The Yankees have experienced more trauma this August than I ever remember any team in history experiencing in one season, let alone one month. From a tattoo infection, to paternity leaves to slumps and more than their share to the IL, the Yankee skid is more than their offense not performing. One could say that this is all part of the game, but I think the Yankees have battled harder and fiercer than any other team I have ever seen. This battle is more than just against your average opponent; it is a battle against themselves.
“Thank God August is done,” he (Gleyber Torres) told NJ Advance Media. “It’s September right now. Just, really, mentality-wise, I’m staying really positive to (make) an adjustment really quick and try to hit better.” Torres basically shared the sentiment of the entire team—thank God that part of the season is over, now let's hone in and get it done. But can the Yankees rev their engine or even start the car for that matter if they have lost their keys?
On Monday's game against the Twins, Brendan Burke calling the game with John Sterling on WFAN said it is hard to replace your keys when there is no replacement. So essentially how are you replacing Giancarlo Stanton with Oswaldo Cabrera? It is simply not doable. It is a good point. I hadn't considered that. My mentality is sort of the college football mentality—next guy in. But it is not like that in baseball. It takes time to learn the game, play with confidence and maneuver through the mental part of the sport.
"Ultimately, the Yankees will only go as far as veterans like Judge, LeMahieu, Rizzo, Stanton, and Torres take them. They do have to get something from the kids though. Cabrera and Peraza can't just be along for the ride. Cabrera's at-bats have been solid despite the lack of results, and he had two three-hit games early in the club's road trip," reported CBS Sports.
With both the Rays and Blue Jays creeping up on the Yankees, the team sent Anthony Rizzo to the IL due to his lower back issues, DJ LeMahieu is still feeling the impact of his sore toe, Giancarlo Stanton is not 100% back and Josh Donaldson is a shell of his former self and causing more stress on this team due to his horrendous temper. Plus if you add the pitching injuries of Chad Green, Michael King, Luis Severino and the revolving IL door of Clay Holmes and Jonathan Loáisiga to the mix, you have a broken down team with no replacement parts.
"It's time to roll," Stanton told MLB.com over the weekend. "I mean, we know where it's at. We've got to keep pushing and get it tomorrow. It's still ours. We're not where we want to be, but we're still in a fine opportunity. It is definitely ours for the taking," reported CBS Sports.
The Yankees have 27 games left in the regular season, and 15 of them will be played at home. Their home record far exceeds their road record, even in the August skid. And these two series against the Twins (double-header scheduled for Wednesday) followed by the Rays are do or die for the Bombers. But again, their battle is not just against other teams; it is the battle to be injury-free, to stay healthy and to mentally be prepared go after it.
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--Suzie Pinstripe
Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
The Yankees go to another level when Stanton is not hurt and on his game,that is the big if,will he show up for the big push now and through the playoffs .And is Boone capable of running a tight ship to get this team to a Championship level or will he just coddle little league behavior, like Donaldson exhibited the other day.
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