The headline Boston Massacre has already been used so I thought I’d try “Mass Hysteria?” as in .. Massachusetts Hysteria ? The Yankees leave Fenway Park stunned from the weekend nightmare. The Red Sox swept the 4 game series, and everything that could go wrong for NY went wrong. When it came to being swept it was a real team effort by the Yanks. There were breakdowns in .. fielding, hitting, starting pitching, relief pitching, coaching, and more. I guess another good headline for the debacle might be “Murphy’s Law” because as I mentioned, anything that could go wrong, certainly did go wrong.
It was ugly, it was embarrassing, it was maddening, but was it devastating? Did it affect the Yankees psyche long-term? Only time will tell. The aftermath of the debacle leaves the Bombers 9.5 games behind Boston in the AL East. It also leaves them only 2.5 games ahead of the Oakland A’s for the 1st Wild Card. I had another headline in mind .. “Beantown Beatdown”. The big question becomes .. will the Yankees be so traumatized by the beatdown that they go into a free-fall ? They might, but I don’t think so.
Here is why I don’t think the Yankees will go into hysterics and have a meltdown :
Reliable starting pitching is what is needed to give the team a stabilizing effect, and although there are questions about Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka looks healthy and has pitched well recently. His split-finger fastball is back and that is usually a sign to me that his elbow (partially torn UCL) is feeling relatively pain-free. The time spent on the DL in an odd way was a blessing. Add to that the deadline deals that brought back J.A.Happ and Lance Lynn. They will be a huge upgrade to the back of the rotation. The Yankees now have 5 veteran starters in their rotation. When you look at the schedule for the rest of the month of August, the Yankees do not play a team with a + .500 record. A dominant Severino is key to any postseason hopes but for now Sevy should concentrate on fine-tuning his mix of pitches and mechanics and don’t feel like he needs to do it all by himself. Tanaka , Happ, Lynn & CC should be able to help beat sub .500 teams. The same goes for the closer Aroldis Chapman. He has the addition of Zach Britton & an already stacked bullpen. Steady work should get him back in a groove but if it’s his knee that is the issue, shut it down for a while. There is more than enough talent in the pen to get through August.
The exact same thing can be said for the Offense. Judge & Sanchez are missed, but there are still enough weapons to beat the likes of the WSox, Rangers, Mets, Rays, Blue Jays, Marlins, O’s and Tigers. It was frustrating to see Gary Sanchez come back off the DL after the All-Star Break and not being able to run at full speed, or anything even close to full speed. Don’t make that mistake again. Don’t come back too soon. Make sure you are 100%. When Sanchez steps on the field we want to see him hustle and play all-out. I would give Judge the exact same advice. Wrists are tricky. Make sure you are ready to swing the bat without thinking of the wrist. There should be no compensating or adjustments to his natural swing. Between now and Labor Day the Yankees have the softest schedule in the league. I think they have enough talent and pride to take advantage of weaker teams.
Do the Yankees have issues? Absolutely! They need Severino to turn back into the dominant Cy Young-candidate that he was for the last year and a half. They need to see continued sharpness from Tanaka. They need to know if their closer Chapman is healthy. If not, now is the time to go on the DL. They need a 100% healthy Judge & Sanchez to return. They need the dynamic duo of Torres & Andujar to play like the rookies that sparked, and at times carried the team earlier in the season. They need a healthy and productive 1st baseman. Is Greg Bird that person? We need to find out soon.
Again, the Yankees have issues and to spend time thinking about winning the division or the postseason is foolish right now. Go out and win as many games as possible between now and Labor Day against weaker teams. On Labor Day the harder “work” begins. They play Oakland and then Seattle on the road (3 games each). They have a 4 game lead in the loss column over the A’s and a 6 game lead in the loss column over the M’s right now. The Yankees need to take care of business and make sure the lead is even larger when they play them head-to-head.
Lot’s of work to do, but no need for hysterics. That never helps.
As always,
Pinstripe Pride !!
