It's a Cole, Cole World...

Photo Credit: Alex Brandon, AP

First Yankees Win for Gerrit Alan Cole…

Baseball back and I couldn’t be happier, even if it is not quite baseball as we’ve known it over the years. It remains very strange to see empty stadium seats behind the players or in the cases of places like Dodger Stadium, cardboard cut-out’s sitting the seats. The Dodgers even pumped in fan ovation for home runs in last night’s game against the Giants. It kind of reminded me of that self-noise I used to create as a kid when I hit an imaginary home run in my backyard. But I am not here to talk about the Dodgers, so let’s get to the team that really matters.  

The Yankees and Gerrit Cole did not disappoint for MLB’s opening game even if Mother Nature had a say in the final outcome which resulted in the 4-1win for the Yankees over the defending World Series Champions at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The game was, as most expected even with the Yankees facing the great Max Scherzer, total domination by young Caden Cole’s dad. The talented Trea Turner managed a homer off Cole in the bottom of the first inning, but it would be the only hit off the Yankees’ shiny new toy in a game called early because of rain after a delay halted Cole’s debut with one out in the top of the sixth. In picking up his first Yankees victory, Cole struck out five with 75 total pitches in the shortened, complete game effort. As a fan, it’s so enjoyable to have a pitcher on the mound who gives you complete confidence regardless of the opponent. I know, Luis Severino can be that guy, but we won’t see him until 2021. James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka can be great at times but as much as I like both of them, they do not instill the sense of confidence that Cole and Sevy give you. Putting Sevy with Cole is probably a bit of an overstatement since Sevy is not on Cole’s level but I feel he can be and hopefully will be. Meanwhile, keep pumping as much Cole into my veins as you want to. I am glad the man is a Yankee. 

So, for now, Gerrit Cole is undefeated as a Yankee, with a lifetime ERA of 1.80 in Pinstripes. Small sample size…sure, but totally worth the $324 million he was generously provided by the Steinbrenner Family. I am looking forward to every opportunity #45 gets to take the mound. The higher the stakes, the better.  

Despite the loss, Max Scherzer racked up eleven punch-outs. As much as I wanted the Yankees to sign Scherzer in free agency a few years ago, I think of how awesome it would have been to have both Scherzer and Cole in the same rotation. If the Yankees had signed Scherzer, perhaps they would not have been players for Cole last off-season, but one can dream. I have great respect for Scherzer, even if he is not wearing the right uniform. I will always wonder what could have been with Cole and Scherzer as the rotation headliners.  

If I had to pick the first Yankee to homer…correction, the first Major League Baseball player to homer…to start the unusual quick sprint 2020 season, I couldn’t ask for a better guy than Giancarlo Stanton. As maligned as he has been in the eyes of the Yankees Universe, I am glad to see him letting his bat do the talking. His blast, which traveled 459 feet to center, gave the Yankees an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning off Scherzer and the Yankees never looked back. Stanton picked up another RBI with a fifth inning single. The slimmed down version of the Yankees slugger looks like he is prepared for a monster season and I am glad to be along for the ride.

For the second consecutive Opening Day game, D.J. LeMahieu was on the bench. Granted, he’s still working his way back from his recent bout with the coronavirus but I am glad he was on the active roster and did not start the year on the injured list. It may be a few days before we see him in a game, but I look forward to the encore performance for Le Machine. I am so hopeful his 2020 season yields a new extension for the man who has looked very good in Pinstripes.  Meanwhile, his replacement at second base, Tyler Wade, held his own. His walk to open the third inning led to the Yankees’ third run when Aaron Judge followed, after an Aaron Hicks strikeout, with a double to left.  

Photo Credit: Getty Images

He also picked up a hit on a bunt grounder that Nationals second baseman All-Starlin Castro mishandled, no doubt feeling the pressure of Wade’s speed. Wade has a chance to be the team’s unsung hero this year with his versatility and the significance of each and every game. He may not get a lot of credit but he can do the little things to make the Yankees better. We’ll see LeMahieu soon enough even if it is not, well, soon enough.  

After a day off on Friday, the Yankees and Nationals hook up again today or rather this evening at 7:15 pm ET. James Paxton, who would have started the scheduled late March opening series  in Baltimore, Maryland on the injured list after off-season back surgery, will take the hill against mega-millionaire Stephen Strasburg. It may not be quite as thrilling as Cole-Scherzer but it’s not far behind. Only 59 games left in the season! It is the stretch run already…LOL!  

The Yankees stashed veteran left-handed relief to work out with the other guys currently training in Moosic, PA, home of the idled Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders, when they signed lefty reliever Fernando Abad. The 34-year-old Abad was most recently with the Washington Nationals but he missed summer training after testing positive for the coronavirus and did not make the cut. He’s now healthy and looks to get ready for an eventual call back to the big leagues. Abad was a member of the Boston Red Sox bullpen during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Nothing to get excited about but if he’s needed, he’ll be there and once you get a chance to play, anybody can be a hero.  

There’s a third team in New York. Alright, it’s Western New York and a very long car ride away from Yankee Stadium, but the Toronto Blue Jays will be sharing the state with the Yankees and Mets this season as they’ve decided to play their home games in Buffalo, site of their Triple A club. The Blue Jays had wanted to play at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, but the health department for the State of Pennsylvania had other thoughts. Facing a similar rejection in Maryland to play at Orioles Park at Camden Yards, the Jays settled on the Queen City, in a stadium next to a building that housed a one-time employer for me. 

It’s a good day…a great day…for a Yankees win! The weather should be cooperative this go-around with only a 10% chance of rain forecasted for this evening (with an expected high temp of 82) in the Nation’s Capitol. Let’s play nine and hopefully give the Big Maple his first win of the season.

As always, Go Yankees!

The Dawn of the New Season...

Photo Credit: AP

Opening Day is nearly upon us…

Finally, and long overdue, we will soon enter Baseball Week as the 2020 MLB Season is just a short 5 days away. All hail, Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio! Nothing against the Yankee Clipper, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter or Alfred Manual Martin, Jr but I will be glad when we’re Adam Ottavino’s jersey away from first pitch!

I have to admit that a Gerrit Cole versus Max Scherzer match-up in the Nation’s Capitol is as excited as I’ve been to see a regular season game in a very long time. I know, these two were on the same field together last October when they faced each other in Game 1 of the 2019 World Series. The Washington Nationals won that game, 5-4, at time when we didn’t really care and actually wanted Cole to lose while wearing the disgraced uniform of the Houston Astros. Times have changed, and Yankee fans will be resoundingly behind Gerrit Cole this time around as we cheer from our Lazy Boy recliners and couches. Aside from the pandemic, it’s a wonderful time to be alive and fans of the greatest and most-storied baseball franchise. 

Aside from the back to back dingers by Miguel Andujar and Mike Ford, Cole looked ready to go in his last “spring” performance before Opening Day. He threw 87 pitches, 53 for strikes, while giving up only four hits and striking out seven. It’s the dawn of a new era and I am glad Gerrit Cole represents the face and the arm of the Yankees’ starting rotation for the next decade. Welcome, Gerrit, your debut with the famed interlocking N-Y cap on your head as you stare down at the defending World Champions at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. will be a magical moment for all of us. We will be as excited to see you pitch as young Caden Cole and his mother will be. Okay, Caden might be more interested in his mother’s breast but it’s still a thrilling time.   

Photo Credit: Kathy Willens, AP

Giancarlo Stanton takes the brunt of frustration from Yankees fans but I really hope this is a strong year for the Yankees slugger. I’ve been disappointed with his inability to stay healthy, like everyone else, but under the premise “the glass is half full”, I am hopeful and optimistic Stanton can be the force he was for the 2017 Miami Marlins. 

I harbor the same hope for health and productivity when it comes to Aaron Judge but he has had an easier time with the fan base. Having Stanton and Judge batting in the same lineup is almost as exciting as Gerrit Cole on the mound, especially considering their bats will be protected by Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres and Gary Sanchez, among others. Sorry Luke, not purposely trying to exclude you.  

I doubt he’s ready by Thursday but I am excited to see D.J. LeMahieu back in Yankees camp after his recovery from COVID-19. Hopefully, if he’s not ready, he soon will be. I want to see LeMahieu force the Yankees to give him an extension. I am not ready for this guy’s Yankees career to end after the upcoming shortened season. I know, Le Machine is 32 years old (Happy Belated Birthday to him, by the way…his birthday was last Monday). The Yankees are age-adverse in modern times, unless your name is Brett Gardner, so age is not exactly D.J.’s friend in upcoming negotiations but I think he can be a very effective player for a few more years and I’d rather see him do it Pinstripes.

Photo Credit: Charles Wenzelberg, The New York Post

Granted, I haven’t followed the story closely, but why does it matter that Clint Frazier will wear a mask during games? That’s his right. I have no issue with it. The mask doesn’t hit or field. Frazier just needs to prove he can stay healthy and perform well when he is on the field. I couldn’t care less if he is wearing a mask even if he’s the only player on the field with one. I am a firm believer that masks are to help protect you from me and not vice versa. So, Clint’s statement is that he cares about his teammates. What’s wrong with that message? I haven’t exactly been Clint’s biggest supporter but on this issue, please leave him alone.  

Photo Credit: Elsa, Getty Images

Domingo German caused a stir on Social Media yesterday when he posted a pic of himself on a St Petersburg, FL beach which fades into a pic of him and his small son, followed by the words “Me fui del baseball. Gracias mi gente.” which translates to “I’ve left baseball. Thanks everyone”. My first reaction was that it is simply his way of saying goodbye to baseball in 2020 since he’ll be serving his suspension for the duration of the season, but media speculation centered on the possibility he’s leaving the game permanently. With the money he stands to make in future years, it does seem foolish that he’d walk away entirely at age 27. I am hopeful the words are only an expression for the frustration he feels at the moment, and once he’s cleared to play, he’ll return with the same passion for the game he once had as a young pitcher trying to make the Major Leagues. With the potential losses in the Yankees’ starting rotation in the off-season, they’ll need guys like German if the younger arms are not ready. Granted, German has to do what’s best for him and his family but I do believe his future is brighter in the game, particularly if he is able to build upon his success last season. Everyone deserves a second chance and German is no exception.

I don’t know why I was saddened to see the news the Yankees had released pitcher Adam Warren from his minor league contract. He was not going to pitch this year after Tommy John surgery and he wasn’t exactly setting the World on fire with his teams after leaving the Yankees last time. But he has always been effective for the Yankees and I guess I was hoping to see if he would be able to rekindle the magic in Pinstripes next season. I am sure the release was due to coronavirus roster management as some have reported but I am hopeful the Yankees can sign Warren to a re-negotiated minor league contract. Jack Curry of the YES Network, a trusted source, did report Warren was a “casualty” of new COVID-19 rules and Brian Cashman said the Yankees will re-sign in the winter (per Twitter). I hope so. 

The Yankees have signed all three draft picks from the recent MLB draft. Second baseman/outfielder Trevor Hauver of Arizona State University was the last to sign. Jack Curry reported that Hauver signed for $587,000. Pitcher Beck Way, LSU, previously signed for $600,000, and catcher Austin Wells was the first to ink his name on a Yankees contract for a cool $2.5 million.

To borrow and modify the famous words of former Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, it’s time for Yankees baseball!  Let’s go! Coronavirus Champions or bust! We got this.

As always, Go Yankees!

Oh, I See Ya, Jonathan Loaisiga...

Photo Credit: La Prensa/Oscar Navarrete/Archivo

Rookie to Make MLB Debut on Friday…

As expected by many, Jonathan Loaisiga (Loh-AYE-see-gah) will make his Major League debut against the division rival Tampa Bay Rays on Friday at Yankee Stadium. No pressure. He’ll be pitching for baseball’s best team in America’s greatest ballpark in front of thousands and thousands of rabid Yankees fans.  

I do not doubt the potential of Loaisiga’s arm but the concern is that he’s never pitched higher than Double A. In essence, he leap-frogged over higher rated pitching talents like Justus Sheffield and Chance Adams, but the 23-year-old is viewed as having a Major League-ready arm and has the notable advantage of holding a 40-man roster spot which means the Yankees do not have to remove someone from their seat at the table like they would if they called up Sheffield or Adams, or Josh Rogers.  

I suppose it’s better to give the young right-hander a shot over an underwhelming name like David Hale or the rehabbing Luis Cessa but I probably would have gone with Sheffield. The Yankees need to place Sheffield on the 40-man roster before December’s Rule 5 Draft so it's inevitable they'll soon need to make room. I am not sure why A.J. Cole is still on the Yankees roster. He was routinely in the mix for the back-end of the Washington Nationals rotation the last few years but has never gotten the opportunity to start for the Yankees since his acquisition on April 24th. For basically a month and a half, Cole has primarily been paid to watch the Yankees play, only with a better seat than you or I. Manager Aaron Boone has called upon Cole for a grand total of eleven innings. It's not his fault that his first name is not Gerrit. Cole (1-0) has been effective in his limited volume of work. In six games, he has only given up one run on six hits for 0.82 ERA. He has walked six batters but has struck out twelve. He started two games for the Nationals to begin the season, and opened with one of the worst pitching lines you’ll ever see (3 2/3 innings, 10 hits, 10 runs) in a 13-6 loss to the Atlanta Braves on April 3rd. In fact, he gave up runs in all four appearances he made for the Nats in April before he was sold to New York for cash. Still, I would give Cole an opportunity based on his MLB experience. There is talent in his arm even if the results have been fleeting. The Yankees either need to use him or lose him to open a 40-man roster spot for a guy like Sheffield. Keeping him around for late inning blowouts seems like a waste of resources.  

Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

Loaisiga was born in Managua, Nicarauga in November 1994.  He originally signed with the San Francisco Giants, but missed the 2014 and 2015 seasons due to injury and had Tommy John surgery in 2016.  He is only 5’11” and 165 pounds but according to MLB.com, "While Loaisiga is small and skinny, he has surprising power to this three-pitch repertoire. His quick arm repeatedly generates 93-96 mph fastballs that top out at 98 with life down the strike zone. His low-80s curveball features a high spin rate and his upper-80s changeup has a nice fade, albeit with a bit too much velocity."  

Personally, I would have preferred to have seen Loaisiga, nicknamed Johnny Lasagna, pitch a few games at Triple A. I didn’t really like the Yankees decision to re-sign David Hale who doesn’t have much upside (in my opinion) other than being a below-average, replacement level starter. Loaisiga should have been the starter at Triple A over Hale.  

Yesterday’s 3-0 win over the Washington Nationals marked the start of a 16-day, 16 1/2 game schedule before the next day off so the Yankees need to get results from Loaisiga plus continued improvement from Domingo German to hold up the rotation until the Yankees can make trades for more experienced help next month and Masahiro Tanaka returns from the disabled list.   

As for the win, it was great to see the return of Sir Didi’s bat. After dominating MLB in April, Gregorius spent May as an imitation of Brendan Ryan. Okay, that’s not fair. The slick-fielding, no-hit Ryan had a mustache. Didi’s two home runs last night helped power the offense, but enough cannot be said about the great job Austin Romine has done as backup catcher this year. Romine was 1-for-2 and his sac fly accounted for a run. During the off-season, it seemed like most people (yeah, me too) wanted the Yankees to sign someone like Alex Avila to backup Gary Sanchez but Romine answered the bell and has been one of the game’s best backup backstops.  

The game featured a good performance from the elderly CC Sabathia (4-1). The soon-to-be 38 year old held the Nationals to 4 hits and no runs over 5 2/3 innings. He both walked and struck out three batters on 101 pitches. The bullpen chipped in 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, holding the Nats to only one hit while striking out six batters. Another fine performance by the reinvigorated Dellin Betances and another save for the Cuban Missile (his 18th).  

The game was probably one that Bryce Harper would like to forget. I am sure that he's still getting over the loss by his beloved Las Vegas Golden Knights to his baseball hometown's Capitals in the Stanley Cup Finals but two unintentional plunking's by Yankees pitchers last night before he pulled himself from the game did not help.

Photo Credit: NJ Advance Media for NJ.com (John Munson)

If Yankees fans, well, some of us, get their way in the off-season, Bryce will have the potential for much better days at Yankee Stadium minus the road grays he wore last night. Realistically, do I think the Yankees will sign Harper?  No.  Honestly, would I prefer Harper over Giancarlo Stanton?  As much as it pains me, yes.

X-rays were negative and Bryce is expected back today for the series finale but let's hope that memorable days in the Bronx are delayed by at least one game.

The Yankees (43-19) could not gain any ground on the Boston Red Sox (46-22). The Yankees and the Sox are tied atop the AL East although the Yanks lead by 0.018 percentage points. Boston beat the Baltimore Orioles, a team that seems permanently stuck on 19 wins, 6-4. The O's had their chances and did score two runs in the bottom of the 9th against Sox closer Craig Kimbrel, but Pedro Alvarez, representing the tying run, struck out to end the game. Seriously, I do not see how Buck Showalter can survive this season. It is a sad ending for the former Yankee.

In the category of 'I don't know why it took so long', the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders started Brandon Drury at first base in the second game of a double-header against the Rochester Red Wings yesterday. The first game saw Drury's 32 game on-base streak end. He was 0-for-3 with a run scored (reached base on a fielding error by former Seattle Mariners infielder Taylor Motter, the Ben Gamel look-alike). Drury was 1-for-3 with a triple and 2 RBI's in the second game to start a new streak. The RailRiders won both games.

The way Drury has played, he deserves a promotion back to the big league club. In 34 games and 112 at-bats for the RailRiders, Drury is hitting .313/.442/.455 with .897 OPS. He has 2 homers and 14 RBI's. As dismal as Greg Bird has looked at the plate since his return, I'd pull a 'Torreyes' on him (unexpected demotion to Triple A) in order to call up Drury. I'd take Drury over either Bird or Tyler Austin right now. We already know that Neil Walker can play decently at first and Drury is capable of learning the nuances of the position. I think it is more important for the Yankees to get Greg Bird going so that's why he would be my choice for the temporary sabbatical in Pennsylvania over Tyler Austin. For now, Austin and Walker can man first base effectively.

Over the weekend, there was a story about how Drury was unhappy in the Minor Leagues. What is he supposed to say? 'Ya know, I really like it here in Scranton. The people are nice, the food is good, I don't have 50,000 fans screaming in my ear'. I want Drury to be unhappy where he is. He has earned the right to be a Major League player and he is one. I have been a fan of the player and I will continue to be regardless of the accomplishments garnered by Miguel Andujar. There's room for both Andujar and Drury on the Yankees roster.

Photo Credit: The Scranton Times-Tribune (Butch Comegys)

It's a home game today for Sonny Gray so I am a bit concerned. Too bad he can't wear the road uniform on the mound. Anyway, I hope Gray's recent resurgence continues and he finally shows that he can be dominant at Yankee Stadium. Let's sweep the Nats.

Go Yankees!

The Washington Washout...

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Mitchell Layton)

Rain sweeps the Yankees away to Kansas City…

I guess we have Tyler Austin to thank for the last couple of days not being a total loss. Without his heroics (3 RBI’s), the Yankees would have lost Tuesday’s game which was ultimately suspended after 5 ½ innings with the score tied at 3. The Nats would have won the game if Austin hadn’t tied the score with the sac fly after his earlier home run. When the game is resumed, the Yankees will have nine outs to twelve for the Nationals so the odds favor the Nats. Nevertheless, credit goes to Austin for helping to avert a rain-shortened loss. 

Photo Credit: AP (Pablo Martinez Monsivais) via BTA

With rain sweeping away the resumption of the suspended game and Wednesday night’s scheduled game, the Yankees have a couple of days off until they take the field in Kansas City tomorrow night for the first game of a three game weekend series.

I saw a good tweet on Twitter earlier this week that angrily asked why Robinson Cano got suspended for 80 games but the Yankees were only suspended for one. I see no association between Cano’s situation and the Yankees (he hasn’t worn pinstripes since 2013) but it was a good comeback for a day that saw both Cano and the Yankees get suspended (obviously for quite different reasons).

Photo Credit: Getty Images

As for Cano, I am disappointed. I don’t know all the facts of his case, but I am glad the Yankees didn’t try to match the huge offer the Seattle Mariners made to Cano after the 2013 season. I was not in favor of a ten year deal then, and this incident only reaffirms what can go wrong with inflated extended deals (I know, we have our own ‘Jacoby Ellsbury’ to bear). I always liked Robbie even if I did get frustrated at times with his lack of hustle. But as we stand here today, I’d much rather have Gleyber Torres as the Yankees starting second baseman than Robinson Cano, even if he hadn’t fractured a bone in his hand or was not currently serving a suspension for banned substances. The only injustice I saw about Cano’s suspension is he gets to begin serving it while he is on the disabled list. So, the actual playing time he’ll miss as a result of the 80-game suspension will be much less since the bulk of the time will be spent recovering and rehabbing from the surgery on his hand. I am glad he was ruled ineligible for post-season play, should the Mariners make the playoffs. It’s very convenient (and fortunate) for the Mariners that they have another All-Star second baseman on the roster with Dee Gordon who was serving as a first-time starting center fielder for the M’s prior to Cano’s injury and subsequent suspension.  The M’s will still, no doubt, miss Cano in their lineup.

I do hope for Cano’s sake, he is able to put this behind him and he has no further acts of indiscretion for the duration of his playing career. I will continue to root for and support the former Yankee.

Poor David Hale. He’s been DFA’d three times this year (twice by the Yankees and once by the Minnesota Twins). Honestly, I am not really sure why the Yankees picked him up a second time. I’d rather see him cut this time rather than going to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on an outright assignment if he clears waivers. There’s nothing special in Hale’s arm and I’d rather see a young, hungry pitcher get his opportunity. I wish Hale the best in his future non-Yankee endeavors.

Photo Credit: Getty Images 

The latest DFA for Hale cleared a temporary spot for Clint Frazier. It was speculated his latest time with the big league club would be limited to the Nationals series (to provide an extra bat off the bench for the National League-style of play) but with the rainouts, Frazier traveled with the team to KC and will hopefully get some time in the outfield with Aaron Judge and company before he gets the inevitable call to head back to Pennsylvania. It would be great if Red Thunder and his bat make it very difficult to demote him. Admittedly, I am growing tired of Aaron Hicks in center. Hicks may be the better defender and the more “true” center fielder, but I think Frazier has the better promise and potential for the now and in the future. Hicks is too inconsistent for me. I only wish that Estevan Florial was more advanced in his development and maturity. Dude, hurry up and age, will ya??!!

To sidetrack for a moment, I do have to say I’d gladly put Frazier in a trade package if it meant the Yankees could pry LHP Madison Bumgarner from the San Francisco Giants. I know Mad Bum has suffered some fluke injuries in recent years and has as much familiarity with the DL as Jacoby Ellsbury and Clayton Kershaw but when healthy, he’s a gamer. I’d love to roll with Luis Severino and Bumgarner as my top two pitchers heading into October. However, if Frazier is not traded, I hope he gets his chance to stay with the Pinstripes even if it comes at the expense of Aaron Hicks and Jacoby Ellsbury. 

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Shanna Lockwood)

Back to the Yankees and Nationals, the makeup day will be Monday, June 18^th at 5:05 pm Eastern. It is going to make for a very long night for the Yankees with at least 12 innings of baseball. They finish a series against the Tampa Bay Rays in the Bronx on the preceding Sunday afternoon, and then after the game and a half on Monday night in the Nation’s Capital, they quickly head back to Yankee Stadium to begin a series against the Cano-less Mariners the next day. 

Despite the washout in Washington, the Yankees (28-12) are currently a ½ game ahead of the Boston Red Sox (29-14) in the AL East Standings.  Boston plays tonight at Fenway Park against the lowly Baltimore Orioles so it’s possible the Yankees and Red Sox could be tied entering play tomorrow. But then again, the spineless David Price is on the mound for the Sox so I’ll gladly take my chances with Greg Bird’s high school buddy Kevin Gausman and the O’s. 

Photo Credit: The Aurora Sentinel (Heather Longway)

I really feel bad for the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans. I am a known Dodgers sympathizer (they’re my NL team) and this has been an awful start to the year for the defending National League champs. Entering the season, many had them making the World Series for the second year in a row, but after another loss to the Miami Marlins last night, the Dodgers are 16-26 and have fallen into last place in the NL West.  Well, technically they are tied with the San Diego Padres, but the Padres have the slight advantage in winning percentage.  

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Jennifer Stewart)

Injuries have been tough but there were so many parallels between the Yankees and the Dodgers at the start of the season. Both are big market teams trying to reset luxury tax penalties with strong, young teams. But the similarities end there. The Dodgers had to let valuable role players like Brandon Morrow and Tony Watson walk in the off-season to keep payroll down and they’ve lost superstar players like Corey Seager (out for the year) and Clayton Kershaw to injury. This is Justin Turner’s first week back after his DL stint to start the year. The Dodgers face a lost season or they need to quickly spend to bring in strong reinforcements if they hope to salvage the season. The Dodgers have a strong farm system (okay, not as strong as the Yankees) but it is not ready to help.  They’re already leaning on young guys like Walker Buehler in the starting rotation.  Manny Machado’s name keeps coming up as an option for the Dodger Blue but he’d probably eliminate any chance of the Dodgers staying under the luxury tax threshold. Plus, they’d have to find a position for him if they have any hopes of signing him after the season since Seager will be back next year to reclaim shortstop. The Dodgers situation shows how much luck plays into strategy when it comes to navigating the treacherous waters of payroll. The Yankees and Dodgers are clearly trending in opposite directions. 

I have tickets to two upcoming Dodgers games. Sounds like I’ll probably have a more enjoyable time watching the out of town scoreboard to see how the Yankees are doing.

To the Yankees and all of us fans, enjoy your day off. We look forward to watching the road team step up to the plate at Kaufman Stadium on Friday night. 

Go Yankees!

Boston's Loss is Our Gain...

Photo Credit: Boston Herald (Christopher Evans)

Yankees Take Sole Possession of First Place…

The Yankees had the day off on Monday and captured sole possession of first place in the American League East while they are resting. Sweet. Credit to Oakland’s Sean Manaea, sporting Sonny Gray's old number, for keeping the Red Sox offense in check. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Maddie Meyer)

Rafael Devers got a seventh inning home run off Manaea and J.D. Martinez took the A’s bullpen deep, but after nine innings of play, Boston had one less run than Oakland. Too bad, so sad. Sucks to be Boston. Greatest start in Red Sox history and all they have to show for it is second place. Get used to it, RSN.

Now, the Yankees have to hold their thin ½ game AL East lead while playing one of the best teams in the National League. I know, the Washington Nationals currently trail both the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies, but there’s no doubt the Nats (24-18) will be firmly entrenched on top of the NL East by the time October rolls around. Atlanta is a nice story and of course no one is going to root against former Yankees bench coach (now Phillies bench coach) Rob Thomson but it is inevitable the Braves and Phillies will fall hard at some point.  

With the Yankees in the Nation’s Capital to face the Nationals, it brings the topic of Bryce Harper to the forefront. I like Giancarlo Stanton, don’t get me wrong, but realistically, given a choice, I’d prefer Harper. At the moment, there’s not a great difference in their stats.

Harper:  .236/.400/.543, .943 OPS, 13 HR, 30 RBI

Stanton:  .252/.339/.516, .855 OPS, 10 HR, 26 RBI

I feel that the best AL pitchers in October will expose the flaws in Stanton’s swing, whereas Harper seems to have the “it” quality for playoff superstardom. There are no stats to back up those assumptions on my part (total gut feelings) and honestly I am fine moving forward with Stanton for the long-term.  I am just saying that if I had my chance, I’d take the 25 year old Harper over the 28 year old Stanton and age has nothing to do with it. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Harry How)

The way the season is going for the Los Angeles Dodgers (16-24), they’ll be looking to make some impactful moves in the off-season. I am sure they’ll be big game hunting for Harper themselves, but if I was GM Brian Cashman, I’d find a way to move LA-native Stanton to Chavez Ravine and bring Harper to New York. 

I am not really trying to rip Stanton and I have not been dissatisfied with his short time in Pinstripes despite some struggles. I suppose it’s not outside of the realm of possibility the Yankees could feature an outfield of Aaron Judge, Harper and Stanton, but that would have been more likely under George Steinbrenner than Hal Steinbrenner. 

While I would want Harper on my team, the realist in me knows the off-season money will be better spent on the pitching staff. I think Patrick Corbin would make for a very nice lefty replacement for CC Sabathia. CC’s been a great Yankee, but the end of the line is near. The downside to spending big on pitching is the fragile overall health of top pitchers (case in point, Clayton Kershaw, who seems to enjoy the DL as much as Jacoby Ellsbury). The Yankees will face an ace that could have been theirs tomorrow evening when Max Scherzer takes the hill for the Nats against Sabathia. When Scherzer signed his free agent deal with the Nationals in January 2015, the Yankees had been one of the early favorites to sign the former Tiger ace. If George Steinbrenner was still alive, I am convinced Scherzer would have been a Yankee today.  

Perhaps the Yankees make a big pitching move in July. After a couple of promising starts, Sonny Gray Sucks! returned after his dismal performance against his former team last Friday night. I keep hoping that Gray can recapture the elite pitcher status he held while wearing green and gold but so far, he has seemed like just another guy that couldn’t handle New York. My feelings about Gray are starting to turn Javier Vazquez-like. I loved what Vazquez did as a member of the Montreal Expos, but his time in Pinstripes (both times) was very pedestrian.  Every start, I keep hoping Gray will prove me wrong. But we’re just a couple months shy of a year since his acquisition and I’ve not been impressed. During the recent A’s series, it was weird listening to veteran A’s beat reporter Susan Slusser talk about how great Gray pitched for Oakland.  We haven’t seen that guy.

I am not really trying to bash the Yankees today but it seems kind of like I have. Please accept my apology. They hold the best record in Major League Baseball and have a cohesive team that simply refuses to lose. Things haven’t gone perfectly but the same can be said for all other MLB teams. Some teams with playoff aspirations (like the Dodgers) probably wish they could take a mulligan and start the season over. The Yankees have no such thoughts.  28-12, .700 winning percentage, first place in the AL East, and of course the best record in MLB. They overcame the blistering 17-2 start by the Boston Red Sox. I think Yankees fans will gladly take the current state of MLB’s greatest franchise.  So, don’t mind me while I dream of what Bryce Harper might look like in Pinstripes.  It’s just a dream that will never come to fruition.

That’s fine.  Let’s go win a World Series.

Go Yankees!