Yankees Blow It In Flushing

Would you rather watch a classic game, and see your team lose? Or watch a lousy game, and see your team win? I'm a Yankee Fan: I'll take the win, any way I can get it.

I guess Brian Cashman isn't a Yankee Fan, because he doesn't seem to get that what he's doing isn't "any way to get a win."

Coming off a great game in the 9/11 anniversary tribute contest on Saturday night, the Yankees tried to take the rubber match of the Interleague Citi Series (it's not a Subway Series unless it's a World Series) against the Mets at Citi Field. But the Yankees usually don't do well when the game is on ESPN. Their last game on ESPN was the Field of Dreams Game in Iowa, and they lost that one.

Rookie Clarke Schmidt was given the starting assignment. Before the series began, "manager" Aaron Boone said it was down to him or the newly-acquired, but awful-pitching, Andrew Heaney. Finally, he decided to use both, with Heaney relieving Schmidt at some point.

"Some point" came in the 5th inning, as Schmidt had allowed 5 runs -- but only 2 of them earned, since Gleyber Torres made an error in the 2nd inning, which led to the 1st of 3 home runs by Francisco Lindor. Until this game, Lindor had been a massive bust, and Met fans were ripping him every which way. Now, having hit 3 homers in 1 game against the Yankees, he's a beloved Met legend forever.

That 1st homer, after the Torres error that once again proved that he doesn't belong at shortstop, turned a 2-1 Yankee lead into a 4-2 Met lead. It got to 5-2 in the 5th, as Heaney came in and allowed a sacrifice fly, with the run charged to Schmidt. But Heaney got out of it with no further damage.

Speaking of the 5th inning: That's when Aaron Judge left the game, with dizziness. We can only hope it's a momentary thing, and that he'll be all right. But now, Brett Gardner was playing center field. Worse, he was batting 3rd.

Joey Gallo walked in the 6th, and Torres tried to redeem himself with a home run. But Lindor's 2nd homer made it 6-4 Mets. Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run in the 7th, to tie it at 6-6, and jawed at Lindor as he passed him around the bases. The benches cleared, but there would be no fight.

But Lindor turned into another Jose Altuve. No, I don't mean he cheated -- that I know of. I mean, the Yankees called him out for whatever it was they were calling him out for, and he responded by hitting one out, off Chad Green, who really should never pitch for the Yankees again.

With 1 out in the 9th, DJ LeMahieu singled, and Anthony Rizzo drew a walk. The Yankees were set up well. But Gardner struck out, and Stanton popped up to end it. Mets 7, Yankees 6. WP: Seth Lugo (4-2). SV: Edwin Diaz (29). LP: Green (7-7). The Yankees lost 4 out of 6 to The Other Team and their idiot fans this season.

There are 19 games left: A home makeup this afternoon against Minnesota, 3 in Baltimore, 3 at home to Cleveland, 3 at home to Texas, 3 in Boston, 3 in Toronto, and 3 at home to Tampa Bay, a series which once looked like it would decide the AL East race.

That's a laugh. The Yankees will be lucky to make the Playoffs now.

The Fruits of the Yankees' Labor: The Season Is Lost

It's Labor Day, and the Yankees' season is over.

"What?" you say. "Didn't they just have a 13-game winning streak?" Yes. Since then, they are 2-6. And they just lost a series, at home, to the Baltimore Orioles, the team with the worst record in baseball.

They lost 2 out of 3. They deserved to lose them all.

Nelson Cortes started on Friday night, and pitched pretty well for 5 innings. He took a 2-0 lead into the 6th, thanks to a Giancarlo Stanton home run. But Jonathan Loaisiga blew it, and the game went into extra innings. As it turned out, Loaisiga was hurt, and was placed on the 10-Day Injured List.

Thanks to the Ghost Runner Rule, both teams scored in the 10th. The Orioles didn't score in the top of the 11th. Stanton led off the bottom of the 11th with a single that scored Aaron Judge. Yankees 4, Orioles 3. WP: Clay Holmes (6-2). No save. LP: Dillon Tate (0-6).

*

Jordan Montgomery started the Saturday afternoon game, and, again, the Yankees didn't support him. He was down 1-0 when he left the game in the 5th, and Holmes got out of the jam.

Judge reached on an error in the 1st. Kyle Higashioka drew a walk in the 2nd. Higashioka and Tyler Wade both drew walks in the 5th. Over the 1st 6 innings, those were the only Yankee baserunners. Chris Ellis for 5 innings, and Tanner Scott in the 6th, were pitching a no-hitter against the Yankees. It got worse in the 7th. Wandy Peralta had nothing, and it became 3-0 Orioles.

It looked like the Yanks might break the game open in the bottom of the 7th. It began when Anthony Rizzo reached on an error. Brett Gardner drew a walk. Scott was relieved by Marcos Diplan. Gary Sanchez nearly hit one out, but it was caught. Gleyber Torres hit a grounder in the hole, and Oriole shortstop Jorge Mateo couldn't make a play. Rizzo scored, and Torres was awarded a hit on the play, breaking up the gem. But Luke Voit grounded into a double play to end it.

DJ LeMahieu led off the bottom of the 8th with a single. And Joey Gallo, who had really been struggling, crushed one to tie the game. But in the 9th, Cliche Alert: Aroldis gotta Aroldis. Despite it being a tie game, Aaron Boone -- perhaps, on Brian Cashman's orders -- sent Aroldis Chapman in to pitch. Result: Strikeout but wild pitch so the batter reached, single, walk to load the bases, strikeout, sacrifice fly, strikeout. The Yankees went down quietly in the bottom of the 9th.

Orioles 4, Yankees 3. WP: Cole Sulser (4-3). No save. LP: Chapman (5-4).

*

Yesterday's game was an abomination, and Chapman had nothing to do with it. For the 2nd time since coming off the Injured List, Corey Kluber started. For the 2nd time, he was fine for 3 innings, and then couldn't get out of the 4th. Joely Rodriguez had to bail him out.

It was 5-2 Yankees going into the top of the 6th, thanks to a grand slam by Sanchez. But Albert Abreu had nothing, and the O's closed to within 5-4. Torres led off the bottom of the 6th with a hit, and Sanchez hit his 2nd home run of the game. It was 7-4 Yankees.

Then Boone -- or Cashman -- had Andrew Heaney pitch the 7th with a 3-run lead. Heaney couldn't hold it. Peter Clemenza didn't make this many meatballs in The Godfather. Here's the sequence: Hit by pitch, single, single, double, popup, single. Peralta came in, and allowed another single before getting the last 2 outs. 8-7 Orioles.

The Yankees got men on 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the 7th, and a man on 1st with 2 out in the 8th, but no one scored, and they went down quietly in the 9th. Orioles 8, Yankees 7. WP: Diplan (1-0). SV: Tyler Wells (1). LP: Heaney (8-9).

*

Here is the Yankees' remaining schedule: 4 at home to Toronto including today's Labor Day matinee, 3 away to the Mets, a home makeup with Minnesota, 3 in Baltimore, 3 at home to Cleveland, 3 at home to Texas, 3 in Boston, 3 in Toronto, and closing with 3 at home to Tampa Bay. That last series looked, not that long ago, like it might decide the Division title.

In order for that to happen now, the Yankees would have to get serious again: Take 3 out of 4 against Toronto, sweep the freakin' Mets, win the makeup with Minnesota, treat Camden Yards like their personal vacation and sweep the 3 there, take 2 out of 3 against Cleveland, treat Texas like the lousy team they are and sweep, take 2 out of 3 in Boston, and take 2 out of 3 in Toronto. That would be a stretch of 19-4... and the Rays would still have to do no better than 14-8 for the Yankees to even have a chance at taking the East with a sweep at the end.

With 26 games to go, the Yankees are 7 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division. The Rays' Magic Number to clinch is 19.

The Yankees currently lead the AL Wild Card race. But history shows that the Yankees can't win the Pennant unless they win the Division. They won Wild Card berths in 1995, 1997, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020. On none of those 8 occasions did they win the AL Championship Series. Only in 2010 and 2017 did they even get to it.

Why bring Kluber back so soon, instead of giving him more minor-league rehab starts? Why overuse Loaisiga, so that he misses time in September? Why continue to put Torres' struggling bat and awful glove at shortstop? Why trust Chapman as the closer? Why use Heaney at all?

This will be the 12th straight season, and the 18th in the last 19, that the Yankees don't win the Pennant. On this Labor Day, that is the fruit of the Yankees' labor -- including the labor of Brian Cashman.

The season is lost.

Sox Swept, Message Sent, Yankees Back

Not that long ago, the Yankees were 41-41, and had little chance of making the Playoffs.

Now, the Yankees are 69-52. I'll do the math for you: They've won 27 of their last 38. They have a new energy, are showing character, are getting healthier, and are winning games they would have lost in the 1st half of the season.

If the current standings hold to the end of the season, the Yankees would host the American League Wild Card game. The Boston Red Sox would miss the Playoffs completely. And the Yankees do now have a serious shot at winning the AL Eastern Division.

Last night was the finale of a 3-game series against the hated Red Sox. Andrew Heaney started, and little was expected of the man who started the Field of Dreams Game last week.

Surprise: After giving up a home run to Xander Bogaerts in the 1st inning, making us think, "Oy vey, here we go again," Heaney settled down, pitched 7 innings, allowing no further runs, only 1 other hit, 2 walks, striking out 4. I couldn't believe it. None of us could.

A performance like that deserves lots of run support. Giancarlo Stanton led off the bottom of the 2nd with a single. Rougned Odor drew a walk. Gary Sanchez singled to load the load the bases with nobody out. Brett Gardner hit a sacrifice fly to score Stanton and tie the game. Andrew Velazquez, the recently-acquired Bronx native, singled Odor home. DJ LeMahieu grounded out, but Anthony Rizzo, returning from the COVID list, singled home Sanchez and Velazquez.

The game remained 4-1 Yankees into the bottom of the 8th, after Zack Britton  pitched a perfect top of the 8th. But Aroldis Chapman couldn't close it: He got the 1st 2 outs in the 9th, but allowed a home run to Hunter Renfroe, a walk to Bogaerts and a single to  J.D. Martinez. Aaron Boone brought Lucas Luetge in, and I was sure it was over.

It was, the other way: Luetge pitched to one batter, Kevin Plawecki. He hit the ball in the hole, and Velazquez had to make a tough play and a tough throw, but he made them.

Yankees 5, Red Sox 2. WP: Heaney (8-8). SV: Luetge (1). LP: Nick Pivetta (9-6). A sweep of The Scum. The message was sent: The Yankees no longer have reason to be afraid of these bastards.

There was an echo of 1978, with the Boston Massacre series at Fenway Park, although it happened in August, which also gave us an echo of the 5-game sweep at Fenway in 2006. The season has completely turned around, and I love it.

The Minnesota Twins now come in for 4 games. Let's keep it going, and go after those Tampa Bay Rays. Come on you Pinstripes!

Field of Disasters

Shoeless Joe Jackson (played by Ray Liotta): "Hey! Is this Heaven?"

Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner): "No, it's Iowa!"

-- Field of Dreams

Major League Baseball, as an overseeing organization, does few things well. But it got last night's Field of Dreams Game right. It managed to be sentimental without being maudlin. It was a great moment for the sport, and it was a great game.

But the result, oy vey.

Fitting in with the film's subject matter, including the 1919 Chicago White Sox and their scandal, the Yankees and the current White Sox wore copies of their 1919 uniforms -- with Nike swooshes added.

Yankee starter Andrew Heaney didn't have it, allowing 7 runs in his 5 innings. Lance Lynn, a former Yankee, could have pitched in place of Heaney last night, but Brian Cashman let him go. Aaron Judge turned a 1-0 Chicago White Sox lead into a 3-1 Yankee lead with a home run in the top of the 3rd inning. But the ChiSox took the lead right back in the bottom of the 3rd. It was 7-3 after 4 innings.

Brett Gardner led off the top of the 6th with a home run. It stayed 7-4 Pale Hose going into the 9th inning. Tyler Wade led off with a single, but DJ LeMahieu and Gardner struck out. The Yankees looked finished. But Judge hit another home run to make it 7-6. There was hope. Joey Gallo drew a walk, and Giancarlo Stanton sent a long drive into the cornfield. 8-7 Yankees!

So now Zack Britton, the closer since Aroldis Chapman is on the Injured List, had to get 3 outs without allowing a run. He got the 1st. But then, Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you. Britton walked Seby Zavala. That brought Tim Anderson to the plate as the winning run, and he hit one out.

White Sox 9, Yankees 8. WP: Liam Hendriks (7-2). No save. LP: Britton (0-1).

The teams have today off -- the 3rd Friday off for the Yankees this season, the 2nd not counting the day after Opening Day. That is rare. They play again tomorrow and Sunday in Chicago.

After a Bad Game, Yanks Roast Birds Twice

The Yankees returned home from the COVID hotspot of Florida what appeared to be an injury and illness crisis. At least they were facing a team that seemed to be easy to beat, the Baltimore Orioles. But the 1st game of the series, on Monday night, did not look like what the doctor ordered.

Andrew Heaney, newly acquired from the Los Angeles Angels, made his Yankee debut. He got through the 1st 2 innings without any runs, but allowed 2 in the 3rd and 2 more  in the 4th, and that would be it for him. Clearly, if he's going to be part of the solution to the Yankees pitching problems, he didn't prove it that night.

Jorge Lopez started the game for the Orioles, with a 2-12 record and an ERA over 6. Result? The Yankees only got 3 hits all game long. And their only run was scored without the benefit of a hit, in the bottom of the 5th, on 2 walks, a groundout, and a sacrifice fly by, you may have guessed, highly popular new acquisition Anthony Rizzo.

Orioles 7, Yankees 1. WP: Lopez (3-12). No save. LP: Heaney (6-8). All the optimism for  having taken 5 out of 6 in Florida was gone.

*

So what the Yankees really needed the next 2 nights was a couple of blowouts.

For the Tuesday night game, the Yankees did something they hadn't done since September 26, 1950: They sent out 3 pitchers making their Major League debuts. That day, it was Lew Burdette, Dave Madison and Ernie Nevel. Nevel never amounted to anything, and Burdette and Madison only did so after being traded. The Yankees lost to the Washington Senators, 11-8, because starter Tommy Byrne got shelled. In that case, it didn't matter, because the Yankees had already clinched the Pennant.

But for this game, the starter was Luis Gil (pronounced like "heel"), a 23-year-old Dominican righthander. Most fans were not optimistic.

Surprise: Gil went 6 innings, allowing no runs on 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6. No one had the right to ask for a better major league debut than that.

The 2nd debutant was Stephen Ridings, a righthander from Long Island about to turn 26. He allowed a double, but otherwise struck out the side. The last 2 innings were pitched by Brody Koerner, a 27-year old righthander from Virginia. He allowed a run in the 8th, but got through the 9th without any more.

A pitching performance like that deserve to be backed up by a lot of runs. It was. The Yanks got 1 run in the 2nd inning, 5 in the 3rd, 3 in the 4th including a home run by Giancarlo Stanton, and 4 more in the 8th including a home run by Aaron Judge. Every Yankee in the lineup except newcomer Joey Gallo got a hit.

Yankees 13, Orioles 1. WP: Gil (1-0). No save. LP: Alexander Wells (1-2).

*

Last night, the Yankees sent out the man intended as their 5th starter, but now the only starter they've got who isn't either injured or dealing with COVID-related issues, Jameson Taillon. He pitched into the 7th inning, allowing 3 runs, 2 of them earned, 4 hits, just 1 walk, and striking out 10. The problem is, the Yankees just haven't been hitting for him, and so he did not end up as the winning pitcher.

It didn't help that Baltimore was getting good pitching from former Met idol Matt Harvey, whom the Flushing Heathen had nicknamed "The Dark Knight," because he reminded them of Batman for reasons that made sense only to them. 

It was 3-0 Orioles going to the bottom of the 4th. Rizzo then hit a 2-run homer off Harvey, and the Yankees tied it in the 5th. Then they got 5 runs in the 7th and 2 more in the 8th. 

This included an RBI single by Rizzo, who thus became the 1st Yankee ever to have at least one RBI in each of his 1st 6 games with the team. That's in the entire history of the franchise. No, Ruth didn't do it, nor did Gehrig DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra, Maris, Jackson, Winfield, Jeter or A-Rod. Certainly, not Donnie Regular Season Baseball.

The last Oriole pitcher was Dusten Knight. Somebody on Twitter noted that the O's started with Matt Harvey and ended with D. Knight. For all the good that did.

Yankees 10, Orioles 3. WP: Jonathan Loáisiga (8-4). No save. LP: Cole Sulser (3-2).

So the Yankees outscored the Orioles 24-11, which makes it look like they roasted the Birds. But they only took 2 out of 3.

*

Nevertheless, the situation is improving. The Yankees now trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 6 games, 5 in the loss column, for the American League Eastern Division lead. The Boston Red Sox are 1 game behind the Rays. For the 2nd AL Wild card slot, the Yankees trail the Oakland Athletics by 2 games, 1 in the loss column.

Tonight, the Yankees begin a four-game home series with the Seattle Mariners. Unfortunately, between the injuries and the COVID recovery, here are the starting pitching matchups as they are currently projected:

* Tonight, 7:05: Nestor Cortes vs. Tyler Anderson.

* Tomorrow, 7:05: Undecided vs. Marco Gonzales. Yes, Undecided. This is not just a Major League Baseball team, this is the New York Yankees.

* Saturday, 1:05: Andrew Heaney vs. Chris Flexen.

* Sunday, 1:05: Luis Gil vs. Yusei Kikuchi.

Yeah. Another damning count in the indictment of Brian Cashman. If the Yankees can survive this with no worse than a split, I'll take it.

All 4 games will be on YES.