N.Y. Yankees: Evil Empire Once Again Undone By Rebel Forces

From the desk of: THE SULTANS OF SO WHAT

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Rays defeat Yankees; 3-2

I - NYY 9; TBR 3

II - TBR 7; NYY 5

III - TBR 8; NYY 4

IV - NYY 5; TBR 1

V - TBR 2; NYY 1

A.L. East Champion Tampa Bay Rays Eliminate Bronx Bummers

The Yankees lineup features a keen balance of young talent and veteran leadership, as well as this season's American League batting champion and home run leader.  Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are healthy and in the line-up together.  Kyle Igashioka is batting over .300 and providing a needed upgrade behind the plate in place of beleaguered catcher Gary Sanchez.  On the mound, New York's $300 million dollar man is on the mound while one of baseball's more formidable closers stands at the ready.

Entering Game Five the Yankees have everything perfectly set up.  All is going according to Brian Cashman's plan.

Pitching on only two days rest, Tampa "opener" Tyler Glasnow allows no runs and no hits in 2.1 innings pitched.  In the fourth inning Aaron Judge takes reliever Nick Anderson deep to right for a 1-0 Yankees lead.  Tampa ties the score in the bottom of the fifth when right fielder Austin Meadows connects against Gerrit Cole who is pitching on three days rest.  In the bottom of the sixth Brett Gardner reaches above the left field wall to intercept left fielder Randy Arozarena's potential home run.  Aaron Boone immediately makes a pitching change.  Enter Zach Britton who holds Tampa scoreless for 1.1 innings.  After which Aroldis Chapman is brought into the game with two outs in the seventh.  Rays reliever Peter Fairbanks contributes two scoreless innings and Diego Castillo holds the Yankees scoreless in the top of the eighth.  With one out in the bottom of the eighth Michael Brosseau deposits Aroldis Chapman's tenth offering of the at-bat into the left field seats for a 2-1 Rays lead.  Diego Castillo closes out the game with strikeouts of Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit and retiring Gio Urshela on a liner to third.  The A.L. East champs win the series three games against two and advance to the ALCS versus the waiting and defending World Series champion Houston Astros.  

#StayAngry

The Yankees fall short of their mission statement, again, forgoing an opportunity to avenge last year's ALCS loss against the Astros.  With no banging garbage cans anywhere to be heard the Yankees have no excuses.  No Luis Severino?  No, sorry, that's hardly a viable reason why the Yankees lost in five to Tampa.

They couldn't prompt the offensive machine at will when faced with superior post-season pitching.  Home run or nothing loses again.  The Yankees do not string together hits.  That's a difficult task with Aaron Judge batting second and Giancarlo Stanton hitting clean-up.  Despite a .316 average in the series, Stanton's six home runs are largely inconsequential.  Aaron Judge goes 4 for 30 (.133) with three home runs, five runs batted in and ten strikeouts.  Together, Stanton and Judge combine to hit .214 (12 for 56) with nine home runs, 18 runs batted in and 20 strikeouts.  The Yankees strikeout eleven times in Game Five and 18 times in Game Two (accounting for 66% of their allotted outs).  Yet, Yankee analytics say strikeouts be damn; it's better than grounding into a double play.  

Therefore ... the Sultans of So What!

Someone tried getting too cute and completely botched Game Two.  Without knowing who is largely responsible, both Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone are equally to blame.  They tried outsmarting the small market Rays and failed.  This is the organization Chaim Bloom left behind in favor of the Boston Red Sox position.  Cashman the general manager needs to reassess himself and this grand master plan of his.  Some on the outside looking in might say Cashman has done everything perfectly.  But the results do not agree.

Game Two essentially becomes a lesson in upper management meddling and analytical oversight.  You can not script games ... at least not like the Rays.  Aaron Boone was clearly left speechless.  But when Jordan Montgomery saved the Yankees from elimination, Game Two became less of an issue.  Now that the Yankees have bowed out of the playoffs Game Two again becomes a most glaring issue.

Brian Cashman has essentially recruited a bland band of narrowly focused stormtroopers.  Armed with analytics the Yankees have become robotic and stationary.  I'm sure everyone knows what bad shots stormtroopers are - these aren't the pitches you're looking for.  The Yankees ability to tap into the force at the flick of a switch is equally suspect.  Analytics may steer teams during the regular season when the law of averages rule the day.  The playoffs, however, require far more humanism in order to deal with the nuance of short series baseball.

Michael Brosseau avenges an Aroldis Chapman fastball aimed right at his head back in September.  

Tampa outclasses the mighty Bronx Bombers.

The Evil Empire is once again outdone by smaller rebel forces.

N.Y. Yankees: Giancarlo Stanton TKO's Rays in Game One

From the desk of: BLAME CARLOS MAY

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Yankees lead Rays; 1-0

I - NYY 9; TBR 3

Bronx Bombers Pick Up Where They Leave Off

Seven times during the regular season the Rays hit multiple home runs against the Yankees.  They do it again in Game One.  After taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Aaron Hicks' sac-fly, left fielder Randy Arozarena homers off Gerrit Cole tying the score at one.  Clint Frazier gives the Yanks a 2-1 lead with a home run in the third.  One inning later Ji-Man Choi gives the Rays a 3-2 lead with a two run home run to center.  But that's where the Rays power surge stops and that of the Yankees begins.  Kyle Higashioka and Aaron Judge each hit a solo home run in the fifth.  Aaron Hicks drives home two more runs in the ninth with a single and Giancarlo Stanton caps off the Yankees scoring with a grand slam against reliever Chad Curtiss.  Overall, the lineup cranks out 15 hits in 39 at-bats (.384) and the bullpen tosses three scoreless innings.  Although still prone to the long ball, Gerrit Cole yields three runs on six hits and two walks with eight strikeouts through six innings for the win.

In four starts against the Rays Cole has yielded twelve runs on 18 hits and eight walks with 35 strikeouts through 22.1 innings pitched for a 4.88 earned run average. 

The Yankees now have 38 hits through three playoff games.  Eleven have gone for home runs.  Giancarlo Stanton now leads the pack with three and Aaron Judge has two.  However, Stanton and Judge have no other hits, just five home runs.  Just five home runs, imagine that.  Stanton's grand slam is the Yankees second of the playoffs.  Luke Voit has yet to go long in three playoff games, but leads the team with three doubles.

With a game one victory Aaron Boone is afforded an opportunity to start rookie Deivi Garcia who has just six games of MLB experience.  This sets up Masahiro Tanaka to either clinch the series or steer the Yankees clear of a two game skid.  Garcia last started on 9/26 against the Marlins in which he surrenders four runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts.  In six starts Garcia has allowed 19 runs (4.98 ERA) on 35 hits and six walks with 33 strikeouts.

N.Y. Yankees: Tampa Bay Rays Seek to Topple Evil Empire

From the desk of: BLAME CARLOS MAY

AMERICAN LEAGUE 

DIVISION SERIES

New York Yankees

vs.

Tampa Bay Rays

FROM

BUBBLE BALLPARK

HEAD TO HEAD

Regular Season Results

AT THE PLATE

• Season Series - Rays 8 wins;  Yankees 2 wins
• Total Runs - Rays 47;  Yankees 34
• Team Average - Rays (69/312) .221;  Yankees (69/316) .218
• Extra Base Hits - Rays 34;  Yankees 22
• Home Runs - Rays 16;  Yankees 13

STARTING PITCHING

Tampa Bay

• Trevor Richards - two starts; 8.2 innings; 9 hits; 2 runs; 2 walks; 9 K; 2.19 ERA
• Tyler Glasnow - three starts; 14.1 innings; 9 hits; 6 runs; 7 walks; 22 K; 3.82 ERA
• Blake Snell - two starts; 8 innings; 4 hits; 3 runs; 4 walks; 8 K; 3.37 ERA
• Tampa bullpens three other games.
• Charlie Morton and Josh Fleming.

New York

• Masahiro Tanaka - three starts; 15 innings; 12 hits; 7 runs; 1 walk; 14 K; 4.20 ERA
• Gerrit Cole - three starts; 16.1 innings; 12 hits; 9 runs; 6 walks; 27 K; 5.03 ERA
• James Paxton - two starts; 11.1 innings; 5 hits; 6 runs; 5 walks; 19 K; 4.86 ERA
• Yankees bullpen two other games.
• J.A. Happ and Deivi Garcia.

BULLPEN

• Tampa Bay - 54 innings; 47 hits; 21 runs; 22 walks; 49 K; 3.50 ERA
• New York - 41 innings; 31 hits; 23 runs; 27 walks; 39 K; 5.04 ERA

"We don't like them; they don't like us." - Tampa center fielder Kevin Kiermaier

Tampa Bay is the reigning A.L. East champion.  They won the division by seven games over the Yankees.  Forty victories led the American League and were second in MLB behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.  This is the Rays sixth ever trip into the post-season.

When these teams last met Aroldis Chapman whizzed a 100mph fastball near the head of Tampa first baseman Mike Brosseau.  It was only the latest in a string of occurrences involving pitchers (Masahiro Tanaka) throwing with intent following incidents in August and September.  Although, this merely scratches the surface.  Lest we forget CC Sabathia was also involved in past incidences. 

Gerrit Cole is a New York Yankee for this very reason: to beat the Tampa Bay Rays and help lift the Yankees to another championship.  This is when he is supposed to earn his keep, or not.  He's been inclined to yield the long ball.  Against Cleveland in the first round Cole yielded two runs, one home run, on six hits and no walks with 13 strikeouts.   

N.Y. Yankees: Bronx Bombers Rain Destruction at Progressive Field

From the desk of: BLAME CARLOS MAY

AMERICAN LEAGUE

WILD CARD ROUND

GAME ONE

Yankees   12

Indians      3

FINAL

GERRIT COLE JOINS ELITE COMPANY

New York announces their presence with authority.  

With mission in hand they open the bomb bay doors dropping four high kiloton dingers upon Progressive Field.  

Aaron Judge zeroes in right away when he blasts Shane Bieber's fourth pitch of the game over the right/center field wall for a prompt 2-0 lead.  Gleyber Torres also hits a two run home run off Bieber in the fifth.  Reliever Cameron Hill yields yet another two run home run off the bat of Bret Gardner in the seventh and Giancarlo Stanton closes out the Bronx Bombers barrage with a solo home run in the ninth.

The bottom portion of the lineup proves particularly devastating.  Number seven batter Gleyber Torres is a perfect 4 for 4 with a walk, three runs scored and three runs batted in and batting eighth  Brett Gardner goes 3 for 5 with two runs scored and three runs batted in.  The Yankees hit a combined 15 for 41 (.365), with five extra base hits, three walks and ten strikeouts.

American League Cy Young candidate Shane Bieber does not make it through the fifth.  It's easily his worst outing of the season.  Despite seven strikeouts he yields seven runs on nine hits and two walks through 4.2 innings pitched.

Otherwise, this is why Gerrit Cole gets paid the big bucks.  He joins Tom Seaver as the only two pitchers with 13 strikeouts and no walks in a post-season game, according to @MLBStats.  He surrenders just two runs on six hits through 7.0 innings pitched.  He throws 105 pitches with 73 (69%) going for strikes.

Gerrit Cole or not, the Indians can not play catch-up ball against the Yankees.  They go 8 for 35 with eight hits, three for extra bases, one walk and 14 strikeouts.  Left fielder Josh Naylor is the only disruptive bat of the lot, going 4 for 4 with a double, home run and two runs scored.

The Yankees play a clean game in the field after leading the circuit with 48 errors.

Masahiro Tanaka goes in game two.  This is his fifth post-season with the Yankees over which he's nothing but brilliant.  Through eight appearances dating back from 2015 Tanaka owns a 5-3 record with a 2.13 ERA and a stellar 0.90 WHiP.  He has walked just 11 batters and fanned 37 while yielding just 25 hits through 46.0 innings pitched.  In ten regular season starts Tanaka posted a 3-3 record with a 3.56 ERA and 1.17 WHiP.  He has allowed 48 hits in 48.0 innings pitched with eight walks and 44 strikeouts.

Cleveland is counting on 33-year old right-hander Carlos Carrasco to help stave off elimination.  He went 3-4 in twelve starts with a 2.91 ERA and 1.21 WHiP, and struck out a robust 82 batters in 68.0 innings pitched.

N.Y. Yankees: Streaky Bombers Open Playoffs Against Cleveland Indians

From the desk of: BLAME CARLOS MAY

ROAD TRIP!

AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

WILD CARD ROUND

New York Yankees

vs.

Cleveland Indians

FROM

Not League Park

The rollercoaster ride which has been the 2020 New York Yankees regular season is about to take another two-G turn around the bend.  

Next Stop: Cleveland, Ohio, for the Wild Card round against the Indians.

This was clearly not the season the Yankees anticipated.  After jumping out to a 16-6 start, they go 5-15 over their next twenty games to flatten out at 21-21, then go on a decisive ten game win streak before stumbling into the post-season winners of just two of their final eight games.  Bronx finishes second in the A.L. East behind the Tampa Bay Rays and enter the playoffs as the five seed with a slightly lower winning percentage than the Indians.  All games if the series goes three will be at Progressive Field.

New York owns the advantage at the plate:

• AVG - Yankees #6 (.247); Indians #12 (.228)
• OPS - Yankees #1 (.789); Indians #13 (.689)
• RUNS - Yankees #1 (315); Indians #13 (248)

Cleveland owns the advantage in pitching:

• ERA - Indians #1 (3.29); Yankees #8 (4.35)
• WHiP - Indians #1 (1.11); Yankees #5 (1.24)

The offensive disparity is notable.  Cleveland struggled enough to be overlooked.  But they're obviously better than the numbers indicate.  If the Indians play with a lead, they'll own the advantage.  However, trouble awaits them if forced to play catch-up.  After all, the Yankees were one of three A.L. teams to eclipse 90 home runs.  They are better equipped for comeback baseball.  Cleveland's lineup just isn't as lengthy as that of the Yankees, who one through nine can instantly change the outcome of a game.  Plus, with Gary Sanchez in semi-benched status that cluster of strikeouts packed into the middle of the lineup also featuring Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton is somewhat lessened.  Otherwise, the disparity in pitching is less discernible.  Advantage: Yankees.

Game one will feature an extraordinary match-up pitting Gerrit Cole against Shane Bieber.  Cole posted a 7-3 record with a 2.84 ERA over twelve starts and 73.0 innings pitched.  Cy Young candidate Shane Bieber was 8-1 with a stellar 1.63 ERA through twelve starts and 77.1 innings pitched.

Masahiro Tanaka is penciled in for game two and will be opposed by Carlos Carrasco.  Tanaka was 3-3 with a 3.56 ERA in ten starts.  Carrasco posts a similar 3-4 record in twelve starts but with a 2.91 ERA.

If this series requires a decisive game three ... we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

N.Y. Yankees: Bombers Flirting With Historic Start

From the desk of: BLAME CARLOS MAY

JUDGE PUNISHING 

OPPOSING PITCHERS

BRONX BOMBERS OFFERING NO QUARTER

Aaron Judge, like the Yankees, is off to a freakish start.  He is also demonstrating the benefits of the season commencing in July.  Had the season started on time in April, an injured Judge wold not have been in the Opening Day lineup.  Be that as it may, a fully healthy Aaron Judge is presently batting .314 through his first 35 at-bats.  Of his eleven hits, six have gone for home runs.  He is slugging over nine, for Pete's sake.  Meanwhile, the Yankees as a team lead the majors in (20) home runs, slugging, and OPS.

On the mound, off-season acquisition Gerrit Cole is likewise off to a fine 3-0 start with a 2.61 ERA, allowing ten hits and five walks, with sixteen strikeouts, through three starts and 17.2 innings pitched.  As I write, per SNY-TV, Cole is 19-0 with a 1.86 ERA, 0.81 WHiP, and a 13.3 K/9 average over his last 25 starts dating back to last season.

With Monday's victory over former manager Joe Girardi and the Philadelphia Phillies, the Bronx Bombers improve to 8-1.  For the moment no team has lost less games than the Yanks, none except the Marlins, that is, whom are frozen in quarantine with a 2-1 record.  This is the third time in Bomber history they have gotten off to an 8-1 start.  The first time comes in 1988, and the second time occurs to start the 2003 season.

It just so happens the Yankees in baseball history own three of the top five records through the first sixty games of a regular season.

• 1912 - New York Giants; 48-11-1
• 1939 - New York Yankees; 47-13
• 1953 - New York Yankees; 46-14
• 1998 - New York Yankees; 46-14
• 2001 - Seattle Mariners; 47-13

Nine games into the season, the Yankees are presently on course for 45 victories.

Make no mistake: the Evil Empire is once again fully armed and operational.  Just ask Aroldis Chapman, who has been cleared to return.  He should be rejoining the team shortly.