On getaway day in Detroit, the Yankees looked like a team that was about two feet from hopping on the airplane, anxious to get out of one of the ugliest stadiums in all of sports. C.C. Sabathia was horrendous, and Justin Verlander continued to have his way with the Yankees, who swung at everything and anything in order to escape the Motor City before finally returning to the Bronx. The Yankees have played the fewest amount of home games in all of baseball, tied at 12 with the Atlanta Braves. The Boston Red Sox have played 23 games at Fenway, the Mets have 22 at Citi Field, and even the Rays have had 15 contests in the dump of a dome that they call home. Major League Baseball needs to be questioned in terms of the impartiality of their schedule-making team.
I'll start with this: the Yankees are banged up, there's no doubt about it. Three of their regular starters didn't play today: Johnson, Granderson, and Swisher. Why we acquired Johnson and Granderson is beyond me, but that's another discussion that you can probably find all over this blog. But the Yankees' lineup should still be good enough without those guys, but they're not and here's why:
1. DEREK JETER- Captain Clutch is playing like he's in a hurry to hit up his next party with Minka Kelly. How many times does he start a game by swinging at the first pitch and grounding out to shortstop or second base? He had a horrendous road trip, and the average has now dipped below .270. We can't give him a day off though, because we've seen what Ramiro Pena brings to the table.
2. MARK TEIXEIRA- The RBI's are getting up there for Tex, but the sub-.200 average is a disgrace for mid-May. If not for one big day at Fenway Park, which included a two run homer against an outfielder, his numbers would be downright awful. Tex is another guy who seems to be infatuated with grounding out to second base.
3. ALEX RODRIGUEZ- A-Rod has by far been the biggest disappointment in the Yankee lineup this season. He has just three homers, and none of them had very much impact on the game in which they occurred. I'm not sure if he's playing hurt and not telling anyone, or the PED withdrawal is really starting to catch up with him psychologically. Either way, he's got to get going.
4. ROBINSON CANO- This is not an attack on Cano, because he's still hitting way above .300. But it needs to be pointed out that he has completely cooled off in the month of May, contributing just about nothing to the offense. Needless to say, it's not his job to carry the team all the time.
All in all, the Yankees just looked like they did not want to be in Detroit all week. They were shut down by a reliever making an emergency start, Rick Porcello, and Justin Verlander. You could even argue that Jeremy Bonderman shut them down, since 6 of the 8 runs scored last night came against the bullpen, and they came on cheap hits. Joe Girardi has to be questioned after this road trip. The team just seemed satisfied with winning 2 of 3 against Boston, and really took the next several days off. With Tampa Bay ahead of you, it's not advisable to go through the motions until something better comes along.
Looking ahead...The Yankees finally return home for 7 games, but they are not against push over teams. They host the Minnesota Twins for three. The Twinkies, like the Yankees, stand at 22-12. We know the Yanks have owned Minnesota in years past, but something's gotta give for the Twins. Then the Yankees host two two-game series at home against Boston and Tampa. I think we know that anything can happen in any of those games. Then, the Yankees head across town to play the Mets at Citi Field. Despite their problems, the Mets are a solid team at home. All in all, things don't get easier for the banged up Yankees, who are trying to keep their heads above water until some of their regulars return to form.
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