The best we can hope for is that every subsequently loss from this team is the lowest point of the season. The Yankees have now lost 4 of their last 5 series, have only won 3 of their last 10 games, and are now tied with the Orioles in September, after once holding a 10 game lead on the AL East.
The Yankees scored early on a two run homerun from Robinson Cano, and Freddy Garcia lost that lead by the third inning. After going just 4.1 and 4.2 inning in his last two starts, Garcia looked burnt out by the fourth inning. With a high pitch count in the fourth inning, he survived two hard hit linedrives by some well placed defense in the outfield. At that point, it was a no brainer to get someone ready in the 5th, but the coaching staff had faith in the veteran starter. In the fifth inning, Garcia looked completely useless, and surrendered two homeruns to Desmond Jennings and BJ Upton, bringing the score to 5-2. Garcia is done as a starter if you ask me, but he could be an important piece in the bullpen.
Aside from Cano’s homerun in the first inning, there wasn’t much more offense. In the third inning, Derek Jeter singled and Curtis Granderson was hit by a pitch. The two on and no one out scenario ended with a strikeout to Nick Swisher and a double play by Robinson Cano. After a Jayson Nix singled in the 4th inning, the Yankees didn’t earn another hit until the 8th, where Jeter had his second hit of the game. Alex Rodriguez had a hit in the 9th inning, but it didn’t go anywhere.
When you forget about the bad starting pitching and the bad offense, the bullpen was actually very good. Cody Eppley came into the game and gave the Yankees 1.2 innings of no hit ball. Joba Chamberlain made an appearance in the 8th inning and he looked spectacular. Not only was his slider killer, but he was locating his fastball and blowing hitters away. We have to hope this continues, the bullpen looks burnt out as it is.
Tony Randazzo Is A Terrible Umpire
Also, the umpiring sucked. I won’t blame the game on the umpires, but Joe Girardi was thrown out in the middle of the 4th inning for that reason. It was calls like the one above that seemed to haunt the Yankees all night. I’m sure they had a few calls go their way, but nothing comes to mind. It took the bat out of the hands of quite a few hitters in big spots. Things just aren’t going there way right now, but I still don’t feel like it’s time to panic. This team needs to turn things around as soon as possible, and if they can win the series in Baltimore, the schedule is on their side.
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3 Responses to Yankees Lose AL East Lead With A 5-2 Loss To The Rays
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TIQ IQ
Now that the collapse is officially complete, it is time to assess whether this 2012 bunch or the 2004 bunch should get the label as Biggest Yankee Chokers of All Time. While it took only four games for the 2004 losers to ascend to the top of Yankee disgrace, not achieved by any Yankee, let alone other, team since baseball began, this bunch took 44 games to reduce a 10-game lead and a 57-34 record to 76-59 and a complete loss of the lead. If not for an anomalous 7-1 spurt in between two 6-12 disasters, the lead would have been blown at least a week sooner. While Torre should have been Torpedoed right after the 2004 fiasco, but was allowed to hang around for three more years of steady decline, Girardi probably won’t get the Jettison he deserves because of the “excuse” of injuries. Still, it is his automatonic way of playing the game (never sacrifice, never squeeze, always change pitchers no matter how they’re doing, …) that has contributed to the steady decline since 2009. Likely he will get his “grace” year of 2013, but with no pre-renewal of his contract, which hopefully might inspire him to move on immediately after this debacle. All except the remaining remnant of the Core Four, who still deserve to finish their careers as Yankees, should be considered expendable, including the extremely overpaid ARod, FatSab and Texiera. Time to rebuild from the ground up, and unload Cashman if he insists on any more Pineda-Montero type boners. Amazing how it took only nine years (2004-2012) for two Yankee teams to do what none other had done for the first 100 – Choke Big Time! I wonder how Jeter feels to have his five rings tarnished by being on the two biggest Yankee choke teams of all time?
Garcia is done. (Fixed it for you). He’s been done for a while now. What part of that don’t you and all of the other delusional Garcia supporters get? What important role could he play in the bullpen? Answering the phone? Folding the warm up jackets? Opening the door for guys coming into games?
He’s not “resting” or “pining for the fjords”, he’s washed up, finished, cooked, wasted. If he hadn’t been nailed to the perch he’d be pushing up fucking daisies! This is an ex-pitcher!!!
Just as Kevin Long is ready to take chances to spur an offense, the Yanks need to take some chances to cover for a pretty exhausted pitching staff. The starters are winded, the bullpen is shaky. So bring in the new blood. Get Nova ready, but don’t plan on any starter going more than four, unless he’s cooking.
Bring in Joba, Warren, Wade, Thomas. Forget about a lot of mix-and-match.