Ten Innings In a Bandbox, No Runs

Can somebody please tell me why Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman still have jobs?

Or, for that matter, Aaron Hicks (.234), Dustin Ackley (.269) and Chase Headley (.401)? By the way, those aren't batting averages. They're OPS's.

Ackley, Headley, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Didi Gregorius and Ronald Torreyes went a combined 0-for-21 last night. (Can't blame Alex Rodriguez: Girardi gave him the night off.)

Last night, in 10 innings against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, the Yankees had just 5 baserunners: A double by Starlin Castro; singles by Castro, Hicks and Mark Teixeira; and a walk by McCann.

Then again, the home team didn't score in the regulation 9 innings in their little harborside bandbox, either. Masahiro Tanaka was brilliant for 8 innings, allowing only 5 hits and a walk, striking out 7, proving himself once again to be the best starting pitcher in New York, better than any of the alleged "aces" on The Other Team.

But in the bottom of the 10th, Girardi brought in Johnny Barbato, who allowed back-to-back leadoff singles. That meant 1st and 3rd with nobody out. He brought in Andrew Miller, whom he probably should have brought in to start the inning, despite the game being tied. Miller allowed a game-winning sacrifice fly.

WP: Zach Britton (1-1). No save. LP: Barbato (1-2).

Games Girardi has blown with his pitching screwups, this season alone: 4. And it was only May 5. Long way to go.

What we need right now is to score a bunch of runs. What we don't need right now is to have to face The Scum and their Big Fat Lying Cheating Bastard again, just a week after they swept us at Scumway Park.

And, oh, look who's next on the schedule: Said Scum. Oh, joy.

Here's the pitching matchups:

* Tonight, 7:05 PM: Michael Pineda vs. Rick Porcello.

* Tomorrow, 1:05 PM: Nathan Eovaldi vs. David Price.

* Sunday, 8:05 PM: Luis Severino vs. Steven Wright.

Come on you Pinstripes! Beat The Scum!