In Jaws, Matt Hooper tells Sheriff Brody, “This is no boat accident. It wasn’t any propeller. It wasn’t any coral reef and it wasn’t Jack the Ripper. It was a shark!”
The Yankees need someone to explain why they lost the final two games of a four-game series in Oakland with only three runs on five hits in 20 innings.
Despite what Aaron Judge and Aaron Boone say, great Athletics pitching didn’t hold the Yankees back in Saturday’s 3-2, 11-inning loss or Sunday’s 4-1 loss.
This was a lot of bad hitting on arms that most people have been hitting hard.
The Yankees’ last two opponents were rookie right-handers with ERAs above 6.00. Even without Matt Carpenter, the Yankees should have scored a lot of runs.
On Saturday, Adam Oller pitched eight innings of a one-hit shutout, but he didn’t get a win or loss. On Sunday, the Yankees only scored one run and had three hits while Adrian Martinez was on the mound.
When everyone is healthy, the Yankees like to talk about how good their lineup is. 200 homers, 5 runs per game, .759 OPS lead the majors.
Bravo.
Not because of some hard, cold facts:
The Yankees’ bats have had trouble for a lot longer than just a couple of weeks in August.
They’ve been all over the place, and here’s proof: the Yankees have already been shut out 11 times, and in 128 games, they’ve scored three runs or less 54 times, or 42% of the time.
Here are three more lessons for the Yankees:
BULLPEN BLUES
The Yankees’ bullpen needs to be fixed or they’ll be in a lot of trouble. Even when the ace goes, relievers decide most playoff games these days.
Who can you count on among the players the Yankees are sending out there?
You might trust rookie Ron Marinaccio the most, but his first attempt to end a game on Saturday didn’t go well.
The Yankees need Clay Holmes to be like he was in the first half, not August. Aaron Boone bragged about Holmes’ sinker during live BP on Friday, but until he has game success with it again, who knows?
The Yankees must fix Aroldis Chapman when he returns from a tattoo infection hiatus next week. Others on the IL, like Scott Effross, Miguel Castro, and Zack Britton, could be back soon. Britton says that the problem with his glute that kept him from starting rehab with Low-A Tampa on Saturday won’t slow down his September return from Tommy John surgery.
When it comes to the playoffs, the Yankees’ bullpen could be very good and deep, but there are a lot of “ifs” that need to be turned into “sure things” in the next month.
HICKS SIGHTING
On Sunday, it was good to see Aaron Hicks do well in his first start in a week. The switch-hitter played center field and hit eighth. He was 1-for-3 with a line single that started a rally and led to the Yankees’ only run, and he also drew a walk while hitting right.
Many Yankee fans and the Yankees have given up on Hicks because he gets booed at home and away games. This summer, they needed an upgrade so badly that they sent left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery to St. Louis in exchange for an injured Gold Glove center fielder. Harrison Bader probably won’t play his first game for the Yankees until the middle of September. In the meantime, rookie Oswaldo Cabrera has started every game, mostly in right field with Judge in center and Hicks on the bench.
Hicks will likely miss the Yankees’ playoffs and play elsewhere next year. Things change fast. Hicks’ good at-bats on Sunday may get him going after a couple outfielder injuries.
WASTED OPPORTUNITY
Clarke Schmidt didn’t take advantage of the first of two or three starts as a rotation-fill-in for Nestor Cortes, who should be back in two weeks.
Schmidt has the velocity, stuff, and makeup to be a starter, and he’s finally gaining experience after missing time with injuries. He’s a good bullpen pitcher. Schmidt allowed four runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings against a weak A’s lineup on Sunday.
Schmidt had a few soft hits, but he struck out 7 and walked 1. He left trailing 4-0 after not making enough put-away pitches. Joe Girardi would disagree.
Schmidt could join a Yankees rotation with Cole, Montas, Severino, and Cortes next year because Taillon will be a free agent after 2022.
Schmidt or Domingo German, who pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings with three hits allowed in a no-decision Saturday, could get one spot.
What do you think, leave a comment below?
