So with the batting line-up dying a slow death, the Yankees needed their pitchers to continue to bolster the ship as it rolled in stormy seas. On the whole, through August, they did – although the bullpen suffered a knock and a setback here and there which can come with the overuse it has had this season. On the whole, the Yankees can thank their pitching for, surprisingly, keeping them in contention.
So the Yankees had made it into August still in the mix for a possible place in the playoffs albeit by a wildcard slot. By the trading deadline, they had brought in Chase Headley, Martin Prado and Stephen Drew to try and fix their anaemic batting line-up. Now Stephen Drew wouldn’t be everyone’s idea of how to fix a low batting average and so to nearly no-one’s surprise August proved to be one of the 2014 Yankees worst months at the plate.
As the end of the month passes let’s just round up the changes that happened to the Yankees roster after the trading deadline and before the close of August.
The Yankees made some surprising moves on the deadline day, primarily bringing in players who were not doing well elsewhere. Add this to a few changes caused by injury and waiver claims and the roster is looking rather different again. Let’s see what has happened.
The Yankees’ pitching is still threadbare. However, surprisingly, bringing in a few starters who were struggling elsewhere and coupling them with a bullpen that has been performing consistently seems to be working. Let’s see who was doing well in July:
The Yankees had a surprising month in July. New faces began to arrive and those that had struggled in the first half began to turn things around — but then as the month came to its conclusion they had a sequence of defeats. Go figure! Let’s see who did what at the plate:
The Yankees continue to change their roster around. Here’s an update on what has happened since the All-Star break.
What: The Children of the Light Trio – Danilo Perez, Brian Blade, John Patitucci,
Where: Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Frith Street, Soho, London
When: July 14, 2014
Writing reviews of jazz concerts can be a difficult ask – especially when the artists communicate little with their audience. Here I am in Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London and I’m scribbling notes – mental and written – but those pesky musicians won’t give me song titles to hang my thoughts on. What can I say? Tonight was a night of beautiful music. Here are some random thoughts I came away with but they won’t make the most coherent review.
There seemed no real possibility that the Yankees’ season could become more complicated by injury than it already had been. But somehow they managed it……
The Yankees, struggling to stay in contention to the extent that it is now as easy for them to win their division as it is for them to capture a wild card booth, are not making the task easy for themselves. And their injury situation is becoming more and more complex. Let’s see what happened amongst the pitchers in June.
twilightdawning 