When Will Enough Be Enough?

The Yankees got swept by the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park this week. That this was not a surprise in the least is a damning indictment: It's not fair to expect the Yankees to win every game, but they were awful in this series.

Brett Gardner led off Wednesday night's game with a home run. James Paxton, the only starting pitcher general manager Brian Cashman saw fit to acquire in the offseason -- and Cashman's apologists called him a great pickup -- blew it with 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st, including a home run to Jose Altuve, and allowed another in the 3rd.

DJ LeMahieu got a run home in the 4th, on a sacrifice fly. But in the 5th, Paxton allowed another home run by Altuve, and a single by Michael Brantley. At last, Aaron Boone had seen enough, and he brought in Tommy Kahnle, who promptly gave up a home run to Carlos Correa. He allowed another run, to make it 7-2 Astros.

The Yankees got a walk and a single to start the bottom of the 2nd. Both were stranded. They got a single to lead off the 7th, and another single later in the inning. Both were stranded.

It was still 7-2 in the top of the 8th, but a comeback was launched. Aaron Judge led off with a walk, and Luke Voit hit a home run to make it 7-4. Gleyber Torres singled, Greg Bird drew a walk, LeMahieu doubled home Torres, and Clint Frazier got Bird home on a sac fly. Now, it was 7-6, and winning the game seemed possible again.

But Austin Romine hit a liner to 2nd base, and Gary Sanchez struck out. An error on a single allowed by Zack Britton led to another Astro run. Not that it matters: Despite a 1-out single by Judge, the Yankees did not score in the 9th.

Astros 8, Yankees 6. WP: Collin McHugh (2-1). SV: Ryan Pressly (1). LP: Paxton (1-2).

The Yankees are now 5-7, 4 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division. As the late, great Yogi Berra would say, It's getting late early out there.

To paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson, Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking losses by this motherfucking ballclub!

When will enough be enough for Brian Cashman? When will he decide that he must act, before the season is truly lost?

When will enough be enough for Hal Steinbrenner? When will he decide that Cashman has failed, and must be replaced? After this season, marking 10 full years of failure? After an 11th? A 12th? How many more years?

In 2017, I would have thrown away 20 years of Gleyber Torres for 3 months of Justin Verlander. Cashman refused.

What if it's 2038, and Torres has been with the Yankees for 20 years, and there still hasn't been a Pennant since 2009? Will Hal still keep Cashman?

Tonight, the Yankees begin a homestand with a 3-game series against the Chicago White Sox. CC Sabathia is scheduled to make his 1st start of the season on Saturday. If he does, there will still be a hole in the rotation, caused by the injury to Luis Severino.

Cashman's apologists are sure that as soon as CC, Sevy, injured reliever Dellin Betances and injured outfielder Aaron Hicks come back, the Yankees will win.

That's presuming, A, they do come back; B, they come back at full ability; and, C, nobody else gets hurt. Even if A and B happen, does anybody really think C will come to pass?

It's going to be a long season, this 2019 season for which Cashman threw away the previous 3. When will we see another championship Yankee team?

Not, I fear, until Cashman is gone.