From Jeff Jones:
Yankees general manager and senior vice president Brian Cashman addressed a wide range of topics on the field at Busch Stadium on Friday evening before the club’s opener against the Cardinals. With every answer came a circling back to some of the same themes. No, the Yankees have not been having recent success. Yes, they do believe the roster has improved since the Trade Deadline and will yet display that improvement. No, there are no easy answers to the team’s recurring problems.
“We just need to win,” Cashman said when asked what the team needs to do to start winning. “The obvious answer to that question, to state the obvious, is we’ve got to win tonight’s game and keep it simple, one game at a time, but then string together win after win.”
Step one, check. The rest is to be determined.
The Yankees grinded out a 4-3 win over the Cardinals in the opener of a three-game set, powered by a two-run Jazz Chisholm Jr. home run and 5 1/3 strong innings from Luis Gil in his third start of the season.
How the fuck is THAT their headline for this game?
I don’t even know who Jeff Jones is. He’s not a regular Yankee game recapper. Weird.
In any event, on the one hand, that game was everything that’s awful about this team, the inability to hit with RISP, the iffy relief pitching, but on the other hand, the game was about the team’s strengths. Luis Gil pitched well, and likely COULD have gotten through six innings (it wasn’t like he left the game with the bases loaded and no outs. It was one out and a runner on second). And Weaver and Bednar proved that they’re two guys that you can very much rely on.
This trade deadline, the Yankees picked up three relievers. Two of them they paid very little for. One of them they paid a lot for. The guy they paid a lot for has been a dominant closer for them, the guys they paid very little for have been iffy at best (Doval) and so bad that they’re not even thinking of him as a piece of this year’s team (Bird). I’ve been saying all along that I won’t judge Bird until Blake has had a Spring Training to work with him, as Bird is controlled for the next THREE seasons, so if Blake can fix him (and Bird has such good stuff, it seems like it is a strong possibility that he COULD be fixed), then that’s great. Doval is the weird one. San Fran fans didn’t trust him in the 9th, and that’s why I figured he’d be good here in the 7th, and he’s been OKAY, but he’s also flashed some truly bizarre performances where he looks scared shitless out there, despite being in, like, his sixth year in the big leagues (and being a former All-Star closer). Just a weird, weird guy.
If Aaron Judge is not ready to play the field yet, he should probably get a day. I’ll admit that they probably shouldn’t play Giancarlo Stanton in this outfield. There were three balls hit last night with an expected batting average of over 90%. There were four balls hit with an expected batting average of 80% or higher.
Tops was the Jazz no-doubt-about it home run.
Second was a Pages single.
Third was the Pozo line drive that Bellinger caught to win the game.
Fourth was the Saggese line drive that Caballero caught in right field that Stanton would have had NO chance at catching.
So, yeah, I’m okay with Stanton not playing the field this series. But if Judge can’t play the field, either, give Judge a day today and let Stanton DH.
The featured image is Bellinger’s game-winning catch. His second amazing game-ending catch this season. Maybe they should just re-sign this guy instead of giving Kyle Tucker $500 million. 8 years/$200 million seems reasonable for everyone involved, no? Lower AAV but more years (Belli is probably looking for, and could get, $30 million a year right now, but no one’s giving him 8 years/$240 million, I don’t think).
I expect Fried to come out with a blistering fastball tonight.
Oh fuck, it’s Fried time again already?
Once you’ve read that reaction to Fried pitching, and also assertion that it would be a good thing if Judge sat today, you know all you need to know about what this team has come to.
“I don’t even know who Jeff Jones is.”
He played the emperor in Amadeus
I had the same reaction to that headline. That’s news – that a GM’s team says that he hasn’t lost faith in the team he’s been paid to put together? I mean, that is one pretty bad headline.
What’s the opposite of clickbait?
Today Boston gets Quantrill 5 era
Sonny Gray domination day.
I imagine that the Yankees are waiting as long as possible to announce their lineup so as to decide whether Aaron Judge can play the outfield tonight.
But Boone is usually slow.
Maybe he should start hitting again.
Maybe. But that may not be Rowson’s and Boone’s take.
I think when Boone is especially slow, though, it’s because they’re trying to figure SOMEthing out. Like if someone’s knee is acting up or hamstring or whatever.
I liked Boone better in Animal House than as Yankee’s manager. Or as the frontiersman. Hell, even as the guy doing lame white versions of blues songs.
Blue Jays up 6-0. Talk about helium.
So BELLI gets a rest, but not Judge?! When Judge sitting means that Stanton could start? Make that make sense!
CF T. Grisham L
1B Ben Rice L
DH Aaron Judge R
2B J. Chisholm L
LF J. Dominguez S
SS A. Volpe R
3B Ryan McMahon L
C Austin Wells L
RF J. Caballero R
No Stanton. No Bellinger. Cody Bellinger isn’t in the Yankees lineup. Aaron Boone said Bellinger is still getting treatment for his sore back. “He’s doing well. I just want to pick some spots here, especially getting through 13 (games) in a row here.” – Bryan Hoch
Can’t pick a fucking spot where Stanton is available?
T Grisham (L) CF
B Rice (L) 1B
A Judge (R) DH
J Chisholm Jr. (L) 2B
J Domínguez (S) LF
A Volpe (R) SS
R McMahon (L) 3B
A Wells (L) C
J Caballero (R) RF
How bad is this fucking lineup?
While obviously you’d prefer the Blue Jays not keep winning, at least this is pretty much taking Texas out of the Wild Card conversation, so it’s really Cleveland to pay attention to.
Would have been nice had the Yankees faced Cal Quantrill.
Why? You think they’d hit him? 😏
We face their 3 best pitchers and Boston faces their two worst.
Is there a rule Judge has to play every day even when Stanton is hot and he’s not.
It’s so weird.
It’s like they know they’ve mastered the CT to such an extent that they’ve now moved to the metaCT – the first 1/3+ of the season was just to suck us in before doing… this?! Judge’s 1st 1/3+ of the season was in preparation for… this?
Fried is just going to pitch like Ringo at the end of Helter Skelter again, isn’t he?