Woe are the Yankees, doomed to oblivion by home futility before unsold sections, the excavation of their captain, the looming Hurler from Hell and a lineup sucking wind through a toothpick. Their fans, conditioned to World Series entitlement, are tearing out hair and rending garments.
The end is nigh.
Sure, but...
True, Derek Jeter, a bronze bust-in-waiting and several wins a year better than a replacement level player like Eduardo Nunez, will watch in a cast.
True, three of the next five games are in Detroit, and two of them will be pitched for the Tigers by the baddest thrower on Planet Earth.
True, the middle of the order is waving at distant pitches -- in the dirt, around their chest, in the visiting dugout. Nick Swisher is 4-for-26. Alex Rodriguez is 3-for-23 with 12 strikeouts. Curtis Granderson is 3-for-26. And for you momentum fans, Robinson Cano entered the playoffs hitting .615/.628/1.026 in his last nine games. In the seven since, he's 0-for-26.
Things look bleak.
But baseball is a fickle game. Justin Verlander gets strafed now and then. Guys break 0-for-26 skids with multi-homer games. Whole lineups slump together and then revive as one. Two wins -- one, two -- change everything. Then suddenly home field has returned. The crowds come back. The other team's on its heels. And CC takes the ball.
The modern era of Yankee dominance began in 1996 when the post-Mattingly Bombers met the defending champ Braves in the Fall Classic and got hosed by Maddux and Glavine in the first two games. Then they came back to win the Series in six. They won again in '98, '99 and '00, won the AL in '01 and '03 and took the championship again in '09.
More recently, like last week, the Giants dropped a pair at home to the Reds and came back to sweep a trio of road games to advance to the NLCS. It can happen.
New York remains the best team still standing, wobbly though they've been. That lineup can't remain unhinged forever. Abandon hope all ye who enter here? Okay, unless they win Tuesday.
Showing posts with label Tigers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tigers. Show all posts
15 October 2012
04 October 2009
Snoozing Through Elimination
For the second year in a row, it's coming down to the last day of the season for the Twins...and no one outside of Minnesota and Michigan much cares.
Last year, the Twins and and White Sox needed a 163rd game to settle the AL Central, which the Sox captured in a thrilling 1-0 game, only to be obliterated by Tampa in the first round of the playoffs.
This year, it's the Twins and Tigers knotted after 161 games and possibly headed for seasonal overtime. This should be high drama, but even the one tight race is failing to capture our imagination. The reason is obvious: the victor simply earns the right to become Yankee cannon fodder.
The squad that prevails in this race will stand alone among playoff teams without 90 wins. Moreover, they will sport just the fifth best record in the American League, and arguably occupy just sixth place in team quality, behind Texas, Tampa and the contenders.
Just look at the pitching options facing Jim Leyland and Ron Gardenhire in the critical last days of the season. Gardenhire has sent to the mound Jeff Manship, a rookie with a 5.68 ERA, and Francisco Liriano, who is still recovering from TJ surgery and sporting a 5-13, 5.84 line. Leyland was forced to counter with the likes of rookie Alfredo Figaro, a rookie with 17 inings of experience and a 6.35 ERA, and Eddie Bonine, whose 61 lifetime innings and 4.81 ERA make him the star of the group. You think the Yankees are even scouting these two teams?
On the other hand, the rest of the playoffs could be a doozy. The Rockies won the right to avoid the Cardinals by virtue of their loss to the Dodgers last night. That leaves two first-round NL series -- LA-St. Louis and Colorado-Philly -- that are as wide open as Ozzie Guillen's mouth. The remaining AL series -- Boston-L.A. -- also promises fireworks. It's shaping up to be a fabulous post-season, which, as I've mentioned before, seems to vary inversely with the quality of the regular season.
The Yankees and, to a lesser degree, Cardinals have to be viewed as the favorites, particularly considering the special importance of the top three starters, the closer and experience in the postseason. As someone who finds nothing intriguing about one team dominating the sport by signing all the best free agents, I can think of much more compelling matchups, including any Phillies redux and a freeway series in LA. First though, we have to find out who survives that last elimination game.
b
Last year, the Twins and and White Sox needed a 163rd game to settle the AL Central, which the Sox captured in a thrilling 1-0 game, only to be obliterated by Tampa in the first round of the playoffs.
This year, it's the Twins and Tigers knotted after 161 games and possibly headed for seasonal overtime. This should be high drama, but even the one tight race is failing to capture our imagination. The reason is obvious: the victor simply earns the right to become Yankee cannon fodder.
The squad that prevails in this race will stand alone among playoff teams without 90 wins. Moreover, they will sport just the fifth best record in the American League, and arguably occupy just sixth place in team quality, behind Texas, Tampa and the contenders.
Just look at the pitching options facing Jim Leyland and Ron Gardenhire in the critical last days of the season. Gardenhire has sent to the mound Jeff Manship, a rookie with a 5.68 ERA, and Francisco Liriano, who is still recovering from TJ surgery and sporting a 5-13, 5.84 line. Leyland was forced to counter with the likes of rookie Alfredo Figaro, a rookie with 17 inings of experience and a 6.35 ERA, and Eddie Bonine, whose 61 lifetime innings and 4.81 ERA make him the star of the group. You think the Yankees are even scouting these two teams?
On the other hand, the rest of the playoffs could be a doozy. The Rockies won the right to avoid the Cardinals by virtue of their loss to the Dodgers last night. That leaves two first-round NL series -- LA-St. Louis and Colorado-Philly -- that are as wide open as Ozzie Guillen's mouth. The remaining AL series -- Boston-L.A. -- also promises fireworks. It's shaping up to be a fabulous post-season, which, as I've mentioned before, seems to vary inversely with the quality of the regular season.
The Yankees and, to a lesser degree, Cardinals have to be viewed as the favorites, particularly considering the special importance of the top three starters, the closer and experience in the postseason. As someone who finds nothing intriguing about one team dominating the sport by signing all the best free agents, I can think of much more compelling matchups, including any Phillies redux and a freeway series in LA. First though, we have to find out who survives that last elimination game.
b
11 August 2008
Of Bengals and Bombers
While watching the Yankees and Tigers conclude a pair of three-game series (thanks to rain postponing game 7), it struck me how similar these two teams are. Tell me which one I'm describing:
1. They have a big payroll and face high expectations.
2. They have a well-respected manager.
3. They have a roster that's expected to mash.
4. Their rotation needs a rotation. It's aging in the middle.
5. The bullpen is stronger than the starting corps. The best hurler on the team is a reliever.
6. They've been inconsistent so far and have fallen behind their main competition.
7. Fans hold their breath every time a ball is hit near their first baseman.
8. Their defense is questionable.
Their destinies may also be linked. Detroit's pitching, which appears to be in worse shape than NY's right now, especially with Verlander and Bonderman spiraling out of control, seems to have little chance of reeling in a balanced Cleveland squad. And the Yanks have their work cut out for them if they expect to rise through the bloody waters of the AL East to get their heads above Boston. It's quite possible that NY and Detroit will compete for the Wild Card.
At this point, the Bombers appear to have a much better team. They have endured much of their troubles with ARod and Posada on the DL, while only Gary Sheffield has battled injuries for the Bengals. The two Yankee pitchers who have flamed out were expected to provide back end support, while the entire Detroit staff has been a disaster. As for defense, the Yankees are the French Resistance, but the Tigers are the Maginot Line.
But Detroit has one thing in its favor: The Twins, White Sox and Royals, not to mention the early struggles of the Tribe. Its race to respectability will be marked by little more than potholes. Of course it might all be moot unless 44-year-old Kenny Rogers starts pitching like it's 1995.
1. They have a big payroll and face high expectations.
2. They have a well-respected manager.
3. They have a roster that's expected to mash.
4. Their rotation needs a rotation. It's aging in the middle.
5. The bullpen is stronger than the starting corps. The best hurler on the team is a reliever.
6. They've been inconsistent so far and have fallen behind their main competition.
7. Fans hold their breath every time a ball is hit near their first baseman.
8. Their defense is questionable.
Their destinies may also be linked. Detroit's pitching, which appears to be in worse shape than NY's right now, especially with Verlander and Bonderman spiraling out of control, seems to have little chance of reeling in a balanced Cleveland squad. And the Yanks have their work cut out for them if they expect to rise through the bloody waters of the AL East to get their heads above Boston. It's quite possible that NY and Detroit will compete for the Wild Card.
At this point, the Bombers appear to have a much better team. They have endured much of their troubles with ARod and Posada on the DL, while only Gary Sheffield has battled injuries for the Bengals. The two Yankee pitchers who have flamed out were expected to provide back end support, while the entire Detroit staff has been a disaster. As for defense, the Yankees are the French Resistance, but the Tigers are the Maginot Line.
But Detroit has one thing in its favor: The Twins, White Sox and Royals, not to mention the early struggles of the Tribe. Its race to respectability will be marked by little more than potholes. Of course it might all be moot unless 44-year-old Kenny Rogers starts pitching like it's 1995.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)