by Tim Kabel
September 3, 2022
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Where’s Oswaldo? On the bench. Where’s Oswald? On the bench. That’s okay. Aaron Hicks, Isiah Kiner- Falefa, Josh Donaldson, and Gleyber Torres were in the lineup. Oswaldo Cabrera did come into the game after Andrew Benintendi was injured but, he started the game on the bench. I realize that Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza are rookies but, the team has been abysmal since the All-Star break. What is the point of having Hicks, Torres, Donaldson and Kiner-Falefa all in the lineup? Last Saturday, Cabrera had the Yankees’ only hit in their 11-inning loss to Oakland. He had two three-hit games last week. Can you imagine Hicks, Donaldson, and Torres doing that? Since the All-Star break, Aaron Judge has 18 home runs. Everyone else on the team has 30, combined. You don’t know what the rookies will do but, you have a pretty good idea what the other guys will do; not much. At this point, why not shake things up and let them both play?
Marwin Gonzalez just came back from paternity leave. Josh Donaldson is about to go on paternity leave. Anthony Rizzo will miss this series because he had an epidural. I feel like I'm writing a report about a maternity ward instead of a baseball team.
Quick Stats:
Entering last night’s game, the Yankees were 8-5 against the Rays this season. They will play the Rays six times in ten games, including last night.
The Yankees were 10-18 in August, which was the worst record in the Major Leagues, and the Yankees’ worst month since 1991.
Oswald Peraza is the first Yankee ever to be born in the year 2000.
Going into this series, the Yankees led the second-place Rays by 5 games in the loss column. At one point, they were in first place by 15.5 games.
Gleyber Torres has the worst OPS in the league since the trade deadline.
The Yankees have lost 21 one-run games this year and are 6-14 in their last twenty one-run games.
The Big Story:
The Yankees had a day off on Thursday before starting what is now a crucial three-game series against the second-place Rays. It was important for the Yankees to send a message in this series. They needed to stop the bleeding and start to turn things in the right direction. If they were able to take two of three or even sweep this series, they could push the Rays further back and give themselves some breathing room. Instead, this first game was an unqualified disaster. It seemed close for a while, but with the way the Yankees hit, it really wasn't that close at all.
Being behind by one run is now a tremendous deficit. Domingo German pitched well enough but, the offense was pathetic and lifeless. The fielding was atrocious, other than Cabrera's tremendous throw from the outfield and Trevino's excellent tag at the plate in the fourth inning. The Yankees are fading fast and are playing without confidence, heart, or effort. This was an embarrassment, and it was the Yankees’ most lopsided loss of the season. The loss was compounded by Andrew Benintendi leaving the game in the third inning with a wrist injury. He will have an MRI.
Player of the Game:
Domingo German pitched a solid game and put the team in a position to win.
Notable Performances:
Oswaldo Cabrera and Jose Trevino combined to get Harold Ramirez out at home.
Better to Forget:
That I had to watch this mess. I could have spent valuable time organizing my sock drawer or doing anything other than watching this game. That was three and a half hours of my life that I cannot get back.
My Take:
I love to read but, I also enjoy movies. I feel like Howard Beale in Network. I'm about to run to my window, throw it open and scream, “I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.” All Yankees’ fans should do that at this point. This is an epic collapse in the making. For the first half of the season, this team was practically unbeatable. Now, they can (and do) lose to everybody. Even if the Yankees win the division, do you have any confidence this team will go far in the playoffs.? I don't think it is possible to believe in them.
Last year was very disappointing because the Yankees did not live up to the expectations that many of us had for them. They barely made the playoffs and were eliminated instantly. Earlier this season, they seemed as if they would win the World Series without losing a post-season game. Now, I would be surprised if they won a postseason game.
The Yankees have had injuries but, a lot of teams have them. The Rays have been decimated by injuries. The Yankees’ offense is lackluster. Gleyber Torres has disappeared as a hitter. For the first half of the season, he seemed as if he was going to be close to the player he was in 2018 and 2019. Now, he is one of the worst offensive players in the league since the All-Star break. Josh Donaldson reminds me of an old boxer who can't connect on a punch anymore. He is unable to deliver anything close to his old level of performance. DJ LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo have been hurt and their performances have suffered. Hopefully Andrew Benintendi’s injury is not serious because he was hitting the way the Yankees hoped he would when they made the trade for him. Aaron Hicks and Marwin Gonzalez are clogging up roster spots that could go to younger, better players.
I wrote a lengthy article last week, detailing why Aaron Boone should be fired. My opinion hasn't changed. I don't imagine the Yankees will fire him during the season but, unless they make a tremendous turn around and have a dramatic run in the playoffs, I cannot see him coming back next year.
At this point, other teams are lining up to play the Yankees. Earlier this year, they intimidated other teams. Now the Yankees are as intimidating as little old man who used to be on The Benny Hill Show. Other teams are slapping them on the top of the head and chasing them around. Watching this team is like standing on the side of a highway and watching a 15-car pileup in icy conditions. There is absolutely nothing you can do about it, and it seems as if it's only going to get worse. All we can do is watch what happens and hope that somehow the team straightens itself out. But we should also be realistic and accept the fact that It's probably not going to happen.
Next Up -
Tonight, the Yankees continue the three-game series against the Rays in Tampa Bay at 6:10 PM. Tampa’s Corey Kluber (9-7 4.21 ERA) will face Clarke Schmidt (5-3 2.89 ERA).
