Girardi Throws ANOTHER Game Away With Stupid Pitching Changes

Chalk up another loss to Joe Girardi's binder-inspired idiotic pitching changes.

True, you can't win if you don't get men on base and then drive them home. And, as they did last week in Kansas City, the Yankees had trouble doing that against the Royals' Danny Duffy and his slider. They got 8 hits and 4 walks, but the only runs came on solo home runs, by Aaron Hicks (in the 4th inning, his 8th of the season) and Chris Carter (in the 5th, his 4th).

Nevertheless, it gave Jordan Montgomery a 2-0 lead that he took into the 7th inning. Girardi actually left him in for the top of the 7th, probably because he hadn't thrown 100 pitches yet. He got the 1st out of the inning, then surrendered a home run to Lorenzo Cain. (Sounds like the name of a character in a Bob Dylan song -- Bob turns 76 today.)

Montgomery got the 2nd out. The next batter was Salvador Perez, who, like Montgomery, is righthanded. So Girardi's tendency to bring a lefty pitcher on to face 1 batter because the batter is a lefty did not apply. There was no one on base. Montgomery had made 1 mistake, but he'd quickly rebounded from it. He'd allowed only 1 hit besides that homer. He hadn't walked anybody. He'd struck 6 men out. He'd thrown 71 of his 98 pitches for strikes. He was not struggling. He was not tired. He was doing very, very well. There was absolutely no sane reason to remove Montgomery.

But that 2nd out of the inning gave him 98 pitches, and Girardi gotta Girardi. He removed Montgomery for Adam Warren. As you know, Bob, Adam Warren can't fucking pitch, especially with a 1-run lead. Warren gave up a single to Perez, and then a home run to Jorge Bonifacio. 3-2 Royals.

The stupidity, from both Girardi and his relievers, continued. Jonathan Holder allowed 2 runs, and Chasen Shreve allowed another. But it didn't make any difference, as the Yankee bats went cold. Royals 6, Yankees 2. WP: Duffy (4-3). No save. LP: Warren (1-1).

This loss isn't on Warren, because he's a known commodity. A known lousy commodity. This loss is attributable to Girardi.

This loss is also attributable to Brian Cashman, who traded Aroldis Chapman away for 4 players, the only 1 of which then in the majors was Warren, who had already failed as a Yankee once.

I keep getting told to believe in the "prospects" that Cashman got, especially since he got Chapman back. Well, Chapman isn't helping us while he's on the Disabled List. But Warren's lousy pitching, and Girardi's and Cashman's reliances on it, lost us this game.

Anyway, the Yankees caught a break, because the Baltimore Orioles lost last night, and they've already lost this afternoon. The Yankees go into the 3rd game of this series with the Royals with a 2-game lead over the O's, 3 in the all-important loss column.

Tonight, Luis Severino starts against Jason Hammel. And I want to see the Yankees score a bunch of runs. I also want to see someone burn that damned binder!

Tomorrow afternoon is the finale, with Masahiro Tanaka opposed by Miguel Almonte.

Come on you Pinstripes!