How Many More Times... Treat Me the Way That Joe Do?

To paraphrase an old blues song (Howlin' Wolf, adapted by Led Zeppelin), How many more times... treat me the way that Joe do?

Joe Girardi couldn't help but mess up the bullpen last night, because of how he'd messed it up the night before, rendering Dellin Betances, his only pitcher both uninjured and a viable closer, unavailable.

The only way the Yankees were going to win last night's game with the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum was if starting pitcher Luis Severino pitched a complete game, pitched well, and get the necessary run support.

He only went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs, 4 hits, 4 walks. So Girardi had to send Chasen Shreve out to pitch the 7th, and he allowed another run. So Girardi had to send Jonathan Holder out to pitch the 8th, and he blew a 6-5 lead.

Aaron Judge hit his 23rd home run of the season. Chris Carter hit his 8th. Judge, Starlin Castro and Ronald Torreyes each got 2 hits.

But because Aroldis Chapman was hurt (though it's still being said that he'll be activated tomorrow), and Brian Cashman traded Andrew Miller for some as-yet-useless prospects last Summer, and Girardi had rendered Betances unavailble, and even Adam Warren (of whom I am no fan) was unavailable due to an apparently minor injury, the Yankees scored 6 runs on the road and it wasn't going to be enough.

A's 7, Yankees 6. WP: Daniel Coulombe (1-1). SV: Santiago Casilla (11). LP: Holder (1-1). And, with the Boston Red Sox winning last night, the Yankees' lead in the American League East shrank to 1 game.

That's 4 straight losses because of Girardi's bullpen idiocy. Not 4 such losses all season: The last four games in a row ruined that way.

How many more times, Joe?

Hal Steinbrenner, how many more games are you going to let Binder Boy blow because he can't manage a pitching staff?

Maybe he's just waiting until we get back home to fire Girardi. I wouldn't. I'd say, "Here's your Samsonite, sucker, what's your hurry?" I'd pay for his separate flight back. Hell, I'd give him a "Bobby Bonilla contract," just to make him go the hell away!

The series continues at 4:05 (our time) this afternoon, with Masahiro Tanaka (who hasn't needed a good start this badly since the 2015 Wild Card game) starting for us, Jesse Hahn for the A's.