From Joe Trezza:
Of all the trends of this Yankees season, two of the more problematic continued in tandem on Wednesday night at Nationals Park.
What is it about southpaws?
Left-handed pitching has been an Achilles’ heel for the Yankees’ offense all season. And for one of their key left-handed starters, Carlos Rodón, the first inning has been a particular bugaboo.
Both came to a head Wednesday, contributing to the team’s 5-2 loss to the Nationals. Rodón endured an erratic first inning, and the Yankees’ offense was unable to figure out left-hander MacKenzie Gore as New York — which faced three left-handed starters this week — dropped two of three in the nation’s capital.
Look at this dumb fuck looking all shocked at the home run hit off of him. Don’t be surprised, dude! Just be better!
Rodon annoys the fuck out of me with how dumb he is as a starter, but I think he’s still relatively talented, so I don’t mind him in the rotation, but if Stroman and Nestor keep pitching okay, you MIGHT have to just put Rodon in the pen temporarily (but since it is unlikely that they will continue to pitch well, it’s a moot point).
As annoying as Rodon was, the offense was possibly MORE annoying, as they continue to be dominated by lefties, and Judge and Soto, in particular, just can’t seem to get as many big hits as much this week. Weird.
Luckily, the Orioles lost to their much more difficult opponent, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And yet they still have the best record in the AL.
It’s really something else, ain’t it. But no group is more critical of a team than its fans. I guess its important to remember that in baseball, teams are going to lose a lot compared to other sports. No baseball team is going to have a .800+ winning % like NBA, or 1 loss seasons like the NFL.
That said, Rodon is the prototypical million dollar arm and ten cent head.
Living off their great start. They played 18 games against under 500 teams the last 3 1/2 weeks and went 9-9, that is who they are.
Looking at the schedule, though, the Yankees basically squandered a gift of a schedule to put some room between them and the Orioles, and now the Orioles get to THEIR creampuff schedule tomorrow (three in Colorado and then three at home against Chicago), so it seems hard for me to believe that the Yankees are going to hold on to this lead. Yes, that would still make them the #1 Wild Card team (and thus the Yankees would host either the Royals, Twins or the Guardians), which isn’t awful, but it ain’t great, either.
Crazy that management doesn’t see the importance of the bye and home field advantage. They keep using DJ and vertugo and Trevino and Holmes as the closer. Bizarre.
1st WC means more home games to make $, duh.
For now Cabrera should be the 1B and Wells should start like 75% of the games. I think DJ declared himself last night.
Last night Flash intimated that DJ’s underlying metrics are better than his results. I doubt it.
The Athletic’s pipe dream post season roster: The Martian starting in LF and Grisham as the backup OF. No Vertigo. Rizzo at 1B. No DJ.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5730048/2024/08/29/yankees-postseason-roster-projection/
I realized it last season, that was my ‘some point’.
************
At some point, the New York Yankees will realize that playing DJ LeMahieu has already become untenable.
You know what pisses me off? AJ Preller insisting on Michael King being in the Soto deal. King is only signed for one more year, so it’s not a huge deal in the long run, but it still pisses me off. Guys like King are specifically who win-now teams should NOT be trading.
Yup. He’s in his prime and he’s cheap. King is going to be a tough one to get a mega deal as a 31 yo free agent. The guy is going to throw close to 600 innings and not be able to really cash in on being a good pitcher, I don’t think. Would a team give him a 5-year 100m contract?
I don’t know who else is on the market but 5/100 doesn’t seem like much in the context of other deals
dominguez, berti, Schmidt, rizzo
If they don’t bring up the Martian and play him I think I’m going to log off the team.
They’ll bring him up but my guess is the starting job is Verdugo’s to lose and considering Boone’s mindset that’ll be hard to do. From The Athletic “ The club tends to favor underperforming veterans over less established options.”
That’s just not true. When the Yankees promote a guy they really believe has a future with the team, they play him. It’s the guys they are iffy on that get limited chances.
Jasson will get significant playing time when he is called up.
What is PARTICULARLY stupid about the Verdugo thing is that he is inherently gone after this season, so who the fuck cares about his feelings?!
Boone? Cashman? Feelings …
Tommy Pham was released, while he’s not good he’s better than Vertigo against LHPs. Jasson is much better hitting left handed 400 points this year, 150 last year.
Anthony Rizzo is out of the game (it was his first game in the field) 2-for-2, single, HR
https://x.com/mryclept/status/1828583603418062977
That’s what they do with rehabbing players.
Spencer having a better August 321/902.
Now .333/.404/.524 (28-for-84) in August after 2 hits in the second game.
Yeah, his overall line this year isn’t bad. But he’s still striking out a TON. Which is a real problem. IMO, at this point his development needs to be focused on cutting his Ks, the big question is if that is possible or not.
and his defense is bad
Last year there were 4 teams with WL % over 600, right now there are none.
Is Rodon more Carl Pavano or AJ Burnett?
Cashman sure can pick them.
AJ won game 2 in 2009.
Rizzo spotted at the U.S. Open. In NYC to stay? Do they have a lane for him?
Do they have a court for him?
O’s lose.
The Yankees REALLY needed that ahead of the Orioles getting an extremely cushy six games here against Colorado and Chicago. You have to figure they’re going to sweep at LEAST one of these two series.
go orioles
Red Sox are not catching the Yankees so that’s good news.
Unless the Yanks totally choke. Which is possible since this team is full of the chokiest chokers ever.
Currently scheduled to continue their @MLB rehab assignments tonight in Somerset are @Yankees 1B Anthony Rizzo, RHP Cody Poteet, INF Jon Berti and RHP Ian Hamilton
Trivino to Scranton.
Huh. Woke up today thinking I wasns’t gonna hate baseball but it turns out … turns out I still hate baseball.
Aaron Boone said the Yankees have not decided if Jasson Dominguez will be one of their callups when rosters expand Sunday. “He’s definitely a name in consideration.”
Sounds like if they’re not going to give him Verdugo’s job, than he needs to play every day at Scranton. After all an OPS+ of 83 for a left fielder is pretty, pretty good. And he’s is in a tie for 32nd among all left fielders in WAR and 21st in OPS. Not too shabby.
Kirschner Anthony Rizzo will play 7-9 innings/4 ABs tonight. Could play another rehab game after tonight but he’s close to coming back, Aaron Boone said.
Jon Berti will play a handful of days in the minors next week and reassess where he’s at then.
Boone “Verdugo has strung together some good at bats.” By good he means bottom 20%, not bottom 5%.
Boone merely saying what Cashman wants to hear, and again showing this isn’t a serious baseball operation in the Bronx.
To the naked eye, Volpe hasn’t been nearly as great defensively since his second great offensive drought as he was to start the season.
Verdugo is on the same track since 2021 as LeMahieu OPS 777, 732, 745, 655.
Cody Poteet was NAILS in his third rehab start😤
3.2 IP | 0 H | 1 BB | 6 K🔥
AA
I think Cards will no longer be the only team with no wins at the New Yankee Stadium. Will they win 2 or 3?
Are Kay and Paul a team now?
He pulled that one Paul. Cash says 28 is the target year for Wells to be regular catcher.
Rizzo 0/3.
Wow, 4-hits. Gotta get ________ going.
No team makes pitchers having mediocre (or worse) seasons look so good as the Unserious Bronx Bumblers.
Wells!
Soto and Judge may be busts but the young sub catcher is coming through.
Three high-priced guys, Soto, Judge, Stanton, three K’s, Wells, HR.
I think he’ll be ready to be first string by 2026.
Tough play but GGphenom needs to make it.
Almost botched that one. Lucky it bounced right back to him.
Volpe can’t hit, fielding is becoming shaky. Must play every game, same as 2023. Odd.
go orioles
Saturday is Will Warren day.
Why not a bullpen day? Sunday they can add some new arms. Bring up say Marinaccio and then use Marinaccio, Bickford and Mayza for 5 or 6 then Sunday they can promote 1 or 2 guys.