Will the Yankees have a slot in the postseason when the music stops?
Seattle is not making it easy in the wild card race, going 7-3 over
their last ten games, nor are the Red Sox who have kept pace with the
Yankees., maintaining their lead around five game in the AL East. Musical Chairs
Will the Yankees have a slot in the
postseason when the music stops? Seattle is not making it easy in the
wild card race, going 7-3 over their last ten games, nor are the Red
Sox who have kept pace with the Yankees., maintaining their lead around
five game in the AL East. The Yankees stumbled a bit last week when
they dropped three games in a row (two to Baltimore), but with the
lineup clicking and young arms helping the bullpen, they maintain a
good chance to win every day. They may yet have as much chance of
beating Boston, who plays just as tough a schedule as they do from here
on out, including six match-ups between the two rivals, than of
overtaking the Mariners, who play the hapless White Sox next, while the
Yankees will face their nemesis, the Angels.
The Giambino
It's
been all good news for Jason Giambi this week. Bud Selig stated that
Giambi won't be disciplined by Major League Baseball for admitting to
using the "stuff" during his playing career, largely because Jason is a
nice guy. No really, Selig cited Giambi's hefty charitable
contributions as one reason why no disciplinary action (like a fine)
would be necessary. Giambi and Bonds continue to be a study in
opposites. White/black, humble/arrogant, truthsaying/denying--one
wonders if Bonds had just been less abrasive in his career and the
slightest bit contrite over the controversy if his recent
record-breaking achievements would have been more universally
celebrated. Giambi, meanwhile, has hit four home runs in the nine games
he has played since coming off the disabled list. And he's not even
100% back--he's got only one walk in that span.
Grab Some Bench
The
resurgence of Giambi is part of one happy circumstance for the team
right now. The bench is incredibly strong. Wilson Betemit and Jose
Molina have been strong contributors both offensively and defensively
since they were picked up. Since Melky Cabrera won the everyday center
field job, that puts Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi into a platoon for
daily DH and bench player. The Yankees have not had a weapon like
Giambi on the bench since Chili Davis and Darryl Strawberry filled that
role--and you may recall they won some championships then. Oh and let's
not forget young Shelley Duncan who has hit six homers since his
call-up.
Moose Tracks
After a string of four very good
starts in a row, in which he won all four decisions and only once
earned as many as three runs, Mike Mussina threw a stinker against
Detroit. A first inning grand slam heralded a difficult outing. It
would appear that the umpire behind the plate makes a huge difference
to Mussina now, who pitches on guile and finesse. The same pitches that
are fooling batters are fooling some umpires, too. On nights when
Mussina is not getting a lot of called strikes, he is forced to pitch
more over the plate, where he gets murdered. That was certainly the
case against the Tigers, who were not chipping away with cheap hits.
Angels Devils
No
one can explain why the Angels are the only team in the American League
to post a winning record against the Yankees since 1996. They will be a
supreme test of the October-readiness of the Bronx Bombers this week,
as the Yankees play a three-game set in Anaheim. Philip Hughes, Mike
Mussina, and Andy Pettitte will be taking the hill. One of the pitchers
they will face is relatively new to them, Dustin Mosely. The Yankees
typically struggle against rookies with whom they are unfamiliar, at
least at first, and the strong Angels bullpen makes it feasible for the
kid to only go through the lineup twice. He has faced the Yankees twice
this season as a reliever (earning two runs over 3 innings of work), so
perhaps the rookie 'jinx' will not apply. The other two Halo starters,
Kelvim Escobar and John Lackey are known quantities, and both have been
known to be tough on New York at times.
Black Armbands
Does
it seem like someone in the Yankee family passes away in each
championship season? Mel Allen in 1996, Joe DiMaggio in 1998... Phil
Rizzuto in 2007? The Scooter will be sorely missed, but if you'd like
to be absolutely sure something good comes of his passing, his family
requests that donations be made in his name to the St. Joseph's School
for the Blind, 761 Summit Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07307.
Cecilia
Tan is the author of "The Fifty Greatest Yankee Games" (published by
Wiley). You'll find more of her baseball writing at the online baseball
site "Why I Like Baseball" which she maintains.
