This is bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad with a capital B.
In the Yankees have lost 8 of their last 11 games. Most of these loses have been bad loses too. The starting pitching has been bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad with a capital B.
Bad Starting Pitching – C.C. Sabathia did not make it through the fifth inning. Again. In 4 2/3 innings, Sabathia surrendered 10 hits and walked 3 batters. Yes, that is 13 base runners in less than five innings. He also allowed 6 runs including four in the first inning that basically put the game out of reach right at the start.
In his last three starts, Sabathia is 0-3 in 15 2/3 innings. In those innings, he has allowed 24 hits and 13 runs (12 earned). This isn’t just bad, it’s Bad. Bad with a capital B.
This was the fear with Bringing Sabathia back this year. He cannot give innings. He is fragile. He has been doing it with smoke and mirrors for the last few years. C.C.’s magic was that he was allowing soft contact , but that’s not the case these last few starts. That’s just not the case. C.C. also has a propensity for allowing the long ball. This has been a trend all year. In 2019, already, he has surrendered 15 gopher balls. That’s Bad. Real bad. But on the 2019, Yankees it’s not the worst on the staff because…
J.A. Happ has allowed 17 homeruns. That’s bad with a capital B.
When it comes to homeruns allowed, the Yankees pitching staff has allowed the fifth most in the American League. After last night, the Yankees have allowed 100 homeruns this year. 100. Yeah…. Bad.
Somehow – Somehow, the Yankees, even with this recent slide over their last 11 games, are still just a half-game out of first place. That great streak they went on, winning nine consecutive series, has given them a bit of a cushion to sustain this down period. This is one reason why teams need to get out to the gate and win from the start of the season. Because of that hot period, the Yankees have been able to not crumble during this period.
Depth – The concern with the Yankees’ pitching is that the depth is not there. The starting pitchers have not been very good. During this eleven game slide, they’ve been downright Bad. But, the hope is that this is just a down period. All teams go through slumps and slides. The big question is can they right the ship? I would feel a whole lot more confident in the team if I saw a sense of urgency from the front office and/or ownership. It has been clear for weeks, even during the hot streak, that the Yankees starting staff was an area of concern. It’s actually been that way for years. Years. Years and years and years. And yet, time after time, whether it be Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, Dallas Keuchel, and others, the Yankees pass on the pitching that is available. All fans can do in these situations is say, “They must know that they are doing. They are the experts.” But it seems that they don’t necessarily know…or the results haven’t indicated that they know. Many of the pitchers that the Yankees have let pass have pitched very well for their opponents. This has happened time and time again. When the Yankees, the richest team in the sport, passes on pitcher after pitcher, and cites salary as the reason, it seems to indicate that the Yankees care more about saving the owner’s money than building the best possible team. It just does.
Last Night – The Yankees got a first inning homer from Luke Voit.
From there it went downhill. The White Sox scored four runs in the bottom of the first. They got one more in the second. After two innings, the Sox led 5-1. For all intents and purposes, the game was over at that point.
Stop It – I don’t know. I don’t have the stats and I don’t even know where to find the stats. And, I’m not sure if the stats back up my perceptions, but, after Voit’s homer, in his next at bat, he was pitched high and tight.
Voit didnt enjoy getting buzzed after the home run. #cmonbro pic.twitter.com/uwoMywaV0T — Jomboy (@Jomboy_) June 15, 2019
It seems like this happens a lot to the Yankees. Maybe it’s just selective perception, but it seems the Yankees’ batters get thrown at more than other teams – or at least more than the Yankees throw at other teams. The last thing the Yankees need is another injured player. Throwing inside just isn’t cool. It’s Bad. It’s bad with a capital B.
Big Bats – It seems that Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are coming back soon. Stanton, for one, is hitting bombs…
Giancarlo Stanton just hit a ball that hasn’t landed yet. Absolutely demolished. pic.twitter.com/FG3NH5agEa — David Mendelsohn (@BigBabyDavid_) June 15, 2019
Tonight – Chad Green becomes an opener again (do you think the Yankees need starting pitching?) as the Yankees battle the White Sox at 7:10 p.m.
Today on the Blog – As we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the movie Field of Dreams, we’ll bring back some old favorite posts and share a brand new one!
