THE YANKEES WAR ON BASEBALL

Source: The New York Times

With every war, there is intel, logistics, a plan and unfortunately, wounded.  And for the Yankees April and now May feels like a war.  We have tanks like Luke Voit and Gary Sanchez engaged in all out bat combat, we have jeeps warring through the infield terrain like Gio Urshela and Gleyber Torres and we have an outfield that is trying to keep launched baseballs in front of them and away from the fences.  Yep, folks, the Yankees are in an all out war on baseball and right now, baseball is winning.

Source: Yahoo Sports

Falling to the Twins and tying the series at one, the Yankees seemed lifeless yesterday at the stadium, despite their desire to conjure up the force on Saturday's May the Fourth Be With You Day.

"Every time the Yankees clawed their way forward, however, the Twins pushed them back in the hole. Minnesota added runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, the last coming on a long solo shot by Nelson Cruz to effectively put the game away. Gary Sanchez made things interesting by launching another monster shot to left to start the eighth inning," reported SB Nation.

Source: SNY 

Luke Voit lost his 42-game on-base streak yesterday as well, adding to the Yankee loss column.  Despite having Miguel Andujar and DJ LeMahieu back in the lineup, the Yankees have lost their de facto ace James Paxton to knee inflammation.  The Yankee pitcher will be shut down for 7-10 days after receiving a cortisone shot and allowing time for the knee time to heal.  But that means another hole to fill in the starting rotation, one that has been the glue for the Yankees but certainly has been taxed this season.

Source: MLB.com

With Paxton's exit to the IL, the Yankees wasted no time making adjustments and Ubering Jake Barrett who has been considered a pitcher's version of a utility player and now a part of the Yankee clubhouse.  "Barrett, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates in early April, and is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 16 strikeouts in eight appearances with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. After showing flashes for the Arizona Diamondbacks as a rookie in 2016, the right-hander has tailed off and turned into a semi-journeyman. He adds insurance to the back end of the bullpen for now, as the Yankees weigh their options to replace Paxton the next turn in the rotation," reported the NY Post.  He gave up one hit yesterday shorty after his call up- a solo home run to Twins slugger Nelson Cruz, sigh.

As their war on baseball continues, the Yankees will likely shift Jonathan Loáisiga into Paxton's rotation slot and 5-1 Domingo German will pitch later today in the Yankees' rubber game against the Twins at 4:05 p.m.  Bringing in more ammunition while trying to hold their own, the Yankees continue to use strategy and will power to win ball games.

Since the loss of their big guns in Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees have had to rely on more situational hitting, small ball and the almighty bunt.  It's been a magic formula but now that the game is starting to impact their starting rotation more severely, the Yankees may need to make more shifts, potentially to offset guys down.  This could include an opener strategy lead by someone like Tommy Kahnle or even Chad Green, who is expected back in the Bronx soon.  But let's not get ahead of ourselves.  The Yankees war is right now against the Twins and let's hope we can win this battle and then bring on the next opponent, the Seattle Mariners on Monday.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof