YANKEES, BOMBS AND SPEED BEATS ANY COMBINED NO HITTER!

The Yankees have been working hard and getting into a groove and it's showing.  Last night the 12-2 win was big, and it came down the teamwork and bombs.  It's fun to watch, I gotta tell ya!

The New York Post writes:

"They blasted four more homers in a 12-2 rain-shortened, eight-inning victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium to win for the seventh straight game and ninth in their last 10.

And they scored double-digit runs for the fourth time in five games.

Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton got the offense going with a pair of homers in the first and Aaron Judge helped seal the victory with a three-run blast in the seventh.

The home runs gave the Yankees 18 in their last seven games, a stark turnaround for an offense that homered just twice in their seven games prior to this stretch. "

Rizzo has been on fire. Just a monster. Who was it that said "Well, we may not have gotten Freddie Freeman, but home run hitter Anthony Rizzo is no slouch!" Oh yea... it was me. 

Rizzo is doing everything right. Gotta love that.

And let's talk about speed. Is Tim Locastro the fastest man on earth? I mean this guy is the most dedicated, hungry, quick player you can ever want? He plays hard, and guess what... he will be a game changer for this team in 2022! Watch this:

Tim Locastro might be the fastest person on planet earth pic.twitter.com/K0x7xMYNcy

— Gabe (@PlayoffTanaka_) April 28, 2022

Look... things are happening, and I hope they can continue for the Yankees.  I'd take this every day rather than watching the Mets throw out 8 guys to get a combined no-hitter.

I mean, it's great, good for them... BUT IT'S A COMBINED NO HITTER. What's next, are they going to give little participation trophies to everyone on the team for just showing up too?

The reason why we typically celebrate no-hitters is because it's usually one pitcher, a starter, pitching his heart out, usually with high pitch count, usually exhausted but doing his best to win the game. It's emotional, heroic and powerful to watch because it's ONE GUY!  

A combined no hitter is just feeding the beast continually getting fresh arms on the mound to beat the other team. It's QUITE DIFFERENT.

Everybody calm down. 

Go Yanks!

BOZO MANFRED PUNISHES BAUER EVEN THOUGH THERE'S ZERO CHARGES AGAINST HIM

Bauer was never arrested or charged for anything relating to this case. So, I conclude that Rob Manfred is bad for baseball and the players that play it. And it's crystal clear to me that he doesn't like Trevor Bauer either. It's personal. You want to know how I know? Because again... there was never a charge in the case against Trevor Bauer.  In fact, no charges were EVER filed against Trevor Bauer.  As Yahoo Sports writes:

"...the woman filed for a temporary ex parte restraining order against him. The allegations include Bauer choking the woman to unconsciousness, performing anal sex on her while she was unconscious and repeatedly punching her in the head. That restraining order was lifted after a judge denied a permanent order, saying she found no evidence that Bauer was likely to cause future harm or have contact with the woman. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office also declined to press charges, citing insufficient evidence."

I want you to let that soak in. "The restraining order was dropped", "declined to press charges", "insufficient evidence". 

All of that was in the legal realm.  Not in Major League Baseball.  And so, because of what the ACCUSATION was, Trevor Bauer was put on leave.  OK. Fair. But when all these things pop up in the legal realm, what investigation is the MLB doing to conclude otherwise?

Example. If there's a man making threats to a woman on Twitter, what Twitter does is reach out to the authorities. They get it on record if the threats are severe enough. And then if something happened and an investigation finds there is something very series, they will formally charge the person. But Twitter doesn't do that. All Twitter does is hand it over to the authorities. And so back to my point about Trevor, this woman and the law.  This was in the courts, and nothing came of it.  What investigation is MLB doing to debunk real life? It makes no sense.

Don't know what I mean?  Read this shit:

"Major League Baseball has suspended Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer for 324 games — two full seasons — under its domestic violence and sexual assault policy.

Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the suspension Friday, nearly 10 months after a California woman said two sexual encounters in April and May 2021 turned violent without her consent."

Now call me confused, but this sounds like a she said, he said. Where is the proof and what kind of policy does MLB really have that any woman or man can just claim violence by an MLB player and then that player gets suspended? That's now how the real-world works. There is a legal system in place because accusations need to be vetted. Why the hell do you think Johnny Depp's in court?

Rob Manfred is a fraud. His MLB machine are a bunch of goons and Trevor Bauer should not be suspended if there is no legal action or merit to this woman's story. Right now based on everything I have read... IT'S A GUESS! 

I'm sorry this is not a good thing.  Does this mean when my sons go to college they shouldn't speak to women? Interact with them? Kiss them? What if the girl's a freak and wants to get with my kid because he's on the baseball team or basketball team? Is she gonna regret what she did after that wild night with my son after the fact and cry rape? Cause that's where we're headed.

I don't know this chick and I don't know Bauer. But what I do know is it takes two to tango and if there's 3 and he's calling the shots about what the other two are doing or not doing, that third party must be asshole Rob Manfred.  We need to stop, it's getting out of hand.  

Now Bauer is appealing and posted this on Twitter and good for him he should... but he needs to take it further...

In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence & sexual assault policy. I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives & I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings.

— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) April 29, 2022

Trevor Bauer needs to file a lawsuit against Rob Manfred as well as MLB. Sue for trillions of dollars and get a legal team of 10 of the best lawyers in America.  And then... you know what he should do? Make a point like Manfred is attempting to make... with zero proof.  

Trevor Bauer is a smart guy. Trust me when I tell you, he's gonna go after the entire league... and he's gonna go after that Jerk-off Manfred hard. And he should. 

Defamation is a dangerous thing in this country and Manfred needs to be scared shitless.

GARDY'S NOT RETIRED YOU KNOW...

I find Brett Gardner to be one of the last of the loyal people in sports.  It's like a guy with a job for 25 years. These days, that really doesn't exist.  Loyalty for the company and from the person usually goes out the window and people jump from job to job to make as much scratch as they can and companies these days don't really care how much you've given to the company. If they need to downside and you make the most... you're toast.  Welcome to corporate America.

But Brett Gardner didn't walk away to another team even though other teams were interested. He's sitting on the sidelines waiting... with the hope that the Yankees grab him for his services one more time.

WFAN writes this:

"Gardner “had opportunities to play elsewhere” this season, but the veteran outfielder only wants to be a Yankee. So, if the Bombers don’t have an interest in bringing him back for another year, Gardner likely won’t be playing anywhere in 2022."

Right now the outfield for the Yankees is full.  Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo and former D3 college guy Tim Locastro is giving them depth. If someone were to get hurt, maybe, just maybe the Yanks would call. But right now they're not.  

I would be curious to see what happens.  If no one picks up Gardy by the end of the year, will he retire?  Look, the Yanks love Gardy and Gardy loves them, but I think right now the idea of Gardy in the Yankees outfield may be over. But don't worry... in no time they will give him a plaque in monument park. Gardy was a great soldier for the Yankees and he definitely deserves that.

Stay tuned.

GARY SANCHEZ APPEARS TO BE A FLOP IN MINNESOTA

Gary Sanchez isn't doing a thing in Minnesota.

NJ.com writes that Gary Sanchez is "struggling to stay in the Minnesota Twins lineup, but it has nothing to do with how he’s playing.

Rotoworld reports “Sanchez has been out of commission since last Wednesday due to lingering abdominal tightness.”

According to MLB.com, “The Twins put Sánchez through receiving, catching and swing work on April 27 after MRIs revealed that the tightness did not involve Sánchez’s oblique. Assuming nothing goes wrong, manager Rocco Baldelli said he expected Sánchez to be in the starting lineup for the April 28 series finale against the Tigers at Target Field.”

If Gary is healthy, I really hope he can take to the field, give the Twins what they need. But I've never really been a fan of Gary. I feel like he's lazy, slow, not a great defensive catcher and a decent home run hitter... only when he's not hurt.

And here we are... he's hurt.

YANKEES & METS REACT TO MLB'S "BAD BALLS!"

Both New York teams are off to a good start this season. It's weird to type that, but it's true. Both teams are in first place (more weirdness) but one team is a little more content then the other.

I want to know what happened to "There's No Crying in Baseball" because right now the Mets are crying. In recent years there has been a lot of speculation that MLB has made changes to the ball in attempt to cut back on record setting home run seasons. Maybe it's true, it is possible since the league owns the company that makes the official ball, Rawlings.

The Mets are an interesting statistic with hit-by-pitch an it is hard to ignore and Mets starter Chris Bassitt isn't mincing words about it.

"MLB has a very big problem with the baseballs," Bassitt said. "They are bad. Everyone knows it. Every pitcher in the league knows it. MLB doesn’t give a damn about it. They don’t care. We have told them our problems with them. They don’t care."

Okay, maybe he is on to something but Jameson Taillon isn't buying in to all of it, read more HERE.
"I know guys around the league have been talking, so (those comments) didn’t really surprise me," Taillon said. "But I don’t think this is some grand scheme by MLB trying to mess up the game or anything. I think they’re trying their best to find a sweet spot here with the ball, and hopefully we can get there."

So Taillon says it hasn't impacted his game and Aaron Boone is also saying that it isn't a "big" topic of conversation in the clubhouse. Are the doctored balls possible? Sure, MLB and Rawlings are undeniably intertwined and maybe that is an issue to address. Maybe that would calm some tension.

Or maybe it won't. Maybe the Mets will continue to cry. Maybe other teams will cry with them. Now we will all sit back and see if the Mets continue to be leaders in the hit-by-pitch category. We will have to wait and see....and hopefully hear less crying for crying out loud!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE PINSTRIPES ARE HEAVY

Source: AP

While listening to the Yankee game on Tuesday night in the car, Suzyn Waldman said that Reggie Jackson felt that the wearing the "Pinstripes were heavy." I was so taken aback by that comment and even a bit curious. How could Mr. October feel that way? He is Reggie Jackson after all. I dug deeper and came across an interview with Jackson back in 1977 which was reprinted in Yankees Magazine in 2017. "I've always needed support and needed people to like me or care about me, and when I was in New York, I had tremendous fan support. The first couple of months were tough, but once people got to know me, it worked out pretty well." The Pinstripes are indeed heavy for the new players on this Yankee team; sometimes I forget how the pressure of playing for the best franchise in all of sports can impact you. 

Source: The New York Yankees

With the number of new players coming from hometowns and other teams across the country, it is hard to adjust to the New York City lifestyle and the demands of playing for the Yankees. If Reggie felt the pressure, of course Joey Gallo, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and even veteran Josh Donaldson need time to adjust to the new team in a big city where fans can be very unforgiving.

"When the focus and the demand for excellence increased or the need was there, I was able to concentrate and get things done," said Jackson. He also said he had to demonstrate that he was worth the big contract he was given, which added more pressure. After reading that part of his interview my mind went to Gerrit Cole, who has been dealing with his own anxieties, and is struggling to keep his emotions in check while he focuses on his craft and owning his role as the Yankee ace.

"Cole pitched to a 6.35 ERA in his first three starts and was knocked out after 1 2/3 innings on April 19 in Detroit after walking five and running up a pitch count of 68. Five days later, he blanked the Guardians on four hits while striking out nine and walking one before leaving with two outs in the seventh innings," reported NJ.com. 

I grew up in New York City. I took public transportation, a city bus, to school through my elementary and high school years. I am used to traffic, noise, riff raff, arguments in the street, homelessness and criticism. Friends of mine from places outside the city were shocked coming to New York for the first time. It was a culture shock. But they did not have to perform on the biggest stage in all of baseball. And these guys from small towns, and small market teams have to pivot and adjust when transitioning to the Yankees. Anthony Rizzo is an exception—he brought the first World Series to Chicago since 1908 in helping his team win the 2016 championship. The pressure is there in Chicago. His only setback when coming to the team late last season was Covid. 

Bottom line, there is so much emotion and discomfort when you are traded to a new team. You have to be onboarded, quickly and absorb the culture of your new clubhouse and then perform and prove that you are meant to be here. It has to be hard. I know Frank Sinatra says, "If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere." He was right, it is true. So the takeaway for this post today is that I have empathy for guys that come to New York from other teams. And I am going to be more patient with them as they adjust. The Pinstripes are heavy but the weight is worth it because you are a New York Yankee—a member of the greatest franchise in the best city in the world. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

JACOBY ELLSBURY IS BACK IN THE NEWS AGAIN

But thankfully, for the last time. It's over. Fans and the Yankees can move on, finally.

I moved on a long time ago and I am sure anyone reading this has too. Jacoby Ellsbury hasn't played in a single game since 2017, but the Yankees were stuck with him financially for a long time even though the Yankees released him in November of 2019. 

The Yankees filed a grievance against Ellsbury trying to recoup some of the money they gave him in a ridiculous contract. The Yankees argue that Ellsbury did not get their permission to seek medical attention outside of their organization, which is a requirement. The status of this grievance has been in the left in limbo for the longest time, leaving fans wondering 'what's going on?' and now we know.

According to The New York Post HERE, the Yankees and Ellsbury reached an agreement and settled the matter "at least a year ago." There was a confidentiality clause that was signed so we don't know final terms or dollar amounts but we can figure out a few details.

Ellsbury was supposed to make $21 million in 2020 with a $5 million buyout on a $21 million option in 2021, but the Yankees managed to pay a negotiated figure that was low enough to keep the Yankees under the second luxury tax bracket in 2020 that it did not affect their 2021 draft. If the Yankees had exceeded that second luxury tax bracket they would've made their first pick at number 30, instead of number 20. So, the Yankees did get enough of a deal that the Yankees stayed under the $80 million figure for the secon luxury tax bracket with the reduced salary they paid to Ellsbury. I guess it's the best conclusion of a bad situation for the Yankees.

It's a long time coming for resolution to a terrible Brian Cashman contract. Now we can all be happy that we never have to hear the name Jacoby Ellsbury again. I will be happy to never have to write about it either.

So that's it. THE END. Thank goodness! Now if Cashman could learn something from this and refrain from making these terrible deals that would be great. I'm not going to hold my breath though.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MYLES STRAW IGNITED THE BRONX CIRCUS

You win a game with class. You respect your opponent. You play to win but win with integrity. Those are things I learned as a kid growing up playing baseball.  

As a fan there is always a degree of razzing. That's also part of the game, and when it comes to pro games, there should be nothing different. You pay your hard-earned money to root and boo how you choose... but how you choose, WITHIN REASON.

Here's a question. Why the hell were the fans throwing crap at Cleveland Indians after the Yankees won today? Why is that OK? Well... it's not. 

But here's another question.  When teams play to win and teams tie the game up, fans get rowdy right? Nornal. But is it normal for a player to literally CLIMB THE FENCE TO SAY SHIT AT THE FANS?

So let's break this down...

Myles Straw almost just went into the stands to fight a Yankee fan pic.twitter.com/oGqxC80Wsa

— Baseball Fight Club (@mlb_fights) April 23, 2022

They shouldn’t have to, but props to Judge and Stanton going out to tell their own fans that they’re losers. pic.twitter.com/KyGmhDj2oY

— The 7 Line (@The7Line) April 23, 2022

Fans throw shit on the field after the Yankees win, but before that, Straw from the Indians forgot that he's in the Bronx and decides that he's gonna tame an entire Yankee crowd. So he climbs the fence and trash talks a few of them face to face with the entire world watching. Does he consider that being noble? Being tough?  

Myles Straw is a player from out of town. Act like you've been there before!  Straw acted like a child, and no doubt ignited the entire showering of trash on the baseball field after the walk off win by the Yankees. Straw should have never climbed the fence and trashed talked fans back to them after the Yankees tied the game. 

You want to talk about context? That's context. But let's take it further...

Why do many Yankee fans get trashy? Why, as a fan would you throw shit on the field? Why don't you celebrate the win with some integrity and class and walk out the stadium door singing New York, New York? Today didn't have to be so damn trashy. But who do you blame? I don't necessarily blame the fans. I get what they were trying to do. It was a signal to Myles Straw and friends... "You watch your ass; this is the Bronx." 

Now the problem with that is we got to go to Cleveland eventually. And our players are going to get shit on when we go, because real baseball fans do NOT forget. Cleveland fans are great. But they love their team. So, God forbid Judge gets a beer can to the head in Cleveland's outfield... don't act like you're surprised. Us Bronx diehards? We did that. Yes, we should have mocked Straw... laughed at him... taunted him... but we should have stopped there!  Throwing stuff at players after a win is about as disgusting as it gets... and by doing that, we just put our team in harm's way. We're better than that.

Myles Straw's best move right now is to acknowledge that he was a moron climbing the fence and inciting violence. Saying "Worst fan base on the planet" referring to us Yankee fans, isn't true, but not only that.... it only means he doesn't understand loyalty. 

Guardians OF Myles Straw shared his thoughts after today's game against the Yankees. pic.twitter.com/DJDjtiAUiW

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 23, 2022

But what's worse is what could now happen to our Yankees when they go to Cleveland.  And I blame the fans for that.  We're idiots for throwing stuff. Those guys throwing trash? they're only thinking about themselves. They're weak and stupid.

Straw needs to get a life... this is true. Us Yankee fans? We need to remember what integrity is. We've forgotten.

P.S. I know they're the Guardians now. But I hate it. Bleeding Yankee Blue will continue to call the Cleveland Indians, Indians. Guardians doesn't work for me.

WORST. YANKEE. EVER.

I'm done with Joey Gallo. He's either trying too hard or just not good. I go with the latter. I've watched for the past 5 to 10 years on a high school to college level when it comes to recruiting players and what the projectors look for in young athletes. They look for big bodies that hit home runs.  They look for high velo numbers of the ball coming off the bat. And there is no question they looked at that when they considered Joey Gallo.  If the player can make the adjustment in the Bigs, the scouts look like geniuses. If the player doesn't, those scouts disappear, and the player is stuck looking like the worst player ever. And that's the case of Joey Gallo.  He has never adjusted, never adapted and cannot play this game when it comes to standing in the batter's box. Quite simply, your exit velo could be 150, but if you can't connect the ball to the bat, what does that matter? You still need skill to hit it and this guy doesn't have that. 

Study his numbers. I mean, there's not much to study, but look at them on baseball-reference. This guy can't hit. And if he does, it's not skill as much as luck when he does.  I hate to sound like a jerk. But this is the direction we're going in folks. Big bodies. If an organization can harness the good in that big body, they have a successful ballplayer for a bit. But in Gallo's case, he's not wowing anyone.

"We want Gardner" chants have filled Yankee stadium recently. WFAN writes:

"Joey Gallo has become incredibly frustrating to watch for Yankee fans, as his brutal slump continued on Friday night with two more strikeouts on another hitless evening.

Gallo’s struggles have become so maddening for some fans, that they apparently would rather see a 38-year-old Brett Gardner in left field. Twitter came alive late in Friday’s 4-1 win over the Guardians when multiple people pointed out hearing Yankee fans chanting “We want Gardner,” urging the Yanks to bring back the previously longest-tenured Yankee, who is reportedly staying in shape and preparing to sign on with a team at some point this season."

Why did the chants happen? Because when push comes to shove, it doesn't matter the size. It comes down to productivity. Gardy got shit done. Gallo doesn't.

18 strikeouts in 41 at bats. An on base percentage of .234. No homers, no RBIs. Bench this bum.

What's gonna happen Yanks? How are we gonna turn this around?  I know a way... get rid of Gallo.

SURPRISE! AARON BOONE WAS WRONG ABOUT JOEY GALLO

Surprise....only not. That's just sarcasm. Any baseball fan paying attention to anything Joey Gallo does knows that he strikes out A LOT but three weeks ago we said BONEHEAD BOONE IS SAYING STUPID STUFF AGAIN about his struggling hitter and now we can all point and laugh.

Look, we all know Gallo is an all or nothing guy. We are never surprised when he strikes out but that doesn't mean we won't yell at him as if he can hear us. We don't just accept it an we shouldn't. I for one do not embrace mediocrity or excuses, I look for solutions and the Yankees have none when it comes to Gallo.

But remember, Aaron Boone said that "he's in a pretty good spot right now" at the end of spring training. Yeah, a sky high 38.5% strikeout rate is a really good spot. By the way, that's the worst in his career. The Yankees have no REAL solutions for this guy, only over analyzed mumbo jumbo from their analytics department HERE, and we all know how terrible the Yankees are with analytics. New Yankee hitting coach Dillon Lawson is doing such a great job with his "hit strikes hard" philosophy, isn't he? (More sarcasm for you).

Even scouts are saying he's off to a worse than normal start. I don't care if he's seeing fewer fastballs but more sliders. Enough with the excuses and quit trying to sugar coat everything and paint pictures of unicorns and rainbows, but that's what Brian Cashman is also doing. He and his "I don’t want to say there’s a concern. I think you’re gonna see a much better version of him, but that’s not saying much. He hit .190 with us." Yeah, that's a fact. The 'I think you're gonna see a much better version of him' is just a song and dance that no one wants to listen to anymore. And you can't say "he's a threat every time up at the plate" when he's a strikeout king who barely hits his weight. He's a threat alright....but a threat to the Yankee lineup.

I'm tired of the excuses with Gallo. He was benched yesterday for a reason, because he stinks and he's not getting the job done. He doesn't deserve to play and he knows that. The Rangers also know they made a good trade by getting rid of him. Nice move, Cashman....really.

More like terrible move. I'm over trying to "fix" Gallo. The only fix is to admit this was a mistake and to dump him.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

IS IT TIME TO HIT THE PANIC BUTTON ON GERRIT COLE?

The Yankees did something remarkable on Tuesday night—they gave their supposed ace a nice lead in the first inning as they kicked off a three game set against the Detroit Tigers. And what does Gerrit Cole do in return? Throws five walks in 46 pitches and found himself out of the game before the close of the second inning. Oh and with those walks, he gave up two runs, sounding the alarm for Clarke Schmidt to come in and bail him out after 1 and 2/3 innings. Is it time to hit the panic button on Gerrit Cole? Let's take a closer look.

Source: FRANK FRANKLIN II/AP

According to The Daily News prior to the game on Tuesday evening, "The Bombers have grand designs of a great season and to get there they need an ace. They need the Gerrit Cole they signed on for the next seven years to lead them back to the World Series after a 13-year drought." Not sure that Cole is that guy. 

Last week I tweeted, "Does Cole even enjoy pitching? He just seems so angry and anxious." I stand by that statement. If Cole felt that the wait in between innings was too long, why not go down to the cages and throw some pitches? If he is cold, wear something warmer. This is baseball. Baseball is played through three seasons which include extreme cold and heat. It is part of the game. And guess what it is your job to be out there performing at the highest level. You are a leader, act like one. 

Last season was a strange one for Cole. "He came out early in 2021 as the best pitcher in the league and then became the poster boy for pitchers using illegal sticky stuff on the balls in June when MLB decided to enforce their own rules more stringently. He adjusted and regained control of his season, only to catch COVID after the All-Star break. He got back on track and then whether it was a tight hamstring or the workload (181.1 innings pitched after just 73 in 2020), Cole went into the AL Wild Card game with a 6.35 ERA over his last four starts," reported the News. 

And on opening day of 2022, Cole was anxious to get out there and pitch; dismissing the fanfare of ceremonial first pitches. He just wanted to get out there. What he needed to do was chill out, just absorb the atmosphere and remember why he is playing this game.  

Perhaps what Cole needs is to practice some sort of meditation, release some anxiety and find some outlets to get out his frustrations. He may need an outlet to control his emotions. For me it's running, but running is not my full time job. Baseball is Cole's full time job; he may need another way to adjust and reset himself before taking the field. If not, I am hitting the panic button, because Cole does not have control of his emotions. And without control, he is not good for himself or his team. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

YOU CAN'T DENY NESTOR CORTES, BUT BOONE DID

The Yankees should have won that game yesterday behind Nestor Cortes. It just made sense. I mean the guy had 12 strikeouts through 5 innings. And then what happened? He was relieved by Chad Green with no score in the game in the bottom of the 6th...and after that? Everything fell apart.  Who do you blame? I know who I blame... and the dude doesn't play anymore... It's Boone.

Pinstripe Alley writes:

"The Orioles finally put the game away in the eighth inning. Jonathan Loáisiga never really had it, loading the bases with one out and bringing up lefty pinch-hitter Rougned Odor while southpaw Lucas Luetge was hot in the bullpen. Aaron Boone made the decision to leave Loáisiga in, Odor singled up the middle, and it was 2-0."

 

The Yankees would eventually lose 5-0. Boone dismissed the fact that Cortes was on fire... pitching an immaculate inning, the 39th in history and even bridging to Green when you cannot stop watching the highlight of  Tim Locastro, the animal in the outfield saving an extra base hit with a diving catch. I'll say it again... the Yankees were supposed to win that game yesterday.

And look, it's April, but games against division teams matter regardless. We gotta be able to beat teams like the Orioles!  We did not... that sucks.

Let's tighten it up!

BOONE'S CUTE LINEUP IS FOR THE BIRDS, LITERALLY

I am going to be honest—like I have held back in the past. Anytime we play Baltimore it is a hot mess. The Yankee offense shuts off. Pitching becomes subpar. And the Yankees become submissive to a team they should easily beat. Now to add salt to the wounds, we have Aaron Boone creating these "cute" inconsistent lineups. He thinks he is just getting creative, playing the numbers and seeing what sticks. But I am much more old school. And I say, try something for a while and see if it is working—like gather evidence and make that kind of decision-making—you know authentic assessment. Instead, Boone likes to get cute with his lineup and its benefits are nonexistent.

Source: Yahoo Sports 

According to the New York Post, "Most of the Yankees’ issues came from their lineup, which produced just a run in the third inning and then were blanked by Baltimore’s bullpen, their execution with runners in scoring position still a problem that seems to have hung around from last year." So if the issues are with the lineup just not in the right position to produce runs, why keep shifting it around? Why not try something that seemingly looks good on paper and stick with it for a couple of weeks? I mean why does Aaron Judge need to sit out a game when the Yankees have been home for the last seven games, and by the way, it was only seven days into the season. Why is lifeless Aaron Hicks batting in the leadoff position? Try something and analyze the data. Very simple but Boone likes to make everything complex.

Source: Clutch Points

"The Yankees went into Saturday night’s game ranked 26th out of 30 in runs scored per game. Their 3.12 runs per game is only better than the Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Orioles. They’ve had the sixth most runners left on base with 59 this season and ranked the fifth-worst with runners in scoring position, hitting .180. They have the third-worst run-scoring percentage in the big leagues, meaning only 20% of their runners who reach base eventually score a run — they are better only than the Orioles and Diamondbacks," reported the New York Daily News. 

Source: USA Today Sports

The other stat that is a thorn in my side is that the Yankees ground into double plays instead of getting clutch hits to take advantage of runners in scoring position. They are second in the MLB with nine for grounding into double plays. Last season they held that second-place position in the American League with 154 GDPs overall. Guess what, Boone did the same thing. Never consistent with his lineup, always making it more complex than it needed to be.

Earlier today I commended the 1986 Mets and the consistent lineup that manager Davey Johnson stayed with because it worked. "In 1986 the Mets infield consisted of players who could start on any given day with almost no falloff both offensively or defensively," reported FanSided. These scrappy players included Lenny Dykstra and Wally Backman who were referred to as "Spark and Plug." Sure they also had iconic players in Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter. They stayed healthy, played in their specific positions, and held the same place in the lineup pretty much every night. It bowed well for them. Maybe Boone can rip a page out of Johnson's playbook. Might serve him and the Yankees well.

What you are hearing is that I am tired of the mix it up attitude—try something new every night delight. There is something to be said for consistency, collect some data, and see how the analytics play out. I realize the Yankees have depth, but you need to use that as a backup to the regular formula. Stop, Boone. Just stop. Make a lineup and stick with it. There is no cute to this lineup. Pick a flow and let it roll. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

RESET HIM! GIVE DONALDSON A FEW DAYS OFF.

I hate strikeouts. It's probably the reason why I can't stand Joey Gallo. But here's the thing; when players come to a new team, and in Joey's case, and even in Josh Donaldson's case, there is a grace period where there is a new adjustment to a new team and a new bunch of fans that you need to take into account. But don't get me wrong... I'm losing my patience with Donaldson.

For some reason the New York Post asked Aaron Boone what he thinks of Josh Donaldson. Not sure why they didn't ask Josh, but I guess the situation is a sensitive one. Check this out:

"I think he’s on the verge,’’ Aaron Boone said of Donaldson before the Yankees opened a series against the Orioles on Friday at Camden Yards with a 2-1 loss in 11 innings.

“I’m not worried about him,’’ the manager said. “If we keep him healthy, he’ll have a big year for us.”...

“He’ll be rotating through there [at DH],’’ Boone said. “We value and want him in the field, but I think if we can possibly get him days at DH day, it hopefully serves him well.”

All Boone says is right, but if learning from history means anything, let's experiment... it's April. Much like Giancarlo Stanton, maybe DH is a death sentence for Donaldson. Maybe veteran Donaldson needs to be in the field to stay engaged and start hitting.  Stanton is fire right now, and the reason is simple, he is fully engaged playing the outfield. He's not cold off the bench and waiting for his next at bat, and that is clearly important to him and very important to the team.

For Donaldson, we are dealing with an old man. I say that with the upmost respect, but clearly this guy is injury prone, and we don't want him in the field if he's going to get hurt.  But that's the give and take... and that's the experiment that needs to happen. It's up to Boone to figure that out. 

Look, if it's me looking at Donaldson's performance, maybe it's even age alone. Maybe he just can't catch up to the fastball like he used to be able to do, and that's fine, but we unfortunately have to give it some time to figure that out. And maybe that timeframe is till May to see if this guy can snap out of it. 

Hey, maybe leadoff isn't the spot in the lineup he needs to be. Maybe it is.  We will see. That's when managers need to manage and fight the right combination to solve the puzzle. Yup... pretty much where Boone is at his weakest.

Be patient Yankee fans... the team's doing great and it's only April.

Go Yanks!