Sunday's late rally overshadow a growing cause for concern
Don’t let Sunday’s gritty come-from-behind win fool you. This Yankees team is still highly flawed and until they can prove otherwise, should not be counted on to win more games like they did on Sunday.
Let me explain. The Yankees pitching
has been stellar this season, particularly out of the bullpen. Domingo German had a rough go of it in two
starts and has been optioned to the alternate site. Jordan Montgomery had a shaky outing in his
second start on Sunday. Nick Nelson got
tagged a bit on Friday in an earlier-than-expected relief appearance. But generally, that’s it. The rest of the New York pitching staff has
been sublime through nine games, yet the Yankees sit at just 4-5. So, what
gives? I’ll tell you what gives: it’s the anemic nature of a supposedly daunting
offense. Particularly in the games' most important moments.
Yes, the Yankees ripped off four
runs in Sunday’s tenth inning of their extra-innings win against the Rays, but
don’t let that cloud your judgement of who they still are right now. As a team on Sunday, the Yankees went just
4-for-15 with runners in scoring position, and three of those hits came during
the four-run tenth inning which began with a runner on second base. If not for the three straight singles the
Yankees strung together from Rougned Odor, Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela, this
might have gone down as one of the most incompetent RISP-showings in Yankees team
history. Let’s back it up.
Top of the third inning, the
Yankees come out hot. Sanchez walk, Urshela two-run HR, Gardner single, LeMahieu
ground-rule double, Judge walk. So the
Yankees started the inning down-two, had already tied the game on Gio’s blast
and immediately re-loaded the bases with a chance to put a massive inning on
the board. So what happens next? Hicks grounds
into a double play, scoring one, but putting two outs on the board. ON THE
FIRST PITCH. Stanton then grounds out
and in an eyeblink, the inning is over and the Yankees only scored one in a
bases-loaded, no out situation. Barf.
Next, we go to the top of the seventh
inning, where the Yankees – down a run at this point – load the bases again for
just about the best hitter you could ask for in this spot in LeMahieu. DJ takes ball one and then puts one of the
worst swings on a baseball I can recall, hitting into another DP and ending the
threat scoreless.
The Yankees were actually able to
get a hit with RISP in the top of the eighth – their lone hit of the afternoon
before extra innings – when Gleyber Torres rifled a single to left to tie the
game at four. So, things were looking
up. Enter the top of the ninth inning. This is where things looked the ugliest.
Gio leads off the frame with a
double and Gardner walks. First and second, nobody out, ninth inning, go-ahead run
in scoring position, Chapman warming. Looking good! But oh no, it gets bad
fast. DJ grounds into a fielder’s choice
that takes out the lead runner. A gift
error by Rays rookie Kevin Padlo, however, allows Gardner to take third. Okay,
not awful. Basically, a bunt. Let’s get him in. But Brett Gardner proceeds to
get picked off third and Judge grounds out and before you can process anything,
the threat is over and we don’t score.
If not for Tampa’s own ineptitude on Sunday in these same spots (0-for-7 with RISP), this is a sweep and we’re
feeling like utter trash today.
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| Photo Credit: Chris O'Meara/AP Photo |
Instances like this are becoming
all too common for the 2021 Yankees in the early going. Yes, it’s only nine games. Yes, there’s
plenty of time to flip the script. But I’m
not loving what I’m seeing from them in these games. How they’re seeing the ball. The swings they’re taking. Their approach at the plate when they’re
coming up in a big spot. It’s U-G-L-Y
and it has already caused me way too much heartburn.
For the three-game series in
Tampa, the Yankees went a combined 5-for-20 with RISP. And it’s not even those spots. It’s the fact
that before Sunday, the Yankees weren’t even getting men into scoring position
(just five total instances over the first two games combined). On Saturday they were shut out. On Friday they
had one big inning against Rich Hill but then were held scoreless the other
eight. And then of course the debacle on
Wednesday night at home against the Orioles.
All in all, the Yankees rank 16th
in runs scored, 12th in batting average, and 18th in slugging percentage
through the second weekend of the season.
Not awful, right? But let’s look at Late and Close situations – plate appearances
in the seventh inning or later in which the game is tied, a team is up by one
run, or they are behind and have the tying run in the on-deck circle. In these situations, the Yankees rank tenth
in batting average, however they’re 15th in runs and 22nd in slugging. Two of the five runs the Yankees have scored in Late
and Close situations this season came in the tenth inning of yesterday’s ballgame (when the
game was tied at four, and then when they were up 5-4).
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| Photo Credit: AP Photo |
There are no shortages of offenders
here, either. Aaron Hicks has looked
horrendous in the number three spot in the lineup. His slash line of .129/.250/.476 is among the
worst of all regular starters across baseball.
Clint Frazier was looking so bad over the last week that he was benched in
favor of Gardner in both Saturday’s and Sunday’s games. Before his game-tying hit on Sunday, Torres
was stringing together some awful at-bats as well. Jay Bruce already looks washed and Yankees
fans are counting down the days until Luke Voit’s return.
In Late and Close situations,
Bruce/Judge/Hicks/Stanton are all hitting .000.
Yes. Zero. The Yankees’ two-three-four hitters don’t have a single hit
in a big spot late in a game this season. That’s almost impossible, yet here we
are. The Yankees’ best hitter in Late
and Close spots through nine games? Just about the last player you’d expect –
it’s Gary Sanchez, who is slashing .750/.833/.750 in these spots. Next best is Gio Urshela who is at .600/.600/1.000. I get these are all small sample sizes, but they're not worth disregarding, either.
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| Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports |
So, was the tenth inning of yesterday's game encouraging? Absolutely. Does every win count the same? Of course it does. Is it something they can built upon in the
week ahead? I sure as hell hope so. But
I’m not ready to forget the struggles this offense has had just yet. Another week of this and we’re looking at a
serious, serious problem. Let’s just
hope that’s a bridge we don’t have to cross.
Article by: Andrew Natalizio
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