The bullpen – good to great
The rotation – good to poor
The Yankees have a quandary to solve in the second half.
The bullpen – good to great
The rotation – good to poor
The Yankees have a quandary to solve in the second half.
The Yankees dominated in the American League Division Series (ALDS) against Baltimore but then just stopped hitting in clutch situations in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) against Detroit. Consequently, this is a rather cursory glance at the pitchers during that period because the truth is that it doesn’t matter how well you perform if you have next-to-no run support. Few of the pitchers were outstanding and only a couple ran into real problems but the bats couldn’t make any noise at all during that fateful final series.
If, at the end of the regular season, someone should have predicted that the stars of the Yankees’ playoff run would be Raul Ibanez and the bullpen and that number 2, shortstop and Captain, Derek Jeter would end his series in hospital there would have been gasps of disbelief and ridicule. Let’s see who except Raul Ibanez among the batters managed to stand up and be counted (Jeter pun intended)
Mr Girardi has a tendency to use the full range of his expanded roster when it turns September 1st. Unfortunately, this means that players are used to pitch on an irregular rest period and the continuity and consistency of the pitching tends to fall apart. This may be the last season he has to face that temptation as the rules on September roster expansion seem likely to change soon. In the meantime, here’s how the Yankees fared under the current system.
The Yankees found themselves in a surprisingly tight finish in September and they needed players to step forward and give a good account of themselves. Few did. Who were they?
Well, the home run and the relief pitching have been the heart of the Yankees’ successful season so far and July wasn’t much different. We have coped with the loss of Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera and maintained a lead at the head of the division. Who were the contributors in that surprising situation?
July was an unusual month for the Yankees. They surprised the pundits by bringing in Ichiro Suzuki who looked likely to spend the whole of his American Major League career with Seattle and designated Dewayne Wise, who had become a fan favourite following a remarkable June. They persisted with Russell Martin and saw Alex Rodriguez head for the disabled list. But who were the solid bats behind a creditable month. Let’s see:
It hasn’t been mentioned much but Yankees’ reliever, Romulo Sanchez, looks likely to be heading out of the Bronx with Japan a likely destination. It means that most of the pieces of the Yankees’ bullpen might have fallen into place.
ESPN reports: Joe Girardi said the Yankees’ newly-acquired No. 1 catcher had “a little stiffness” in his left hamstring. Girardi said Martin’s injury had nothing to do with his surgically-repaired right knee and that Martin would be able to catch again on Monday.
Well, the tardiness of this column finally caught up with me and I end up writing about the Yankees’ starting rotation AFTER they have announced what THEY expect their rotation to look like.