ALLAN WINANS GETS HIS SHOT

Yes, Marcus Stroman got rocked last night. Yes, the box score was uglier than a sunburned Fenway fan in a tank top. And yes, his ERA now looks like a Wi-Fi password. But before the pitchforks come out, let’s stop pretending Stroman is the villain here.

This dude wanted the ball. He knew the rotation was on life support, and he said, “I got this.” He suited up and took the mound like a man walking into traffic to direct it himself—while the front office sat in a lawn chair, sipping lemonade, scrolling Zillow.

Look, Stroman clearly sucked. And now we know why: the Yankees just put him on the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation. Could that inflammation have something to do with MLB forcing them to play through conditions that would’ve made Noah pause and ask if the ark needed winter tires? Gee, ya think?

After his brief (and brutal) two-thirds of an inning outing, Aaron Boone said Stroman had some knee soreness and went for X-rays. Next thing you know, he's shelved. And guess what? No real help is coming. Brian Cashman must’ve muted his “starting pitcher” Google alert back in March.

In Stroman’s place, Allan Winans has been called up from Triple-A. Nice guy, good story—but let’s not kid ourselves. This isn’t the cavalry. It’s a paper towel on a grease fire.

So no, Stroman doesn’t deserve the heat. He deserves some respect for raising his hand when no one else would, even if it ended with him limping off the hill and into the trainer’s room. He tried to save a rotation that’s already being held together by duct tape, hope, and Clarke Schmidt’s elbow brace.

If you’re looking to assign blame, start with the decision-makers who watched the pitching staff crumble like a cookie in hot coffee and decided their biggest midseason move would be standing completely still.

Marcus Stroman gave what he had. It wasn’t enough. But the real crime is that he even had to try.

Now, welcome Allan Winans. Grab a glove, say a prayer, and try not to trip over the front office’s indifference on your way to the mound.