I want to lay off the injury report a bit to acknowledge an overarching theme of the modern-day Yankees- Frustrating. Frustrating to watch win, to watch lose, to see mismanaged players, to learn how they misdiagnose injuries or maybe a better word is to say mistreat them, and to see them decline. Just when you give up on the team, they bounce back. Just when you begin to build back faith in them, they disappoint. And right within this rhythm was the Yankees taking Game 3 in a 3-1 victory in their four-game set against the Houston Astros.
So how does a team win so convincingly in one game and lose miserably in another? The New York Post said it this way. "The amount of inadequacy up and down the lineup, which was exposed by the Judge’s absence and Rizzo’s drop, must be addressed both in personnel and philosophy, or it would be a lesson not learned." That is the problem. The Yankees management don't seem to reflect or observe opportunities where there is a lesson to be learned.
"The Yankees outhomered the Astros 10-8 in the 2019 ALCS but lost four games to two. Houston was again better at baseball. The Yankees, though, kept doubling down on righty-hitting and non-athletic players, which made it feel as if they were not even listening to themselves," reported the Post.
Fast forward to the 2023 Yankees. They still have non-athletic players- take for instance Giancarlo Stanton's "sprint to home" in the third inning of Saturday's game. "The catcher applied the tag to a stationary Stanton, who had slowed down rather than sliding home. Stanton was out, the inning was over, and the score remained 1-1," reported The Post. His demise is clear to all of us, but not to the Yankee brace. Why in the hell would you wave Stanton home from second base? He is not running 100% because he knows he is injury prone. Why doesn't his coach know that? And why can't Aaron Boone own the mistake instead of piddling around it in the post-game interview?
On a brighter note, I am so pleased that Nestor Cortes came out with great stuff Saturday. But remember, we have not seen him since May 30th. And as frustrating as this sounds, it is too little too late for the Yankees IF they cannot string together many wins in a row. They have to beat the teams they are chasing and IF the Yankees can take the final game of the series today, they will have won five out of the last ten against contending teams. Saturday was an absolutely great win, but can it be the start of something more?
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--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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