From Bryan Hoch:
In explaining the choice to activate Gerrit Cole rather than have him continue making rehab starts in the Minors, the Yankees said that four innings from their ace would be preferable to what they might squeeze from anyone else they plugged into the rotation.
That reasoning made sense, but as he completed his second big league start of the season, Cole appeared nowhere near his form as the American League’s reigning Cy Young Award winner. Enduring one of the roughest starts of his career, Cole permitted four homers in the Yankees’ 9-7 Subway Series loss to the Mets on Tuesday evening at Citi Field.
“It’s a bit like driving a car,” Cole said. “Too much clutch or too little clutch can slip you out of gear a little bit. It came out really tremendous in the first [inning] and we had to make a lot of pitches, but the reality is, we just weren’t in the strike zone enough.”
I actually buy Cole’s position here, but it still fucking sucks that the Yankees believe that a shitty Gerrit Cole for four innings is better than another starter instead of just giving Cole his full Spring Training warmup before you throw him out there against Major League hitters in midseason form.
Beyond that, I mean, whatever, the biggest fuckup of the night, batting Jahmai Jones as the Designated Hitter, was so insane that even Boone won’t do that again, so I’m not even that worried about that (although I am very upset it happened at all). Ben Rice likely will not miss lineup time again just because a lefty is on the mound, so that’s something.
Jose Trevino continues to be unable to control the running game at all, to the point where you have to wonder if he has just Sassered himself. Austin Wells simply has to get most of the innings at catcher. Fuck, Ben Rice couldn’t be this bad!
J.D. Davis gets the featured image for coming in and, in his Yankee debut, striking out twice and grounding into a double play with one run in and two men on in the sixth inning. The Yankees actually scored some runs once they pulled the insanely shitty starting lineup, so that was nice. Aaron Judge is still good, and Juan Soto allayed some of my fears about his power.
Hopefully Luis Gil doesn’t fucking suck again!
I’ll repeat – I’m getting 2022 vibes.
“Beyond that, I mean, whatever, the biggest fuckup of the night, batting Jahmai Jones as the Designated Hitter, was so insane that even Boone won’t do that again, so I’m not even that worried about that (although I am very upset it happened at all). Ben Rice likely will not miss lineup time again just because a lefty is on the mound, so that’s something.”
Brian, I don’t get your logic here.
“was so insane that even Boone won’t do that again”
Wouldn’t that logic, if it held, have prevented him from doing it the first time? And if it didn’t, then why would it so suddenly and certainly have changed one day later?
“Ben Rice likely will not miss lineup time again just because a lefty is on the mound”
You say that based on… what? Neither of us would have had him miss lineup time just because a lefty was on the mound. But Boone did. What actually happened to even hint to you that Boone’s thinking has changed?
I see your statements, but I don’t see any evidence (even just circumstantial, suggestive evidence) for them.
boone is an artist and his medium is creating stupid and new ways to lose games. he isn’t going to run out.
the yankees also refuse to hold players accountable for performance, whether it’s running out ground balls or playing a season of less than replacement level ball at a premium position like odor in 21.
we’ve entered a dolan level knicks twilight zone in the past ten years but Hal is probably too busy chilling in Italy to notice.
“refuse to hold players accountable for performance”
Not entirely fair, kc. They sit players when they start hitting well. So performance does have consequences!
Yeah I agree, Boone is not a quick learner. If he liked Jones last night nothing happened to change his mind, he did hit a couple of fly balls. And Cash and Boone have announced Rice and JD will platoon. I was ok with getting JD until I saw his 64% ground ball rate which nicely complements DJ’s 59%. DJ/JD.
The only minor league hitter the Yankees have who is having a good year is Rumfield but unfortunately he’s also a LH hitting 1b. Might be time to give Vivas or Trammel a shot at replacing Jones.
Last night’s 4/5 hitter. Cash has sure built a deep squad. Gleyber June 176/601, remember when he was on the upswing? Vertigo 214/585. Others DJ 167/417, Trevino 205/680, Wells 233/681
It’s gonna suck when Soto is in Queens next year.
I can probably warp my brain to accept the idea of a platoon of Rice and Davis. But not PH-ing Rice for his platoon partner in the 6th with a chance to get back in the game is the ultimate “asleep at the wheel” non- move.
I wish it was that Boone was asleep at the wheel, but I think he actively didn’t want to mess with Davis’ confidence. He does that frequently, leave a guy in one at-bat too long.
I can sort of understand a platoon, but not when DH is currently open.
Brian, you yourself wrote: Rice has a chance to MEAN something.
A platoon gives you nothing.
In essence platooning Grisham and Davis and keeping Jones on the bench or even better Scranton.
“Not entirely fair, kc. They sit players when they start hitting well. So performance does have consequences!” – Petrus W
Best comment of the year.
In a decade from now when they retire Aaron Judges number I hope he gets up and says “we had some great teams in 2018-2024 but our manager was an idiot so we never won the WS. Thanks to Hal for bringing in a new GM and M so at least on the back end of my career I was able to get a couple of rings.”
If only Boone’s one managerial skill weren’t precisely in getting players to not want to say that, although they know it’s true.
Earlier today, the Yankees outrighted LHP Victor González off the Major League roster and onto the roster of Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Additionally, the Yankees transferred the rehab assignment of RHP Scott Effross from Single-A Tampa to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
I’m totally confident he’s completely ready. Just bring him right up, why wait?
That is amazing, and says a whole lot about how shitty Gonzalez was for the Yankees.
How could Cash have possibly suspected that Stanton might get hurt or that either Rizzo and/or DJ might get injured or be ineffective? Nobody could’ve known that.
Shrieve has been crushing it in the minors 21 games, 23.1ip, 25k, 1.54 era, 0.73 WHIP
This is a big, big game for Gil and the Yankees.
Something to aim for, the DP record, and Cashman is going for it, so credit due. The team record, 157 in 2004, is doable, and they may now be able to at least challenge the 1990 Bosox MLB record of 174. Don’t miss ever exciting AB!
The guy who wasn’t good enough to play for Oakland or The Giants betting cleanup affording Judge protection.
A Volpe (R) SS
J Soto (L) RF
A Judge (R) CF
J Davis (R) DH
A Verdugo (L) LF
D LeMahieu (R) 3B
J Trevino (R) C
B Rice (L) 1B
O Cabrera (S) 2B