: The Red Sox will hit him in Fenway because they always have. They have his number.
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