Another Gleyber Day Sends Yanks Past Southsiders

For a month now, since April 21 -- minus sitting out with a 2nd round of COVID-19 -- Gleyber Torres has been playing like the player we were always told he was going to become. As much as Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, or any pitcher, he has been a reason why the Yankees have gone from 6-11 to 27-19.

Yesterday afternoon, Gerrit Cole to the mound in the middle game of a home series with the Chicago White Sox. His last start was his worst as a Yankee. This time, he was back to normal: 7 innings, 0 runs, 4 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts.

But even Cole needs runs -- at least 1. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 4th, when Torres nearly hit one out, driving in Gio Urshela and Aaron Judge. It became back-to-back doubles, when Rougned Odor drove Torres home.

With the bases loaded in the 5th, Torres singled home Brett Gardner and Luke Voit. In the 6th, Mike Ford, playing 1st base (Voit was the designated hitter) and usually an automatic out, crushed one to the right-center bleachers, 447 feet. Miguel Andujar added an RBI double in the7th, scoring Torres. This made Torres involved in 6 of the 7 Yankee runs. The Southsiders just couldn't stop him.

With a big lead, this was not the day to put your best relievers out there. Rather, it was the day to send out 2 relievers who need work and straightening out. Both who were sent out sure looked straightened out: Justin Wilson pitched a scoreless 8th, and Luis Cessa pitched a perfect 9th. Yankees 7, White Sox 0. WP: Cole (6-2). No save. LP: Dylan Cease (2-1).

With the Boston Red Sox again beating the Philadelphia Phillies, the Yankees remain a game and a half out of 1st place.

This series concludes this afternoon. Dallas Keuchel, whom I wished the Yankees had gotten when they had the chance in 2019, starts for the Pale Hose. Jameson Taillon, whom the Yankees actually did get this past off-season, and hasn't yet lived up to our hopes, starts for us. Hopefully, he can pitch well enough to give the hitters a chance to secure the sweep.

COVID 19, Yankees 1

Ordinarily, taking 2 out of 3 on the road is considered a good thing, especially against a contemptible organization like the Tampa Bay Rays. Especially when you take the 1st 2 games, as the Yankees did this time. It takes a lot of the pressure off the 3rd game, which sometimes works against you.

But yesterday was not a good day for the Yankees. We already knew that 7 people traveling with the team, including 2 coaches, had tested positive for COVID-19. Then, yesterday, we found out that Gleyber Torres had also tested positive.

He already got it in the off-season. And pretty much everybody in the Yankee organization has been vaccinated. So, in these cases, the vaccine failed.

The Yankees were given the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the one for which you only need one administration. For the Pfizer and the Moderna, you need two. The J&J vaccine has, thus far, proven about 66 percent (2/3rds) effective, while the other 2 are around 95 percent effective. I'm glad I got the Moderna. (The 1st one, anyway. I will have the 2nd in 2 weeks.)

For those of you who look to sports for omens, good and bad, let the record show that the Johnson family that owns and operates J&J also owns and operates the New York Jets.

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So the Yankees went into the series finale at Tropicana Field with  lineup of DJ LeMahieu at 2nd base, Giancarlo Stanton as DH, Aaron Judge in right field, Gio Urshela at shortstop, Gary Sanchez catching, Mike Ford at 1st base, Clint Frazier in left field, Miguel Andujar at 3rd base, and Brett Gardner in center field, with Jameson Taillon pitching.

5th in the order: Sanchez is batting .197, on-base percentage .351, slugging percentage .382. 6th: Ford, .095/.240/.238. 7th: Frazier, .141/.282/.283.

How did Sanchez and Ford respond to this confidence? How did Frazier respond to this insult? Each of the 3 drew a walk, and Sanchez got 2 hits, 1 of them a double. Other than that, the only Yankee baserunners were Judge with a double, Stanton and Urshela with singles, and Gardner with a walk. The team scored just 1 run, in the top of the 9th, when, with the bases loaded and nobody out, Frazier grounded into a double play. You don't get credit for a run batted in when you ground into a double play and a runner scores anyway.

The pitching didn't get the job done, either: Taillon allowed 4 runs, and didn't get out of the 5th inning. Michael King allowed 3 runs, Justin Wilson 2. The Yankees did strike out 16 batters, thought: Taillon 9, King 6, Wilson 1.

That doesn't matter. Getting outs matters, how doesn't. The Yankees didn't get outs quickly enough, and made them in the wrong places. Rays 9, Yankees 1. WP: Rich Hill (2-1). No save. LP: Taillon (1-3).

One bit of humor: I discovered that Rays fans like to call Rich Hill "Dick Mountain." Some mountain: His career record is 69-45, with a 3.81 ERA. At the age of 41, a starting pitcher should have more than 69 wins. (This is his 17th season: He's been mostly or entirely a starter in 9, a reliever in 8. He has more career shutouts, 2, than saves, 0.) He's also a former Yankee, pitching 14 times, all in relief, in 2014, with no decisions and a 1.69 ERA.

The Yankees now move on to Baltimore, a good place to get your hitting groove back. Here are the projected starting pitchers:

* Tonight, 7:05: Corey Kluber for the Yankees, Dean Kremer for the Orioles.

* Tomorrow, 7:05: Domingo German vs. Jorge Lopez.

* Sunday, 1:05: Jordan Montgomery vs. recent no-hitter tosser John Means.

Now, Thats More Like It

When the New York Yankees travel to Camden Yards to play the Baltimore Orioles, last night's game with the kind of game you expect to see. 

Let's start with the pitching. Domingo Germán started for the Yankees, and it was like the Summer of 2019 all over again. He was brilliant: They let him pitch 7 innings, and he allowed only 3 hits, just 1 through the 1st 6, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts.

Pitching like that deserves to get backed up. Mike Ford led off the top of the 2nd with a home run. That would prove to be all the Yankees needed, but not all they got.

In the 3rd, they got 3 straight singles, by DJ LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres, and a home run by Gio Urshela. That made it 5-0. For the 1st time all season, the Yankees looked truly comfortable.

Aaron Hicks drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the 5th, and Clint Frazier homered in the 8th. Yankees 7, Orioles 0. Now, that's more like it. WP: Germán (2-2). No save. LP: Dean Kremer (0-2).

By the way, for those of you complaining that MLB games take too long: This one ended in 2 hours and 33 minutes.

Except for Joe Biden, who delivered his 1st speech to a sort-of Joint Session of Congress last night (as is usually the case with a President's 1st such address, the words "State of the Union" were not used), no one had a bigger win than the Yankees last night.

The Yankee game, and the President's speech: In both cases, now, that's more like it.

Certainly not the Mets: A night after losing 2-1 to the Boston Red Sox, they lost 1-0 in a typical Jacob deGrom start. 

The Yanks-O's series concludes this afternoon. Jordan Montgomery starts against Jorge Lopez.

Finally, the Yankees Give Us a Win

The 5-10 Yankees began a 2-game home Interleague series with the Atlanta Braves last night. Not exactly the kind of team against whom you expect to snap a 5-game losing streak.

Jameson Taillon didn't pitch badly. He went 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts. Still worried about his return from injury, Yankee management only let him throw 80 pitches. Had the Yankees gone on to lose, he couldn't be faulted much.

The problem is, he left trailing 1-0. The Yankees meekly went down 1-2-3 in the 1st and 2nd innings. They wasted a 1-out double by Gio Urshela in the 3rd, and 2 walks in the 4th. (Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you? No, Cliche Alert: You just can't predict baseball.)

But with 1 out in the bottom of the 5th, Urshela took Taillon off the hook, with an absolute blast, a 436-foot shot to center field, tying the game.

Lucas Luetge pitched a scoreless 6th. The Yankees needed both Chad Green and Justin Wilson to pitch a scoreless 7th. Jonathan Loaisiga came in to pitch the top of the 8th, and started it by hitting Marcell Ozuna. But he got Travis d'Arnaud, the former Mets catcher, to ground into a double play.

Did I use the cliche that "Walks can kill you"? I didn't add, "especially the leadoff variety." Aaron Hicks led off the bottom of the 8th with a walk. DJ Lemahieu singled. Aaron Judge singled, but Hicks couldn't score.

Bases loaded, nobody out, tie game, bottom of the 8th. I was expecting Giancarlo Stanton to strike out, and then Gleyber Torres to ground into a double play.

Except... this time, Hicks was batting 9th, having pinch-hit for Mike Tauchman. Of course, Aaron Boone -- probably on Brian Cashman's orders -- was still batting LeMahieu 1st, Judge 2nd and the center fielder 3rd. But now, Hicks had taken over for Brett Gardner in center field, and Clint Frazier had taken over for Tauchman in left. Is batting Frazier between Judge and Stanton the answer we've been looking for?

Not this time -- but, this time, it wasn't all that necessary. Nate Jones, who had just relieved Tyler Matzek, threw a wild pitch that scored Hicks. Frazier then popped up. The Braves walked Stanton intentionally -- not because they were afraid of him, but because 1st base was now open, and they wanted to set up the double play. It was a mark of disrespect Torres, and he lived up to it, flying out to short center, and LeMahieu couldn't score. For all we knew, that insurance run could have turned out to be important.

The batter was Mike Ford, who had started at 1st base. He drew a walk to force home a run. Gary Sanchez flew out to end the inning, but the Yankees had gone ahead.

Aroldis Chapman, our closer, hadn't been asked to come in to pitch in 7 days. That's how bad the Yankees have been. The top of the 9th was a typical Aroldis: Strikeout with a couple of wild balls, strikeout with a couple of wild balls, walk bringing the tying run to the plate. But he got a popupght by Ford, to end it.

Finally, a win: Yankees 3, Braves 1. WP: Loaisiga (2-0). SV: Chapman (2 -- that's right, it's late April, and he only has 2 saves). LP: Matzek (0-2).

The series concludes tonight, with Corey Kluber pitching against Ian Anderson. No, not the lead singer and flute player of 1970s hard-rock band Jethro Tull. Although he might have locomotive breath.

Failure. Again.

The 2020 New York Yankees season is over. For the 11th straight season, and for the 16th time in the last 17, it did not result in an American League Pennant. For the 11th straight season, and for the 19th time in the last 20, it did not result in a World Series win.

Am I heartbroken? No, I am not. I am enraged.

If this sounds familiar, it means you read this blog every October.

This may also sound familiar to you: To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, It is always October, but never the World Series.

Tonight, the Yankees lost Game 5 of the AL Division Series to the Tampa Bay Rays at Petco Park. If this had been because the Rays simply played better, I wouldn't have liked it, but I could have lived with it. But that was not the reason.

Gerrit Cole pitched very well, but manager Aaron Boone took him out in the 6th inning, having thrown only 94 pitches, 60 of them for strikes. And he had just gotten the 1st out of the inning, eliminating Randy Arozarena, who had been a pain in the Yankees' ass in this series. There was absolutely no reason to take him out.

Boone took him out, and replaced him with Zack Britton, who, ideally, wouldn't have come in until the 8th inning, the 7th at the earliest. You know what? Screw that: Ideally, Cole would have pitched 9 innings.

Yes, he was pitching on just 3 days' rest. But look at what actually happened tonight: He was getting the job done. He wasn't tired. He wasn't losing his control. He wasn't losing his command. He was fine. And he wasn't losing: Thanks to a home run by Aaron Judge leading off the top of the 4th, but having allowed an Austin Meadows homer in the bottom of the 5th, the score was 1-1.

But because Brian Cashman is an idiot who believes pitchers throwing 95 or more pitches in a start is a bad thing, regardless of results, he ordered Boone to limit Cole's pitches.

Cashman and his lackey Boone made things worse. Britton began the bottom of the 7th by striking Kevin Kiermaier out. But Gio Urshela made an error at 3rd base, allowing Mike Zunino to reach 1st. Britton then got Meadows to fly out. And... Boone took Britton out, and brought Aroldis Chapman in.

The closer. In the 7th inning.

Goose Gossage used to be used for that. He knows Chapman isn't.

He demands an explanation for this bullshit.

Chapman ended the threat by striking Brandon Lowe out. But in the top of the 8th, Boone sent Mike Ford up to bat for catcher Kyle Higashioka, to lead off the inning. Mike Ford! Whitey Ford had just died, and was a pitcher, and he might have been a better option at the plate! Mike Ford struck out.

So Gary Sanchez, who'd had trouble playing the position of catcher all season long, and wasn't hitting, was going to have to catch Chapman's 100-plus-mile-per-hour pitches in the bottom of the 8th. Mike Brosseau made sure Sanchez wouldn't have to catch one of Chapman's pitches, hitting it out.

The Yankees went down 1-2-3 in the 1st inning, stranded Luke Voit at 1st with 1 out in the 2nd, wasted a leadoff walk by Brett Gardner thanks to a double play in the 3rd, went down 1-2-3 after Judge's leadoff homer in the 4th, stranded Gleyber Torres at 1st with 1 out in the 5th, stranded Aaron Hicks at 2nd and Giancarlo Stanton at 1st in the 6th, went down 1-2-3 in the 7th, and stranded Judge at 1st with 2 out in the 8th.

Top of the 9th. One last chance to save the season, against Rays reliever Diego Castillo. Stanton had been pretty much the only Yankee delivering in this series, but he went back to form, taking a called 3rd strike. Voit, at least, took the bat off his shoulder, but struck out swinging. And Urshela hit a line shot to 3rd base, but Joey Wendle snared it, and the game and the season were over. Rays 2, Yankees 1.

In their 1st 6 games of the postseason, the Yankees scored 12, 10, 9, 5, 4 and 5 runs, averaging more than 7 per game. In this game, they scored 1. Aside from Judge's home run, they only got 1 man to 2nd base.

I don't care how good the opposition's pitching is: Given the Yankees' resources, and how much money they spent on players who have shown how well they can hit, this is unacceptable.

And yet, the season is a failure.

Again.

Don't blame any of the players. They didn't acquire themselves.

Don't blame the manager. He's not really the manager.

This is all the fault of Brian Cashman.

Will owner Hal Steinbrenner fire him? No, he won't.

Hal's father, George Steinbrenner, would not have accepted 11 straight years of failure. He would have made a change years ago.

But Hal is not George.

And Cashman sure as hell is not Gene Michael, or Bob Watson, or Al Rosen, or Gabe Paul.

As they said on Game of Thrones: Brace yourself, Winter is coming. And it's going to be another long, cold Winter.

Yankees Happ-en to Beat Red Sox Again

In the 1st 2 games of this home series against the Auld Enemy, the Yankee bats unloaded on the Boston Red Sox. In last night's game, the Yankees didn't score big.

And, with J.A. Happ on the mound to start, that was not encouraging.

Fortunately, Happ pitched like the pitcher we thought we were getting.in 2018. He pitched 5 2/3rds innings, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3. The 1 run he allowed was a home run in the top of the 3rd, by Kevin Pillar, not to be confused with former Red Sock pain in the ass Kevin Millar.

In the bottom of the 1st inning, the Yankees got singles by Gio Urshela, Mike Tauchman and Mike Ford to go up 1-0. Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. And Brett Gardner led off the 2nd inning with a walk, and was doubled home by Aaron Hicks.

Pillar's homer made it 2-1 Yankees, but the Yankees struck back in the bottom of the inning, on singles by Tauchman and Gleyber Torres, and a home run by Ford.

Adam Ottavino pitched decently in relief, and Chad Green lowered his ERA to 0.77, proving that he's a middle reliever, not an "opener," as he was used last year. More Brian Cashman stupidity exposed. Zack Britton was shaky in the 9th, allowing a run thanks to a double, a wild pitch and an error, but he finished the Sox off.

Yankees 4, Red Sox 2. WP: Happ (1-1). SV: Britton (8). LP: Chris Mazza (0-1).

Today, the Yankees reinstated Aroldis Chapman, fully recovered from COVID-19, from the Injured List, and designated David Hale for assignment.

The series concludes tonight. Jordan Montgomery pitches to help us get the sweep, and Martin Perez will try to give the Boston bats the chance to avoid it. Come on you Pinstripes!

Yanks Drop 3 of 4 to Tampa Bay

I hate losing. I especially hate losing to a bad team. But to lose to a classless organization like Tampa Bay Rays? That is infuriating.

On Saturday, the Yankees had to play one of those COVID-forced not-so-traditional (7 innings each) "traditional doubleheaders" at the Stupid Dome in St. Petersburg. The opener went far better for the Yankees. They scored 4 runs in the top of the 3rd inning, including a home run by Mike Ford. Giancarlo Stanton added a solo homer in the 5th.

(Of course, he did. A solo homer when we're already 4 runs up.)

That should have been enough for Gerrit Cole to cruise, and he did so through the 1st 4 innings. But he got shaky in the 5th, allowing 3 runs, and Aaron Boone took no chances, taking him out 1 out short of qualifying for the win. (Even in games limited to 7 innings, the rule is that the starting pitcher can't be the winning pitcher if he doesn't go at least the 1st 5.)

Chad Green ended the inning. DJ LeMahieu singled to lead off the 6th, and Aaron Judge homered, pretty much ending the Tampa Bay threat for this game. The Rays scored in the bottom of the 6th, the Yankees did so in the top of the 7th, and that was it.

Yankees 8, Rays 4. WP: Green (2-0). No save. LP: Tyler Glasnow (0-1).

*

Mike King, who had exactly 2 innings of big-league experience entering this season, started the 2nd game, instead of the out-for-the-season Luis Severino and the chased-out-of-baseball Domingo German. He had nothing, and didn't get out of the 4th inning. In the 1st, he walked the bases loaded and walked home a run. Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you. (UPDATE: Since the 2021 season, Mike King has usually been referred to as "Michael King.")

Albert Abreu wasn't much better in relief. The Yankees mounted a rally in the 7th, but wasn't enough, and limiting the games to 7 innings ended the threat.

Rays 5, Yankees 3. WP: Pete Fairbanks (2-1). SV: Nick Anderson (2). LP: King (0-1). 

*

The Sunday game will be one of those games where, if the Yankees don't win the Division and end up losing in the Playoffs, will stick in our memories as being a sign that it wasn't meant to be.

The Yankees loaded the bases in the top of the 1st, and Charlie Morton -- one of those cheating 2017 Houston Astros -- hit Mike Ford with a pitch. Since that gave the Yankees an early lead, it almost certainly wasn't intentional. But the Rays are still a dirty team, as they were when Joe Maddon was their manager (Kevin Cash has been since 2015), so you never know.

The Yankees added 2 runs on a Rays error in the top of the 5th. Going to the bottom of the 7th, it was still 3-0, and James Paxton was cruising. But he ran out of gas, allowing back-to-back home runs to Mike Brosseau and Brandon Lowe, tying the game.

This was a single game, so it was set to go a full 9 innings. But John Curtiss struck out the side for the Rays in the 8th, and the Yankees went down 1-2-3 in the 9th as well. Zack Britton had done a great job for the Yankees so far, in place of the COVID-recovering Aroldis Chapman. Not this time: In the bottom of the 9th, he allowed double, fielder's choice, wild pitch, walk, groundout, single. Game over.

Rays 4, Yankees 3. WP: Ryan Thompson (1-0). No save. LP: Britton (0-1).

That was 3 out of 4 in Tampa Bay. The Yankees are now 10-6, still in 1st place in the American League Eastern Division, but they need to win games like Sunday's.

Also, Stanton was injured. It's a hamstring injury, which could be 6 weeks -- most of the rest of the regular season. Which could mean the return to the roster of Clint Frazier, he of the million-dollar bat, the two-bit glove and the five-cent head.

Tonight, they start a home series against the Atlanta Braves. Jordan Montgomery starts against Touki Toussaint

Two Months to Tell the Tale

Today is the anniversary of my grandfather's birth. If you think I am too much of a Yankee Fan, blame him. He grew up in The Bronx, within walking distance of Yankee Stadium. He could walk down the street and watch the original Stadium being built in 1922 and '23. He sat in those bleachers and watched Babe Ruth, before Lou Gehrig. Half a century later, in the 1970s, he introduced me to the team, and the rest is history. Well, family history, anyway.

He would have been pleased at the Yankees' nice recovery from a bad start to their Pacific Coast road trip, and he would have been pleased at the Yankees are so far ahead in the American League Eastern Division right now.

Although he would have been puzzled by the fact that the team that is, allegedly, chasing the Yankees is in Florida. He got old, living to be 78, and he did live in a retirement community, but it was near the Jersey Shore, not in Florida. He would never have gone to Florida.

The Yankees begin their road trip by getting swept  in 3 straight games by the Oakland Athletics, and that brought back some memories. Those coast road trips used to hurt the Yankees very badly in the 1980's, and we're a big reason why they were usually in the AL East race in August, but out of it by the time September began.

But then the Yankees played an Interleague series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and took 2 out of 3, and the only loss was just 2-1. In other words, the big concern going into this road trip, the thought that the starting pitching was insufficient, proved not to be the case. Then they went up to Seattle, and took 3 straight against the Mariners. The road trip started out 0-3, and ended up 5-4. I'll take a 5-4 coast road trip any season.

There are still injuries, but Mike Ford has stepped up in the absence of 1st baseman Luke Voit.  Aaron Judge has finally gotten hot. So has Gary Sanchez, although he's been doing it most of the season. The fact that the Yankees hit so well in Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and T-Mobile Park (until this season, known as Safeco Field) in Seattle, both known to be pitcher-friendly, is also encouraging.

As for the pitching, our presumed weak spot:

* Domingo German got hit hard in the opener in Oakland, a 6-2 loss. But he was very strong in the finale in Los Angeles, a 5-1 win that advanced him to 17-3 on the season. He is a serious candidate for the AL's Cy Young Award.

* J.A. Happ got hit hard in the 2nd game in Oakland, a 6-4 loss; but bounced back just enough to get the job done in the opener in Seattle, a 5-4 win.

* Masahiro Tanaka did not pitch well in the finale in Oakland, a 5-3 loss; but was sensational in the 2nd game in Seattle, shutting the Mariners out for 7 innings, allowing just 3 runs and 1 walk while fanning 7. Luis Cessa, so often ineffective this season, was trusted to finish off a 6-0 lead, and it ended 7-0 to the Yankees.

* James Paxton pitched spectacularly in the opener in Los Angeles, striking out 11 and walking none, getting home runs from Judge, Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, and 2 from Didi Gregorius, en route to a 10-2 win. He also pitched decently in the finale in Seattle, a 7-3 win.

* CC Sabathia struggled in 4 innings in his start in the 2nd game in L.A., a game the Yankees ended up losing 2-1, including a 9th inning timeout call that may have screwed them out of a tying run. But, between them, Cory Gearrin (a recent waiver pickup, a 33-year-old righthander from Georgia, the Yankees being his 6th team since his 2011 MLB debut), Chad Green, Adam Ottavino and Zack Britton pitched 5 scoreless innings, allowing only 1 hit (Gearrin) and 1 walk (Ottavino). Between them, the 5 Yankee pitchers struck 12 Dodgers out.

So: Good news for the bullpen and Paxton; mixed news, but nice bounce-backs, from German, Happ and Tanaka; and continued concern for the soon-to-retire Sabathia.

*

So where do the Yankees stand now, going into Labor Day Weekend? They are 88-47, on a pace to win 105 games. They lead the AL East by 11 games over the Tampa Bay Rays. The all-important loss column does not change that. Their Magic Number, the total number of Yankee wins and Rays losses that would clinch the Division, is 17.

I don't care how many they need to clinch at least a Wild Card berth: It's been 7 years since they won the Division, and that's inexcusable, and winning the Division puts you in a much better position than even winning the Wild Card Game does.

The Yankees lead the Western Division-leading Houston Astros by 1 game for the best overall record in the AL. They are half a game ahead of the National League Western Division-leading Dodgers for the best overall record in all of MLB. In other words, if the current standings hold to the end of the regular season, on September 29, 27 games from now, the Yankees would have home field advantage (HFA) in the postseason for however far they advance.

If said standings hold until the end, the Division Series would be as follows:

* AL: Yankees with HFA over winner of Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians; Astros with HFA over AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins.

* NL: Dodgers with HFA over winner of Chicago Cubs at Washington Nationals; NL East-leading Atlanta Braves with HFA over NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals.

If you're wondering about the Mets: Their flirtation with the NL Wild Card berths took a major hit with their sweep at home at the hands of the Cubs. They are now 5 1/2 games out of the 2nd NL Wild Card, with 29 to play. I've often said that it is fair to ask a good team to be able to gain 1 game per week, but, counting this weekend as half a week, there are 4 1/2 weeks left. The Magic is not coming back.

*

What about the Yankees' endless string of injuries? Here is the latest update, in order of expected return from most recent to furthest away:

* Luke Voit, 1st base: Tonight. He's been called up. That's the good news. The bad news is who he's replacing. More on that momentarily.

* Ben Heller, pitcher: Early September. His recovery from Tommy John surgery is nearly complete, as he is already pitching in Scranton. He could even be a 40-man roster callup on September 1, this coming Sunday. But don't count on him being put on the postseason roster, unless he ends up pitching better than he ever has.

* Jordan Montgomery, pitcher: Early September. He's already pitching for Scranton, and could be a September 1 callup. He might need a little more time than that, though. But if he's available for the postseason, it gives Aaron Boone some flexibility, especially if Sabathia and Happ continue to struggle, Paxton goes back to doing so, and Severino can't come back strong.

* Dellin Betances, pitcher: Early September. He is set to face hitters in a simulated game tomorrow. If he's okay, he could begin a minor league rehab assignment. He could be as little as a week away, but the Yankees need him more for the postseason, so they shouldn't rush him.

* Luis Severino, pitcher: Mid-September. He's been cleared to make his 1st rehab start for Scranton on Sunday. If he can give us a postseason that's anything like what he was before he got hurt, it would be a huge lift. A postseason rotation of Severino, Tanaka and German (not necessarily in that order), with Paxton as the 4th guy when necessary, would be much more encouraging than a rotation of Tanaka, German, Paxton, and either Sabathia or Happ.

* Gio Urshela, 3rd base: Mid-September. He was injured in Seattle, and was place on the 10-Day Injured List to make room for Voit's callup. If it is only a 10-day thing, that will be a big relief.

* Giancarlo Stanton, right field/designated hitter: Mid-September. He took batting practice in Seattle, but there is, as yet, no timetable for rehab games for the man who, currently, stands as the biggest bust, divided by money, in the history of Yankee acquisitions.

* Edwin Encarnacion, 1st base/designated hitter: September. He has been taking batting, fielding and throwing practice, but hasn't yet faced live pitching in any form. Not a guy who needs to be counted on, but would be a nice option for the postseason.

* Jonathan Holder, pitcher: September. Another guy who doesn't need to be rushed back.

* Stephen Tarpley, pitcher: September. Ditto.

* Thairo Estrada, utility player: September. A spare part, the kind of guy Joe Torre loved to count on, including in the postseason. Probably not necessary, though.

* Aaron Hicks, center field: Possibly September. Given that his injury is a flexor strain in his elbow, the Yankees don't want to take any chances. He might end up getting shut down for the year. But he would be a big help in the postseason.

* Greg Bird, 1st base: Unknown. Given his string of injuries, and his contract situation, and the performances of Voit, Encarnacion and DJ LeMahieu, he may never play for the Yankees again.

* Jake Barrett, pitcher: Unknown. He hasn't pitched since May 25, but he has resumed throwing.

* David Hale, pitcher: Unknown. He hasn't pitched since July 26, threw 30 pitches in the bullpen on August 8, but had a setback, and has been shut down. If he ever plays another game in Pinstripes, I'll be surprised.

* Miguel Andujar, 3rd base: Spring Training of next season.

* Jacoby Ellsbury, outfield: Spring Training of next season. However, with his contract running out, it is unlikely that any return he makes will be for the Yankees.

*

Today is August 30. If the World Series goes to a Game 7, with no postponements due to weather or anything else, Game 7 would be played on October 30. In other words, one way or another, the baseball season ends in two months.

These next 2 months will tell the tale. Will the Yankees finally do the business for the 28th time? Or will they come up short? If they come up short for the 18th time in the last 19 seasons, will it still seem encouraging enough to justify giving Brian Cashman another year as general manager, another offseason to make deals, another trading deadline in July 2020?

It is possible that we could lose without blowing a postseason series. Sometimes, the opposition is simply better, and you have to give them credit. Of course, if that opposition turns out to be the Houston Astros, a team that strengthen itself in part due to Cashman's in action in both 2017 and 2019, that would be an ignominious defeat, and Cashman should have to answer for it.

At any rate, the Yankees have returned home, and face the A's in a return series of the road trip's beginning. The remaining schedule:

* Tonight, and tomorrow and Sunday afternoons: Home to Oakland. The A's are currently in position to get one of the AL Wild Card slots.

* Monday afternoon (Labor Day) and Tuesday and Wednesday nights: Home to the Texas Rangers. They are not going to make the Playoffs.

* Friday night, Saturday late afternoon, and Sunday and Monday nights: Away to the Boston Red Sox. It looks like The Scum are out of the Playoff hunt, which is a relief. I guess they didn't re-sign their pharmacist.

* The following Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and Thursday afternoon: Away to the Detroit Tigers. They are in rebuilding mode.

* The following Friday night, and Saturday and Sunday afternoons: Away to the Toronto Blue Jays. Their awful season is coming to a close.

* The following Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights: Home to the Los Angeles Angels. They're not making the Playoffs.

* The following Friday night, and Saturday and Sunday afternoons: Home to Toronto.

* The following Tuesday and Wednesday nights: Away to Tampa Bay. I wouldn't mind at all if the Yankees clinched the Division in either of these games. Of course, I wouldn't mind them going into this series having already clinched.

* The following Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoon, away to Texas. These will be the last games ever played at the stadium the Rangers opened in 1994, known as The Ballpark in Arlington through 2004, Ameriquest Field through 2006, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington through 2013, and now as Globe Life Park in Arlington. That's only 26 seasons. Its replacement, Globe Life Field (not "Park"), is being built to the south. The existing stadium will be left standing, as the home of the reborn XFL's Dallas Renegades.

*

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: None. They are about to kick off the season, right now, at Rutgers Stadium (a.k.a. SHI Stadium -- no, I didn't name or rename it), against the University of Massachusetts.

Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 1, tomorrow night at 7, home to the Colorado Rapids at Red Bull Arena.

Days until Arsenal play again: 2, on Sunday, at 11:30 AM New York time, home to arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium.

Days until the next North London Derby: See the previous answer. It is unusual for Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur to play each other so early in the season, but not unprecedented: As recently as the 2013-14 season, they did so on September 1. As it was on that occasion, to get higher TV ratings, the game was moved from Saturday to Sunday.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 6, next Thursday night, September 5, at Fenway Park.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 7, next Friday night, at 7:00 PM, home to arch-rival Old Bridge. Like most of the local rivalries that were once played on Thanksgiving Day, this one has been moved back to the opening game. It will also be the head coaching debut of Andy Steinfeld, a longtime assistant and a two-way lineman on the school's 1984 Conference Champions. It will also be the start of a Yankees-Red Sox series. So I'm getting a double dose of "Scum" on the night. Lucky me. At least it'll be at Jay Doyle's Green Grove off Cranbury Road, instead of at the purple shit pit on Route 9.


Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 7, next Friday night, at 8:30, against Mexico, at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands. This will be their 1st match of any kind since their bottlejob against Mexico in the Final of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 23, on Sunday night, September 22, against the Philadelphia Union, at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls next play D.C. United the following Sunday, also at RBA. They will not play New York City or the New England Revolution again during the regular season. However, all 4 of these rival teams remain potential Playoff opponents.

Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: 35, on Friday night, October 4, at the Prudential Center, against the Winnipeg Jets. Just 5 weeks.

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 40, on Wednesday night, October 9, against the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The season's 1st game against the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum, will be on Thursday, October 17, at the Prudential Center. The 1st game against the New York Islanders will be on Thursday, January 2, 2020, at the Barclays Center.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 92, on Saturday, November 30, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Exactly 3 months.

Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 110, on December 18, 2019. A little over 4 months.

Days until the premiere of the final Star Wars film, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker: 112, on December 20, 2019.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 144, on January 21, 2020. Under 5 months.

Days until Euro 2020 begins, a tournament being held all over Europe instead of in a single host nation: 287, on Friday, June 12, 2020. Under 10 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 329, on July 24, 2020. Under 11 months.

Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 431, on November 3, 2020. A little over a year, or a little over 14 months.

Days until a fully-Democratic-controlled Congress can convene, and the Republicans can do nothing about it: 492, on January 3, 2021. Under a year and a half, or a little over 16 months.

Days until Liberation Day: 509, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under a year and a half, or under 17 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.

Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Beijing, China: 889, on February 4, 2022. Under 2 1/2 years, or a little over 29 months.

Days until the next World Cup is scheduled to kick off: 1,179, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. A little over 3 years, or a little under 39 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.

Days until the next Women's World Cup is scheduled to kick off: As yet unknown, but probably on the 2nd Friday in June 2023, which would be June 9. That would be 1,379 days, a little under 4 years, or a little over 45 months. A host nation is expected to be chosen on March 20, 2020. Since 2 of the last 3 host nations have been in Europe, North America (Canada) hosted in 2015, and Asia (China) hosted in 2007, my guess is that it will be in either Asia (Japan, possibly Korea, but not China) or Oceania (Australia, possibly a joint bid with New Zealand).

The Yankees Are Not Out of the Woods Yet

The expression "We're not out of the woods yet" was probably first used by a camp counselor who got his charges away from a bear, and realize that the danger was far from over as long as they hadn't yet gotten back to their campsite.

The Yankees slaughtered the Baltimore Orioles 4 straight, but the Orioles are a very bad team. Last night, the Cleveland Indians came into Yankee Stadium II, and it was a very different story. They made the Yankees look like the Orioles, minus the garish orange and black uniforms.

It was Opener Night, because Brian Cashman did not make a trade to make sure that the Yankees have a full 5-man rotation, which is, you know, a pretty important part of his job. Chad Green started, and the Indians quickly finished him. He got only 1 out and allowed 5 runs.

Jonathan Loaisiga had just come off the Injured List. He may wish he'd stayed on it one more night, because he pitched through to the end of the 3rd, allowing 4 more runs. After 1 inning, the Yankees were down 7-0; 2, 9-1.

Chance Adams was no better, allowing 5 runs in 3 2/3rds innings. Nestor Cortes closed the 7th, and was the only Yankee pitcher who didn't allow a run.

Someone on Twitter told me Ford was coming in to pitch for the 8th. I said, "Well, he's had 52 years of rest, so he should be fresh." Of course, that was a joke. I knew it wasn't Whitey Ford. It was Mike Ford, who grew up in the ritzy Belle Mead section of Montgomery, Somerset County, Central Jersey. Someone altered his Wikipedia page to list his position  as "First baseman, Pitcher, and all around great guy."

He may well be an all-around great guy, but when a position player comes in as a pitcher, it means 1 of 2 things: Either the game is hopelessly lost, and you don't want to burn any more relievers, to keep them rested for the rest of the series; or you've got an injury crisis. Unfortunately, for the Yankees, both were true last night. And he allowed 5 runs in 2 innings.

Didi Gregorius hit a home run in the 5th inning, Gary Sanchez came off the IL to hit one in the 6th, and Gleyber Torres hit one in the 8th. But it was no use: In one of their worst losses of the season, the Yankees fell 19-5.

As manager Aaron Boone would say, "It is what it is." As his predecessor, Joe Girardi, would say, "It's not what you want." And as his predecessor, Joe Torre, would say, "I think I need some green tea."

And yet, the Tampa Bay Rays also lost, so the Yankees remain in 1st place in the American League Eastern Division by 9 1/2 games. Their Magic Number to clinch the Division is 31.

The Indians are half a game behind the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. There is a chance that they could face the Yankees in the Playoffs. So this was a statement game for them.

The Yankees will have to come back with a statement of their own tomorrow night. Masahiro Tanaka starts against Aaron Civale.

The Yankees are not out of the woods yet.

*

Days until Arsenal play again: 1, tomorrow, at 7:30 AM New York time, their new season's home opener, against Lancashire team Burnley.

Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 1, tomorrow night at 7, home to the New England Revolution at Red Bull Arena.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": See the previous answer. It will be the last game against the Revs this regular season. The next game against D.C. United will be on Wednesday night, August 21, at Audi Field in Washington. The next game against New York City FC will be on Saturday night, August 24, at Yankee Stadium II. The next game against the Philadelphia Union will be on Sunday night, September 22, at Red Bull Arena. All 4 of these rival teams remain potential Playoff opponents.

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 14, on Friday night, August 30, at 7:15 PM, home to the University of Massachusetts. Just 2 weeks. This game was moved back from the previous afternoon.

Days until the next North London Derby: 16, on Sunday, September 1, at the Emirates Stadium. It is unusual for Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur to play each other so early in the season, but not unprecedented: As recently as the 2013-14 season, they did so on September 1. As it was on that occasion, to get higher TV ratings, the game was moved from Saturday to Sunday.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 20, on Thursday night, September 5, at Fenway Park. Under 3 weeks.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 21, on Friday night, September 6, at 7:00 PM, home to arch-rival Old Bridge. Just over 1 month. Like most of the local rivalries that were once played on Thanksgiving Day, this one has been moved back to the opening game. It will also be the head coaching debut of Andy Steinfeld, a longtime assistant and a two-way lineman on the school's 1984 Conference Champions. It will also be the start of a Yankees-Red Sox series. So I'm getting a double dose of "Scum" on the night. Lucky me. At least it'll be at Jay Doyle's Green Grove off Cranbury Road, instead of at the purple shit pit on Route 9.

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 21, on Friday night, September 6, at 8:30, against Mexico, at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands. This will be their 1st match of any kind since their bottlejob against Mexico in the Final of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The women's national team, of course, won their 4th World Cup, their 2nd in a row, defeating the Netherlands in Lyon, France. Their next game is against Portugal on Thursday, August 29, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: 49, on Friday night, October 4, at the Prudential Center, against the Winnipeg Jets. Just 7 weeks.

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 54, on Wednesday night, October 9, against the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The season's 1st game against the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum, will be on Thursday, October 17, at the Prudential Center. The 1st game against the New York Islanders will be on Thursday, January 2, 2020, at the Barclays Center.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 106, on Saturday, November 30, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. A little over 3 months.

Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 124, on December 18, 2019. A little over 4 months.

Days until the premiere of the final Star Wars film, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker: 126, on December 20, 2019.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 158, on January 21, 2020. A little over 5 months.

Days until Euro 2020 begins, a tournament being held all over Europe instead of in a single host nation: 301, on Friday, June 12, 2020. Under 10 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 343, on July 24, 2020. Under a year, or a little over 11 months.

Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 445, on November 3, 2020. A little over a year, or under 15 months.

Days until a fully-Democratic-controlled Congress can convene, and the Republicans can do nothing about it: 506, on January 3, 2021. Under a year and a half, or under 17 months.

Days until Liberation Day: 523, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under a year and a half, or a little over 17 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.

Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Beijing, China: 903, on February 4, 2022. Under 3 years, or under 30 months.

Days until the next World Cup is scheduled to kick off: 1,193, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. A little over 3 years, or a little over 39 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.

Days until the next Women's World Cup is scheduled to kick off: As yet unknown, but probably on the 2nd Friday in June 2023, which would be June 9. That would be 1,3939 days, a little under 4 years, under 46 months. A host nation is expected to be chosen on March 20, 2020. Since 2 of the last 3 host nations have been in Europe, North America (Canada) hosted in 2015, and Asia (China) hosted in 2007, my guess is that it will be in either Asia (Japan, possibly Korea, but not China) or Oceania (Australia, possibly a joint bid with New Zealand).

Yankees Survive Hanging Chad

Last night, the Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels didn't quite play until 2:42 AM New York time, as they did the night before. But a little after one was bad enough. And it wouldn't have been nearly that long if it wasn't for Chad Green and his "hanging chad" curveball.

Domingo German, now apparently having taken the Luis Severino slot in the rotation, pitched into the 7th inning, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks, before being replaced in the 7th by Green.

He was backed up by good hitting. Luke Voit hit 2 home runs -- Luke isn't using The Force, he is a force -- and Mike Ford hit his 1st major league home run. It was 7-1 Yankees going to the bottom of the 8th.

But then, for the 2nd night in a row, Green blew it. He allowed 2 singles, a walk, and a grand slam to Justin Bour. (No, I'd never heard of him, either.) Before getting any outs in the bottom of the 8th, it was 7-5, and the outcome of the game was in doubt.

Aaron Boone brought Luis Cessa in, and he issued a double and a walk. The potential winning run was at the plate. This was going to be a meltdown of epic proportions.

But Cessa bore down, and got a strikeout and a double play to end the threat. It's interesting that, after the previous night's screwup, Boone did not trust Aroldis Chapman to close the game out, instead going to Zack Britton. He got the job done.

Yankees 7, Angels 5. WP: German (4-1). SV: Britton (1). LP: Chris Stratton (0-2).

I don't know what's wrong with Green. He saved the Yankees' necks a few times in 2017 and 2018, but he has nothing now. He needs to go to the minor league complex in Tampa, and get straightened out.

Tony Cloninger and Billy Connors, two of the better pitching coaches of the previous generation, both of whom helped the Yankees win a lot, are dead now, and being around Larry Rothschild hasn't helped any yet pitcher. Green needs to get as far from him as possible, and straighten himself out. We can afford to lose him for the moment, but we can't afford to keep him until he gets straightened out.

The Yankees remain 2 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. The series with the Angels continues tonight. CC Sabathia starts against Felix Pena.

Meet Mike Ford. Don't Blame Him For Last Night's Yankee Loss.

The Yankees had a lot of momentum and good feeling following their 2-game sweep of the despised Boston Red Sox.

Aaaaaaaand it's gone. The Kansas City Royals came in, and the Yankees made them look like a Playoff team. Which they were, only 4 seasons ago, winning the World Series, and a Pennant the year before that. But they lost 104 games last year, and were 6-12 coming into last night's game.

Thus far, the Yankees had gotten away with using Domingo German as a starting pitcher. Maybe they would have gotten away with it again, had they hit. But he went 6 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, no walks and 9 strikeouts.

That sounds pretty good, until you realize that he gave up 2 home runs and an RBI double. And that the next pitcher, Jonathan Holder, didn't get the job done, either.

At any rate, the Yankees didn't hit. Aaron Judge singled in the bottom of the 1st, Luke Voit singled him over to 3rd, and Gleyber Torres got him home with a sacrifice fly to center. But that was it: Voit and Torres were stranded, Clint Frazier was stranded on 1st after a leadoff error, Frazier was stranded again after a 2-out hit in the 4th, another runner was stranded in the 5th, and Mike Ford drew a 7th-inning walk but was erased on a double play.

Ford was making his major league debut, as the designated hitter and wearing Number 36, which has belonged to such Yankees as Johnny Mize, Dock Ellis, Jim Kaat, David Cone, Nick Johnson and Carlos Beltran. And Ian Kennedy, who was the last pitcher of the game for the Royals last night.

Ford is a local guy, a 6-foot-even, 225-pound, lefthanded-hitting, righthanded-throwing native of the ritzy Belle Mead section of Montgomery Township, Somerset County, New Jersey. Belle Mead is so ritzy! (How ritzy is it?) In 1980, during the "Who Shot J.R.?" saga on the TV drama Dallas, one of the variety shows that decided to parody the story -- in this case, it was "Who did not shoot R.J.?" (Who had blanks in his gun?) -- titled the sketch Belle Mead.

As George M. Cohan famously said about himself -- lying, he was actually born on July 3, 1878 -- Mike Ford is "a real life nephew of my Uncle Sam, born on the 4th of July," in his case in 1992, making him almost 27, He attended the prestigious Hun School, a prep school in nearby Princeton, Mercer County, and then Princeton University. In 2013, he was named Ivy League Player of the Year.

He had good seasons in the Yankee farm system in 2017 and 2018, and was batting .410 at Triple-A Scranton when he was called up. Although he pitched as recently as Princeton, and was the DH last night, his natural position is 1st base.

In the 9th, down by 5, the Yankees tried to ride the "Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety" cliche after Voit drew a leadoff walk. But Torres struck out, and DJ LeMahieu popped up. Frazier singled, but Ford struck out to end it, leaving Frazier stranded for the 3rd time in the game. We certainly can't blame him for last night going wrong. Or Ford: Never pick on a rookie when he's down.

Royals 6, Yankees 1. WP: Homer Bailey (2-1). No save. LP: German (3-1).

The series continues tonight. CC Sabathia starts against Jakob Junis. Come on, Yankees, get some runs!