SOUR PICKLES

Source: New York Post

Two words: Sour Pickles.  I could say that and walk away.  But I will go on with something we all know: Sonny Gray just should not be pitching.  Were the Yankees piloting the "opener" role for him?  If so, it was a failed experiment.  Gray gives us no advantage when he takes the hill.  He just makes the Yankees work harder when he's in the game- both offensively and defensively.

 Source: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images North America

It's like the Shel Silverstein poem entitled, Helping: "And some kind of help is the kind of help that helping's all about. And some kind of is the kind of help we can all do without." With Sonny, it is most definitely the latter phrase.  He's nothing more than Sour Pickles.

Source: Elsa/Getty Images North America

“I feel good. My outings may have had gaps in between them but I can do whatever is needed,’’ said Gray, who is 9-8 with a 5.24 ERA in 22 starts and 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in five relief outings. “I feel like I am throwing the ball well and continue to take steps in the right direction," reported the NY Post prior to Gray's start last night.  He couldn't have felt that good.  He went three innings, wasted mound visits (which we eventually ran out of)  and in the meantime gave up four hits, three walks and two earned runs.  He fell apart early, in his Sonny Gray kind of way, after throwing 63 pitches in merely three innings, offering the Yankees nothing once again.

During pre-game interview with Meredith Marakovits, Gray talked repetitively about coming back from adversity and his commitment to being his best. Again, same 'ol, same 'ol- shame on Aaron Boone and company for putting him back out there.  The Yankees have a Wild Card to clinch and home advantage to win.  Oakland won again last night and the Yankees start Sonny Gray who only muddies the waters between the regular season and the post season.  Keep him in the bull pen and use him to eat up innings.  There is no reason to go back to the drawing board with Sonny Gray.

The Yankees have ball games to win.  There is no more time to waste.  Dump Sour Pickles and let's get the right kind of help on the mound.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof