On the first Monday of each month we roll out our Monthly MLB Report Card (forever to be known as MMLBRC) for the Mets, Phillies and Yankees. We’ll still check in from time to time with short posts to quickly take the pulse of each team, but think of the MMLBRC as an in depth physical (anal probing not included). Truthfully, a month is probably too small of a sample size to make overarching claims like we will attempt to, but dammit, you want content! So rather than write well-reasoned quarterly updates, we’ll make rash decisions based on far too little data. Now in the box: the Bronx Bombers.
The past month has been an interesting one for the pinstripes. To tweak the old saying, no good deed went unpunished in a roller coaster June that featured The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
The Good — Since the last time MMLBRC checked in on the Yanks, they’ve gone 19-13 to climb above the .500 mark. The first two weeks New York was clicking on all cylinders as the offense finally sprung to life. The catalyst was Jason Giambi, who emerged from an early season slump marred largely by bad luck, as previously documented.
The Bad — In the first 15 games since the last MMLBRC, the Yankees were 11-4. Last 16, 7-9. What’s worse, the offense that seemed so mighty for most of the month has stumbled as Hideki Matsui went on the DL, and Derek Jeter continues to have the worst season of his career. Adding (more) injury to insult was losing Johnny Damon, the team’s best hitter this season, to the first DL stint of his career.
The Good — When last we checked in, the Bombers were 6.5 back of the Red Sox. They’ve shaved two games off that lead despite their semi-swoon the last two weeks.
The Bad — When the Tampa Bay Rays, the story of this season so far, look in their rear-view mirror the Yanks are barely even on the horizon. The Rays lead New York by 10 games in the loss column. We think Tampa has staying power, meaning the Yankees and Sox can’t bank on the runner-up in the rivalry snagging the Wild Card spot in October.
The Good — Mike Mussina’s renaissance seems like it will last, which is a huge boost given the Phil Hughes’ injury and the failed Ian Kennedy experiment. What’s more, Joba Chamberlain’s move to the rotation couldn’t have worked out any better so far. Not only has Joba been lights out, but Kyle Farnsworth has filled the vacant 8th-inning role very nicely. Color us shocked on both accounts, and although we still worry about Joba’s arm over the course of 180+ innings pitched, as of now we have egg on our face.
The Ugly — Chien Ming Wang. Not really much else to say. It doesn’t take razor-sharp analysis to note that losing your ace for more than two months is an enormous hurdle. The question with Wang is whether he can give the club anything the rest of the season. Not good.
Now, despite all the bad news, the Yankees still are in decent shape. They are actually closer to first place now than they were at this point last season. Robinson Cano will get hot very soon. Brett Gardner looks like he’s in the bigs to stay. And the pitching staff is in the best shape it’s been all season, even after losing Wang. There are three things you can count on each summer — the Fourth of July, Brett Favre waffling, and the Yankees going on a tear. Only one has yet to happen this summer, but it will.
3 Comments
July 7, 2008 at 9:08 pm
The sad thing is, I just saw this movie for the first time the other day. Yes indeed, I’m a pathetic individual.
The only thing I’d (slightly) disagree on is Ian Kennedy. The Yanks may have rushed him to the majors a bit, and I know he’s a pitchability guy who won’t be able to fool major league hitters to the same extent he fooled minor leaguers. But his minor league numbers (5.6 H/9, 3.1 BB/9, 10.0 K/9 in 149 IP before this year) are way too good for him to not end up an effective major league starter.
As he gets healthy and the Rasner/Ponson experiments begin sputtering (as they already have), look for Kennedy to slide comfortably into the back end of the rotation.
July 7, 2008 at 9:25 pm
On a Western kick lately? I can’t say I’d blame you if you became a hermit after the Celtics won.
In no way am I suggesting Kennedy won’t be a solid starter in the majors.
But, counting on him this soon (and in an honest moment, Cash would admit he saw Kennedy as the fourth starter with Moose seeming to be washed up at the time) was certainly a gamble.
July 26, 2008 at 3:05 pm
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