Great question Dave !!
The Yankees CAN win their division with “mediocre starting pitching” by using the same
formula that helped them amass the best record in baseball in July….
HOME RUN POWER – 2nd in MLB Homers (140) , & 2nd in Runs Scored (500)
and have also managed to improve their team batting average 7th ( .259 ) by hitting
to all fields more and being less dead-pull.
LIGHTS-OUT BULLPEN – Dellin Betances & Andrew Miller, with the help of
Chasen Schreve , Adam Warren and Justin Wilson reduce the game to 7 innings.
If your not beating the Yankees by the 7th inning … you’re not beating the Yankees.
SOLID FIELDING – Now that DiDi Gregorius and Chase Headley have straightened out
their early season problems, the Yankees fielding is becoming the strength everyone thought
it would be.
TEAM CHEMISTRY – This team likes each other. You can see it and feel it.
More importantly they always exhibit professionalism, play with grit and a no-quit determination.
As far as the “MEDIOCRE STARTING PITCHING” ….
The Yankees rank 21st in team ERA 4.03 (None of the 9 teams below them are playoff teams)
Here’s where we have to keep our fingers crossed :
MASAHIRO TANAKA must stay off the DL !!
He also much pitch more like the pitcher that took
the league by storm with an 11-1 record & 1.99 ERA
rather than the current 7-4, 3.80.
Tanaka is the Ace … & he’s the key to the rotation.
Unfortunately the torn ligament in his elbow has created a black cloud
that is hard to ignore, and I’m not optimistic he can pitch through
August, Sept. & Oct (hopefully) without another flair-up, and raise his level
of performance to a true Ace at the same time.
MICHAEL PINEDA needs to limit his DL stint to 4 weeks and
return with his signature wipe-out slider, that sets up his other pitches.
A healthy Tanaka and Pineda would be great, but we need at least
one. We can not survive both going down !!
IVAN NOVA has to show that his tired arm / dead arm phase is behind him.
When he’s healthy, his sinker, curve, and fastball are electric.
CC SABATHIA continues to struggle.
ADAM WARREN should replace him in the rotation, but I don’t think we’ll see it happen.
NATE EOVALDI has developed a split finger-change up that has made him a
different pitcher. He’s growing in confidence but needs to keep it going.
The 99 mph heat is great, but it’s not enough.
LUIS SEVERINO is getting his big chance. I agree with Cashman that
he is an “untouchable” prospect who could not have been traded away for a rental arm.
I have full confidence he will make it on the big league level, but keep in mind
…he is only 21 years old.
Home Runs , Bullpen, Fielding, Team Chemistry, hopefully our top
two Starters don’t both go on the DL, along with some help from a very talented 21 year old.
That’s how they can win their division Dave.
BUT … can the Yankees win the WORLD SERIES (isn’t that the only real goal/ #28) with this rotation,
when our Starters need to “match zeros” with the top Starters in the league , and when Home Runs
are a lot harder to come by ??
That’s a story (and a column) for another day.
As always,
GO NYY !!
