The Yanks left the Bronx on a tear, and there was every reason to believe the tear would continue. The Rockies and Giants, after all, were hardly quality teams. The Rockies’ run differential makes them out to be a below-.500 team, and the Giants had been riding an eight-game losing streak.
Well, so much for that.
The Yanks, after their pathetic 7-2 loss today at the hands of Noah Lowry and the Giants, are no better off than they were a few weeks ago. They are 36-37, 11.5 games behind Boston. That 7.5 game difference? Long gone. They also find themselves in sixth place in the Wild Card race, 6.5 games behind the Indians.
And once again, we find ourselves pointing fingers at the usual culprits. Mike Mussina seemed completely uninterested in pitching today, allowing five stolen bases to go with the eight baserunners he surrendered in five innings. It’s a wonder he gave up only three runs (two earned). He also managed to throw 102 pitches in five innings.
Kyle Farnsworth was terrible out of the bullpen. He retired just one batter while giving up three runs (two earned). It’s really time for the Yanks to explore trade options there. Some team somewhere needs the bullpen help. He sure isn’t getting the job done in New York this year.
Meanwhile, offensively, Alex Rodriguez can take the team only so far. Hideki Matsui is 5 for his last 28 (.179), Bobby Abreu is 8 for his last 45 (.177), and Miguel Cairo is 4 for his last 18 (.222). Cairo simply isn’t an adequate solution at first base, and Joe Torre seems adverse to playing Andy Phillips for more than five innings at a time.
So, as much as I hate to be all dire about it, the next two weeks of baseball are vital for the Bombers if they want to salvage this season. They play three against the hapless Orioles before taking on three playoff contenders in back-to-back-to-back series. Heading into the break, the Yanks draw 10 games at home against the A’s, Twins and Angels. They better snap out of this funk; they better make their move. It’s getting late early.