For The Last 50 Games, Yankees Not So Hot
Posted by Steve L. on July 2nd, 2010 · Comments (13)
With today’s extra inning loss to the Blue Jays, the Yankees are now 27-23 in their last 50 games. If you take that winning percentage, and apply it to a full season, that’s an 87-win team.
Last time I checked, winning 87 games doesn’t get the job done in the A.L. East. And, for sure, that win total doesn’t match what one would expect from a team payroll like the Yankees.
And, you can’t just “small sample size” this one away – we’re talking 50 games here (which is close to one-third of a season). Also, check the Yankees schedule over their last 50 games, it hasn’t been all that tough.
Something better happen soon in Yankeeland to get this team playing better baseball – and it better happen soon.
In the first 70 games of last season, the Yanks were 38-32, which is an 88-win pace. That’s an even larger “sample size”.
Which means if you can play at an 88 win pace for 70 games and win it all, you can play at an 87 win pace for 50 games and win it all.
Yeah, they need to play better. And they need to make some moves in the pen, and to pick up a decent hitter for the bench.
A-Rod, Tex, Jeter, Posada and Granderson have to hit better.
The bottom of this batting order reminds me of an NL team. Cervi and GGBG are easily disposed of when runners are on base.
So, the Red Sox in a tie game against Baltimore get an 8th inning rally from the immortals Marco Scutero and Danial Nava. But our guys were mowed down by bottom-feeder pitching today against TOR. Including bases loaded, no out and no runs with the 4-5-6 hitters coming up.
ken wrote:
So, maybe they should trade A-Rod, Cano and Posada for Scutaro and Nava?
Evan3457 wrote:
Of course not. But those guys keep losing key players to injuries and are filling their lineup with journeymen and other unheralded fill-ins, and have been steadily gaining ground on our A-team. Oh, and their bullpen sucks more than ours.
From Pete Abe: “The Red Sox bullpen has fallen to next to last in the AL with a 4.80 ERA and they’ve allowed the most home runs (35).”
ken wrote:
@ Evan3457:
Evan, with the injuries BOS has suffered, it is a miracle that they are even still in the race. Yanks should have a 10 game lead. And that is not even considering that some of their starters this year are guys who if we acquired them would not make Yank fans jump for joy: Cameron, Beltre, Scutero, etc.)
Again, with props to Pete Abe::
Here’s the lineup the Red Sox could use with players on the disabled list:
1B: Victor Martinez
2B: Dustin Pedroia
3B: Mike Lowell
SS: Jed Lowrie
C: Jason Varitek
DH: *
LF: Jeremy Hermida
CF: Jacoby Ellsbury
RF: *
SP: Josh Beckett
RP: Manny Delcarmen
Take the Yanks equivalent of these guys and put them on the DL. Where would we be??????
Well, firstly, when the Yanks had their May skid, they were missing Johnson, Granderson, Posada, and for a few games, Nick Swisher, all at the same time. They lost A-Rod for nearly a week later on. Here’s the lineup when they beat the Red Sox on Thames’ walkoff on May 17th: Jeter-Gardner-Teixiera-Rodriguez-Cano-Cervelli-Thames-Winn-Pena.
The Yankee equivalent to the Sox’ injuries is in hitting dropoffs from last year: Jeter, Posada, A-Rod, Teix.
The first two were somewhat predictable. A-Rod, not so much, and Teix not at all.
The Red Sox getting a lucky roll of the dice on McDonald and Mata is like the Yanks getting a lucky roll of the dice on Small and Chacon in 2005.
The Yanks have not hit for pretty much a whole month now.
One of two things is going to happen. Either they will hit back to form, in which case, they have nothing to worry about. Or they won’t, in which case, they probably won’t make the playoffs.
Evan3457 wrote:
Perhaps. But I’m just frustrated that we could not have built a bigger lead before BOS gets some big guys back (Pedroia, Beckett, V Mart) and Theo makes a couple of smart moves.
BTW: Mata should be Nava. Or should I say, the first pitch, first ML at bat, grand slam hitting, future 1st round HOF’er Daniel Nava.
Evan3457 wrote:
Fire Kevin Long!
ken wrote:
Yeah, Nava. Great minor league hitting record…AAA not as impressive, but clearly, he’s not terrible. Certainly good enough hitter for a 4th outfielder, possibly a weak regular.
Raf wrote:
Oh, that yelling and screaming isn’t far off…if/when the Yanks fall out of first, that crap will start up again for real.