Poor Pitching and Poor Hitting

The Mets beat the Yankees 7-4 yesterday afternoon and there weren't many positives to take away from the game.

Andy Pettitte started out sharp, getting 5 strike outs and a pick off in his first two innings. In the fourth inning, the wheels were coming off and Pettitte began giving up runs. He later settled down in the fifth a bit, but did hit a batter.

Later in the game Farnsworth came in and looked like the Farns of old, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits in one inning. I was trying to stay up on Kyle when it seemed he had turned a corner, but I think the book on him is closed. He'll pitch a few gems and look good, then at other times he'll get hit hard for quite a few runs. There's no way you can go to this guy in a close game. No way. A lot of teams out there need help in the bullpen, Farnsworth might be of some value in a trade.

The Yankees just cant hit. I know Posada and Rodriguez are big parts of the offense, but the rest of the guys are expected to perform a lot better than they currently are. I think the Steinbrenners and Giardi have been remarkably patient and calm throughout all of this. If it were me, I'd be reading the team the riot act.

Giambi and Cano are still struggling. Better lately, but still struggling. Ensberg and Duncan had a few good hits early on but are starting to settle down into poor hitters with a little power. Jeter and Matsui are the only offense the Yankees have. I can't hold replacement players Gonzalez and Moeller to too high of a standard and think they've done reasonably well. Johnny Damon has produced, but you'd like to see him doing even better. Melky Cabrera also seems to be delivering the goods mostly.

This team isn't going anywhere this year. Only being 5 games out of first, they're definitely still in the mix and have a very real chance of winning the division if they turn things around, but I don't see it happening. I think at this point the Yankees need to start focusing on next year. Start working on Kennedy and Hughes and settling them in, seeing if they really can handle the big leagues. Get Joba into the rotation now. If he reaches his innings limit by September, fine, the Yankees aren't going to be in the race by September.

If moves need to be made, get rid of over-paid, aged veterans who aren't producing, like Giambi. Get rid of someone like Cano, who has potential but doesn't look like he's going to find it again in NY. Get rid of guys who are afraid of the walls at Yankee stadium like Abreu. The Yankees have a decent bullpen with a few arms to spare and could easily trade Farnsworth or Hawkins.

A few veteran utility backups and young bats could also find a home somewhere else. Betemit needs to be dealt or cut. Ensberg and Duncan aren't ever going to be much more than they are now. Duncan seems like a great, fun guy, but he's not going to start hitting like Paul O'Neill anytime soon. I'd rather keep him than Giambi, but if the right trade offer came my way for Duncan, I'd take it.