The Yanks have lost the first two games to the Red Sox in heartbreaking fashion. Mariano Rivera blew a save and the next night Burnett blows a 6-0 lead. Despite all the horrific losses, the Yankees are still in a decent position considering they’ve been without Alex Rodriguez. The injuries are piling up and could be a problem soon.
The bullpen just plain stinks right now. Mariano Rivera does not have his good stuff right now. He has given up quite a few hits and has been lucky to get out of as many jams as he has. Mo got off to a similar start 2 years ago before settling down for one of his best seasons ever, but watching him get worked over still makes me cringe a bit.
The rest of the pen is even worse. Bruney was the one bright spot and he’s out with an injury. Everyone else has their good days and their terrible days. There are no go-to guys in the pen right now.
Joe Girardi doesn’t keep a long reliever around, and likes to over manage the pen and so the carousel of relievers continues to go round and round and the players just look wearier by the day.
Offensively we’re seeing the same thing as last year – poor clutch hitting with little to no success with RISP. A few scattered home runs here or there but very little in the way of “production” when it comes to runs. The number of players LOB is too high for my liking as well.
Injuries are going to kill the Yankees soon. Chien Ming Wang isn’t 100% and doesn’t have his stuff (OK, calling this an injury is a stretch). The Bronx Bombers will definitely miss his usually consistent arm. Bruney is the biggest loss currently, as he’s the only reliever able to get outs on a regular basis. Ransom’s injury was a blessing in disguise as his offense was horrendous and his defense wasn’t up to par either. I’d much rather see Berroa and Pena get a shot at some regular playtime until A-Rod is back.
Center field is currently a bust as well. Brett Gardner just can’t get on base enough to justify a starting spot with the Yankees. He’s a great bench player, pinch runner sort of guy, but not a starting CF. Melky has come alive a bit lately but I don’t really think he’s the answer either. Currently, I’d start Melky over Gardner, but look seriously at making a trade or bringing up Jackson.
The Yankees have quite a few prospects who don’t really fit in to the overall plan of the club right now. If the right offer came along for a reliever or center fielder, I wouldn’t be suprised to see the Yankes pull the trigger.
Lastly, I’d fire Girardi without hesitation today. Objectively speaking though, I think he’s on the hot seat right now. The question will be, how patient will new management be? Will they let Joe finish out the year or are they willing to make a statement and let him go early?
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