Opening Statement
Yes, there was a lot of good that came out of the Yankees' nine-game road trip through the West Coast and ending in Detroit. The Yankees went 6-3 in a stretch that can't be downplayed for its success, especially with the team five games over .500 and just 1.5 games back of first place in the AL East following it. But there's an uneasy feeling among Yankees fans as the team enjoys an off day Monday. The offense continues to stall with runners on base, a season-long struggle that came to a head Saturday night against the Tigers. The Yankees had the bases loaded with one out and their best hitter at the plate, at least he's supposed to be their best hitter, Robinson Cano. Jose Valverde, the Tigers closer, simply couldn't throw a strike in the frame, as he hit two batters and walked another in the ninth inning. Logic says to simply stand in the batter's box with the bat on your shoulder and make the pitcher throw a strike, throw two strikes. Only Cano didn't think that was the best approach, swinging away early in the count and popping out to shortstop. It was a maddening at-bat for anyone watching at home. Cano ruined a perfect opportunity to force Valverde to throw strikes, something he obviously could not do, and tie the game. It was a microcosm of everything that has been wrong with the Yankees this season. In seemingly every clutch moment, they fail. It happened in the playoffs last year and it has continued this season. After Cano's pop-out, Mark Teixeira actually had a smart at-bat and walked in the game-tying run. But that was all the Yankees would get and a half-inning later they were pinned with a loss. The Yankees took two of three from Detroit, thanks to a complete-game victory from Phil Hughes Sunday afternoon, but it easily could have been a three-game sweep highlighted by a comeback based solely on baseball smarts. The Yankees didn't have to get the big hit from Cano in the middle game Saturday, all they needed was a walk. But, again, this Yankees team is simply maddening in clutch moments. The good news is the Yankees can take over first place in the East this week with an early series against the Rays, despite all the failures this season. The bad news is if they continue to fail in the clutch, they just might drop to the bottom of the standings during that same series. |
| Alex Rodriguez homered Sunday afternoon. (AP photo) |
The High Point
The Yankees needed a big performance both on the mound and at the plate Sunday afternoon in the series finale against the Tigers. Coming off a disappointing Saturday, the Yankees needed to put pressure on Tigers starter Justin Verlander, and get a great performance from Hughes as well, especially considering his MVP counterpart. Well, Derek Jeter opened the game with a home run, on the first pitch, Alex Rodriguez added a bomb of his own and then there was Hughes making his own little bit of history. The Yankees embattled starter held the Tigers to just four hits, one run and struck out eight in pitching the first nine-inning complete game of his career. (Hughes had a six-inning complete game victory earlier in his career). Hughes threw a career-high 123 pitches in evening his record at 5-5 on the season. And, oh yeah, he outpitched the reigning MVP and Cy Young award winner. It was yet another reason why anyone who says the Yankees should dump Hughes from the rotation are completely off base.
The Low Point
The Saturday loss to Detroit still stings, especially for bringing back memories of the postseason failures a year ago against those same Tigers. In the ALDS last year, every single Yankee not named Jorge Posada failed to get a hit in a big spot. It resulted in a five-game exit, losing the clincher in the Bronx. So, when Cano popped up with the bases loaded against a pitcher who couldn't throw the ball anywhere near the plate, it was a painful reminder. Anyone care to remember the Yankees bailing out Joaquin Benoit in Game 5 last year when he was on the verge of imploding? It had that same feel, even though it wasn't a playoff game. Cano failed and even with a walk and RBI by Teixeira, the Yankees lost a great opportunity to take the lead and hand the ball to Rafael Soriano for the save. The Yankees lost the game in the bottom of the ninth, wasting what would have been a giant statement against one of the better teams in baseball.
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| Curtis Granderson hit a grand slam against Detroit. (AP photo) |
Three Up
Phil Hughes: This one is pretty obvious. Hughes threw the first complete game of his career Sunday afternoon, beating Verlander and the Tigers. He solidified his spot in the Yankees starting rotation.
Russell Martin: We've ripped Martin consistently this season for his poor play, but maybe this past week could be a sign he's finally turning things around. He went 6-for-19 on the Yankees road trip with three doubles and a pair of RBI. He raised his season average by almost 20 points. While he's still batting under .200, more weeks like this one and he'll be back to respectable before we know it.
Hiroki Kuroda: He finally put together back-to-back strong performances this past week, throwing eight scoreless innings in a victory over Oakland and then allowed just two runs in seven innings in a no-decision against the Tigers. If he can keep the bad performances to a minimum, the Yankees' rotation will feature as good a top three as any team in baseball.
Three Down
Robinson Cano: The Yankees second baseman was 4-for-26 this week, including that terrible at-bat Saturday we keep writing about. Cano has the talent to be the best player in baseball right now, he needs to start reaching that potential soon.
Nick Swisher: He's 4-for-his-last-20, dropping his season average to .243. Luckily, he makes the hits he does get count, with four RBI on those knocks. But his no extra base hits have slowed to a crawl since a red-hot start this season.
Ivan Nova: He has been the luckiest pitcher on the Yankees this season, which could run out at some point. Despite a 6-2 record, Nova has a 5.60 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. But he keeps getting wins. The Yankees will take the latter all day, but with that ERA, there's little chance it will continue.
What's Next?
The Yankees get an off day Monday to prepare for a very important week ahead. First, it's a battle for first place in the AL East as division-leading Tampa Bay Rays come into the Bronx Tuesday for the first of a three-game series. Then, it's the Subway Series this coming weekend, with the surging New York Mets coming to the Stadium for three games. The opener, Friday night, should feature Johan Santana on the mound, fresh off his history-making no-hitter for the Mets.
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