Granted, all 30 teams' schedules were released. But it sure feels like a sign that we need to focus on next year, because this season already feels lost.
The Yankees went through the 1st half of the 1st half looking good. They went through the 2nd half of the 1st half looking horrible.
On Tuesday, July 9, they began a roadtrip by playing the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg. Carlos Rodón started, and was lousy. Ben Rice hit a home run, but that was about it: Rays 5, Yankees 3.
Marcus Stroman started well on Wednesday night, but Aaron Boone took him out in the 5th, so he didn't get the win. That would go to Tim Hill, who got the last 2 outs of the 5th and the 1st of the 6th. But it was a good pitching performance, backed by an RBI double in the 2nd and a sacrifice fly in the 4th, both by Trent Grisham. Yankees 2, Rays 1.
Nestor Cortés did not have good stuff on Thursday night. Austin Wells and Juan Soto hit home runs, but the rest of the lineup could not produce. They scored a run in the 9th, and had men on 1st and 3rd, but couldn't finish the job: Rays 5, Yankees 4.
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So the Yankees came north -- well, halfway north -- to play the Baltimore Orioles, with whom they are fighting for the lead in the AL East. Gerrit Cole pitched like an ace on Friday night. The Orioles moved their left-field fence back a couple of years ago, specifically to stop the Yankees. Aaron Judge said, "That's cute," and hit one out. Yankees 4, Orioles 1.
There was a bizarre moment in the bottom of the 9th. With 1 out, Yankee closer Clay Holmes hit Oriole left fielder Heston Kjerstad in the head with the pitch. Holmes is not known as an inside pitcher, let alone a headhunter. And hitting a batter on purpose, anywhere on his body, would have been a very stupid thing to do. There's a 99 percent chance it was an accident.
But when Oriole manager Brandon Hyde went out check on him, he lost his mind. He claimed that men in the Yankee dugout were "chirping" at Kjerstad. He started shoving anyone in a Yankee uniform that he could get to. Both benches emptied. Both bullpens emptied. There were no injuries, but Hyde was thrown out of the game.
A manager has to stand up for your players. I understand that. Certainly, Boone will do that for his players, even if he is no longer naïve enough to think that they're "savages in that box." But Hyde was both a fool and a nut. He was a fool, because there's no way that hitting a batter on purpose in that situation makes sense, and there's no way that "chirping" in that situation makes sense. So if he believes the Yankees were doing either one, then he's a fool.
And he's a nut because he lost his cool where even pretending to lose your cool -- which a manager does more often than you might think -- makes no sense. The Orioles still had a chance to win. He should have done what it took to keep his psycho ass in the game. He didn't.
If I were the owner of the Orioles, I would have fired him before he left the stadium that night. He is not fit to manage a Major League Baseball team, especially one with pretentions to glory, as the O's now legitimately have.
The Saturday afternoon game was very satisfying, especially after the way the Friday night game ended. The Yankees scored 4 runs in the top of the 1st, including a 3-run homer by Austin Wells. That cushion was good for Luis Gil, who made his 3rd straight really good start after a nasty slump. Judge hit his 34th, and Soto hit his 23rd.
Yankees 6, Orioles 1. It was during the late innings of this game that the assassination attempt on Donald Trump took place. There was no break in the game to announce it over the public-address system. Nor did the YES Network Postgame Show. I had to get a call from my mother to find out about it.
The last time there was a Presidential (or sort-of-Presidential) assassination attempt during the baseball season was in 1901, when William McKinley was shot. He died early in the morning on September 14, and that day's games were played as scheduled. Even the next day, a Sunday, when some States still banned professional sports on the day, games were played. The only day on which games were canceled was on the 19th, the day of McKinley's funeral.
So the games went on the rest of Saturday night, and on Sunday. Rodón again did not pitch well. Grisham hit another home run. The Yankees went into the top of the 9th losing, 3-2. But Grisham and Oswaldo Cabrera walked, and Rice hit a home run. It was 5-3 Yankees. It was set up to be the most satisfying win of the year, so far.
And then it became the most aggravating loss of the year, so far. Holmes allowed a single, got a forceout, walked a better, struck one out, walked another batter, and let a run score on a fielder's choice. Cedric Mullins sent a ball out to left field, where Alex Verdugo has been playing great defense all season. He played this ball like he'd never played the outfield before, and let it drop behind him. Ballgame over, Orioles win, 6-5.
*
From March 28 to June 14, the Yankees were 50-22, playing at a 112-50 pace. Then, the annual injury crisis kicked in, and they've since gone 8-18, a 50-112 pace. That can't go on.
When the Yankees score at least 5 runs, they are 43-6. When they don't, they are 15-34. Not having Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Jasson Domínguez available has really hurt. Having Gleyber Torres (mostly) available, but not getting the job done, and having 2 catchers who can't hit, has compounded things. (With Jose Trevino injured, Carlos Narváez, a 25-year-old Venezuelan, will make his major league debut this weekend.)
Without that kind of lineup protection, Alex Verdugo and Anthony Volpe have gone into slumps. Really, it's been just Judge and Soto doing the business. Everybody else has been failing.
The one saving grace for the Yankees is that the Orioles are also in a slump, and thus were unable to pull away.
Here's the latest on the significant players out due to injury, in descending order of believed availability:
* Giancarlo Stanton: Boone has ruled out bringing him back for the 1st post-Break series. He might be back this coming Monday.
* Scott Effross: The pitcher is currently in minor-league rehab. He might return by next weekend.
* Clarke Schmidt: He has resumed throwing. He probably won't be back before August 1.
* Jasson Domínguez: He was mere days away from returning from his last injury when he was stricken with a new one. He may be available by August 1.
* Cody Poteet: Of course, the pitcher meant to take the place of the injured Schmidt gave us a little taste of talent, and then got hurt himself. He may be available by August 1.
* Ian Hamilton: The reliever "has begun a throwing program." Sounds like mid-August.
* Jose Trevino: He's "going to miss some time." Sounds to me like, "Good luck on getting him back before September call-ups."
* Anthony Rizzo: He "continues to be restricted in his recovery," and is "currently limited to activities in the weight room." He might not be back before September call-ups. Given that he is only signed through this season, he may never play for the Yankees again.
* Jonathan Loáisiga: He had Tommy John surgery. Hopefully, see you in 2025.
The Yankees start the 2nd half tomorrow night, home to Tampa Bay. Then, the 2 Bronx games of the Citi Series against the Mets. Then, a tough roadtrip, away to Boston and Philadelphia.
It's time for the Yankees to snap out of it. Any later, and it might be too late.
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