I’m grumpy. Yeah, I’m irritable today. I am sure that the sudden soreness originating from my neck and traveling into the upper back isn’t helping. No more weights for awhile. No crunches. No planks. Walking on solid surfaces or indoor recumbent biking. Ugh.
I am pretty sure the weather is playing a factor in my grumpiness too. We have had a heap of humidity with the remnants of T.S. Fred (Fred? What a name for a tropical system!!), a stalled front and the onset of T.S Henri surging towards Long Island and New England where it will become a Category 1 hurricane. A nice 80-85 degree day with puffy clouds and low humidity would suit me just fine.
I’m even overwhelmed by the number of tomatoes ripening in my little garden. I have 20 ripe tomatoes on the vine or in my garage to be devoured. I never heard of a tomato smoothie before, so I guess hat I will be eating them daily at lunch and dinner. Or making sauce. Three or four a week might have been a bit nicer.
What isn’t making me too grumpy is the play of the New York Yankees. With the wins over the Minnesota Twins at the Stadium on Thursday and Friday nights, the Bombers are riding a season-high 8 game winning streak. This streak would have been 9 wins in a row if they had won the Field of Dreams game. Since the July 31 trade deadline, the team is a staggering 18-4. Talk about a turn around.
At this point, which is hard to believe, the Yankees are the top Wild Card team, with a 1/2 game advantage over Oakland and a 1 1/2 game marking over the slumping Red Sox. Winning has made them relevant in the A.L. East again, with the team trailing Tampa Bay by only 5 games. The Rays and the Yankees finish the season with a three game set at Yankee Stadium in October. That is looking to be more and more a series which could determine the post-season ambitions for the two franchises. And remember—the teams dislike each other intensely.
Somehow, the Yankees are getting the job done. During this August stretch, Anthony Rizzo, Aroldis Chapman, Luke Voit, Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela, Domingo German, Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, Miguel Andujar, Corey Kluber, Clint Frazier and Clint Holmes have been out of the lineup at various times. These are some serious moving parts not available for Manager Aaron Boone.
Yet the team has overcome Boston’s 10 1/2 game lead—which is the third biggest deficit overcome by either team in the rivalry—and become a veritable monster. Plus some of the necessary cogs are beginning go get better.
I am still not totally enamored with this team. They lead MLB in the most games played where the score differential was 2 or fewer runs. And they have the most wins in those contests. With a bullpen that causes one to scratch one’s head and wonder: “Who are these guys?”
Chapman returned and he melted down and needed to be removed from the Yankee Stadium mound on Wednesday night before he cost the Yanks the game. Former All-Star Zach Britton, once a closer himself with the Orioles, isn’t right yet after his COVID battles and elbow surgery; he is an uncertainty as the season presses towards September. Chad Green almost blew the game on Thursday night, looking shaky while surrendering a long home run to the Twins’ slugger Miguel Sano, who, if I heard Michael Kay correctly, has hit 10 home runs in his first 20 games against the Yankees. That is a record.
The Yankees lineup on Thursday night featured Voit as the DH, batting lead off; Rizzo, back at first, was up second; Aaron Judge, the team’s leader and normally the right fielder, was in center and batting third; Joey Gallo was in left and hitting cleanup; Giancarlo Stanton was out in right field and batting fifth. That is one formidable group.
While Voit has begun to contribute since his return from injury, the player of the game was Kyle Higashioka. He drove in 3 runs, which included a two run homer, and threw out a runner attempting to steal second.
Then there is the local kid, Andrew Velazquez. Filing in for Torres at shortstop, he has become a key contributor and highlight reel player while living his dream of playing for his hometown club. The 27 year old switch hitter is living at home; he has had a smattering of major league games under his belt. While he is hitting.269, he has put together two multi-hit games in a row, shown blazing speed and made a game saving stop and throw to end the Wednesday night victory. He has become a wow factor for this club.
Speaking of clubbing, Stanton is absolutely tearing the cover off of the ball. He hit a home run on Thursday night into the lower right field stands which took three seconds to reach the seats from the time it left his bat. The ball struck a young man in the head and bounced higher into the happy fans. Thankfully the boy was all right and he received a ball from a very concerned umpire.
Despite everything, Judge is his old self—even stealing bases. Rizzo and Gallo are contributing more than their lower batting averages would indicate. The Yankees needed more left-handed hitting and, with the resurgence of Tyler Wade and Brett Gardner, the Yankees lineup is hard to contain.
This team has become so deep with starting pitching for the moment. Cole and Montgomery returned and were right back in form. Andrew Heaney two hit Boston for seven innings. Nestor Cortes, Jr. has been a revelation as fifth starter.
The return of Cole, Montgomery and Chapman necessitated the return of Luis Gil to Scranton-Wiles-Barre. All that Gil did was log a 0.00 E.R.A. as a starter. Which is a shame because he has demonstrated a mound presence beyond his 23 years. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Gil is he only major league pitcher since 1893 to throw at least 4 2/3 scoreless innings in each of his first three appearances. Right now there is simply no place for him to pitch for the big boys, and with Kluber nearing a return, it is even more remote that Gil will be with the Yankees until the rosters expand to 28 players in September.
The Yankees have 40 games left in the season. There are three more with the Twins. Then the team starts a defining 9 game road trip starting with the red-hot Atlanta Braves, currently in first place in the N.L. East and led by perennial star Freddie Freeman, who has thrust his name into the N.L. M.V.P. conversation. (the A.L. M.V.P. race has already been decided—Shohei Otani of the Angels has hit 40 home runs, driven 88 runs and has an 8-1 record with a 2,79 E.R.A.) With a travel day on Wednesday, the Yankees land in Oakland for four pivotal games. The road trip ends with three contests in Anaheim against Otani and he Angels. The remainder of the schedule has multiple series against the Blue Jays and hapless Orioles; visits by also-rans Cleveland and Texas; with trips to Citi Field to play the Mets, and one visit to Fenway Park to play the Red Sox before the final three games with Tampa Bay.
I have no crystal ball. The torrid stretch has to end, one would expect.
I have a lot of questions which I believe are valid. Is Boston, even with the presence of ace Chris Sale, that bad that they have played themselves out of contention for the division and Wild Card? Will Oakland be able to control the Bombers and their own destiny? How many healthy bodies will be available to significantly contribute in these last 40 games? Could Tampa Bay fall back to the pack beginning with the three games they host the A.L. Central-leading Chicago White Sox this weekend? We shall see and I will continue to watch as best I can.
I watched the Dodgers take on the Mets late on Thursday night. The Mets are in a tizzy. Their owner called the team out for their recent horrible play. While Steven Cohen is right that the statistics show a lack of productivity, maybe he is missing the fact that two stars, Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez are out, and Jacob deGrom isn’t likely to pitch until September—if at all. Doing a George Steinbrenner on this group isn’t going to win their hearts or make them int better hitters. Bombast and shouting along with media hype won’t generate results.
Looking at the Dodgers, I see a heck of a team. In any other years, they would be the best team in MLB. Perhaps they are. The pitching, without lefties Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias, is phenomenal, with Walker Buehler, Max Scherzer and David Price up next to face the Mets.
Let me throw some names at you—Will Smith, Max Muncy, Justin Turner, AJ Pollock. Corey Seager, Trea Turner and Cody Bellinger. These are all All-Stars with immense talent. This team is thriving, going 9-1 in their last 10 games and 15-4 since the trade deadline—with out superstar Mookie Betts in the lineup.
Barring a collapse, and even with a solo bullpen, I think that the Dodgers are the best team in baseball. Unfortunately for them, the San Francisco Giants, their long-time rivals, have amassed a 78-43 record thus far. They meet one more time—September 3-5. Which ought to be special.
LAD’s schedule is difficult. They play the Padres in three series, which are always hotly contested; there are trips to Cincinnati and the suddenly surging St. Louis Cardinals. While the Dodgers do meet poorer teams like the Rockies and D-backs, they host the N.L. Central leading Brewers to end the season. Survive this and have to play in the WildCard game—that’s the way outcomes in baseball sometimes work.
Another baseball item of note. On last Saturday night, Arizona rookie righty Tyler Gilbert tossed the eighth no-hitter this season in his first start and only fourth MLB game. The no-hitter against the Padres broke the record for the most no-hitters in a season.
Which was not unexpected. This is the season of the pitcher despite the crackdown on foreign substances.
What astonished me was that Gilbert was not the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his first start. Three. Others have accomplished that feat—the last was the infamous Bob Holloman of the St. Louis Browns in 1953.
Also, earlier in the week, Cincinnati’s Joey Votto just crossed the 2000 mark in base hits. Votto has a career .303 average along with 322 home runs thus far. Twenty-seven of those homers have come this year and Votto has been a catalyst in bringing a struggling Reds team to 9 games over .500 and within 1 game of the slumping Padres for the second N.L. Wild Card spot.
Votto turns 38 on September 10. He has been hitting like he is 28. A group of experts at MLB.com have conclude that Votto is a lock for the Hall of Fame. He has led the N.L. in on-base percentage in 9 seasons. He was a great fielder at first base. Votto has one M.V.P. under his belt; a second would cinch any indecision voters might have. So would a run in the playoffs—Votto’s teams have not won a game in four visits to the post-season. And if I was voting on the HOF ballot when he is eligible, he would make my list.
Carli Lloyd announced that she will be retiring from competition when she plays her last game with the Women’s U.S. National Soccer team this fall. The Delran, NJ native and Rutgers grad is a two-time FiFA Player of the Year. She has won 2 gold, one silver and two bronze medals in the Olympics for the U.S. women. Lloyd is a two-time FIFA World Cup champion.
The resume is impressive. I remember her at Rutgers when she was playing well above the rest of her team, earning All-American honors. From those solid roots she became the highest paid female soccer player in the world.
Talk about an icon. One who is married to her high school sweetheart, Brian Hollins, who has his own career as a golf professional at the Trenton Country Club.
When I think about U.S. Women’s soccer, I think of Megan Rapinoe, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Julie Fouty and Hope Solo. All winners.
Yet my thoughts always return to Carli Lloyd. Hey, Hamm, Michelle Akers, Wambach and Kristine Lilly are rated ahead of Lloyd. Can’t help myself from being a fan of a RU legend and a Jersey native.
So, with the rainy forecast, I wonder if the Yankees will get their games in with the Twins. Rain delays, postponements and gloomy weather won’t brighten my mood any. I’ll have to find some Netflix or TV program not named Ted Lasso to watch. Oy.
All the King’s horses and all the King’s men might not be able to help Humpty Grumpy this weekend.
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