By Tim Kabel
June 12, 2023
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The Yankees wrapped up a three-game series against the Red Sox last night, losing the game and the series. The Yankees are treading water at this point of the season, barely clinging to a wild card spot. They only scored two runs last night and were hurt by a base running blunder and a crucial error.
I realize they are missing their best player as well as other key components of the team but still, they are not playing a very good brand of baseball right now. They look exactly like a team that is barely on the cusp of making the playoffs and if they did, would not be around for very long. They just have not been able to kick it into gear at any point this season. Winning streaks are followed by losing streaks which combine to keep the team in the middle of the pack. The Yankees are like a racehorse that is boxed in and never is able to break free. Nobody ever remembers who finishes in third place in the Kentucky Derby. The Yankees are on the verge of another forgettable season.
Quick Stats -
Clarke Schmidt retired the last 8 batters he faced. The last batter he faced was Jarren Duran, who already had 2 hits. Why was he pulled at that time? As Yul Brynner said in the King and I, “is a puzzlement”.
Last night we saw balls hit second base, a base runner and a replay of the ball that hit John Sterling Saturday night. John was a real trooper in both Saturday's game and the War of 1812. Justin Turner, who hit the ball, signed it for John. John looked more like he had an encounter with Ike Turner instead of Justin Turner.
Josh Donaldson still only has 6 hits this season, 5 home runs and a single. He is the classic all or nothing hitter. Unfortunately, it's a lot more nothing than all.
The Yankees were 2-4 on this homestand. All 4 losses were by one run.
The Red Sox tied their total of road wins against the Yankees from 2022 (in their third game).
The Big Story -
The Yankees cannot afford to play sloppy baseball right now. It's never a good thing but, when they are playing without Aaron Judge, Nestor Cortes, Harrison Bader, and Carlos Rodon, the Yankees have to avoid mistakes more than ever. Last night, Anthony Rizzo was picked off second base and Gleyber Torres made a costly error, which led to a run for the Red Sox. On top of that, they only had three hits all game. They only scored seven runs in the three-game series against the Red Sox. The Yankees are spinning their wheels, which is very frustrating. At this point, they are not an easy team to watch.
Player of the Game -
Clark Schmidt had another solid outing and is developing nicely as a pitcher. I still feel he would be much more effective as a reliever but, he has been holding his own lately as a starter.
Notable Performances -
Jose Trevino drove in two runs, the only two runs the Yankees scored.
Better to Forget-
Gleyber Torres was hitless and made a key error which led to the Red Sox scoring a run.
My Take -
I love nature documentaries. I always have. When I was a kid, I really enjoyed watching Mutual of Omaha 's Wild Kingdom. Some people liked Marlon Brando; I liked Marlin Perkins. I learned a lot about wildlife by watching all those shows. One of the programs that used to fascinate me was the one depicting huge groups of lemmings plunging into the sea. That always made me think.
I always wondered which lemming was the one who decided to jump into the sea, and why did all the other lemmings follow him? Wouldn't you think that there would be a few lemmings who would say “wait a minute, this doesn't seem to be a very good idea”? I mean, you would have to suspect that some of the lemmings might want to go in a different direction. Yet, there was always that footage of the lemmings plunging headlong into the sea. I suspect that very few of the little fellows made it back to shore.
As a Yankees' fan these days, I feel a bit like a lemming. Not the lead lemming, mind you. I'm not the first lemming, nibbling on some grass, who suddenly gets the urge to jump into the ocean and encourages everyone else to follow me. No, I'm more like the 56th lemming in line who just sort of goes with the pack.
Aaron Boone would be the lead lemming. This is his sixth year managing this team. This will be the sixth time that he leads us on a plunge into the ocean. Is it bad form to finally say, "enough is enough"? Instead of the lemming who blows bubbles and appears to be lost most of the time, perhaps we could pick a different lemming to lead us. We might wind up in the ocean anyway, but we know that's where we are going with Boone.
I have voiced my dissatisfaction with Boone repeatedly; it hasn't mattered. We keep expecting a different result, but it never happens. We keep thinking that this is the year we won't run off a cliff and jump into the ocean but once again, we are lining up to do so. Well, this lemming is tiring of swimming, especially since lemmings don't appear to be very good swimmers. Let's follow someone else this year and see where that takes us. I know there are some people who believe the 6th time is a charm, but I'm not so sure.
Next Up -
Tuesday, the Yankees open a two-game series against the Mets at 7:10 PM at Citi Field. Luis Severino (0-1 5.75 ERA) will face the Mets' Max Scherzer (5-2 3.71 ERA). Loyal reader, Fuster has gone out on a limb and predicted that the winning team will be from New York.
