Giese Injured

Dan Giese left today’s game with a “stiff right shoulder”. Right now, that phrase is meaningless until we hear more. Joba Chamberlain had a “stiff shoulder” and is now out until September. This will probably increase Phil Hughes’ chances of returning next week, which would be somewhat premature. But, if Giese can’t make his next scheduled start (Tuesday), it’ll probably happen.

Going Home Empty Handed

The Yankees have won only 5 of their last 13 games and the team looks miserable (see today’s game for proof of that statement). A-Rod can’t hit with RISP, Bobby Abreu’s base running isn’t looking too great (9 CS in 23 attempts), Robinson Cano looks like he has his head in the clouds both offensively and defensively (Larry Bowa, come back) and the team just cannot buy a win (evidenced by their $200+ million payroll) as they try to earn a playoff spot.

When you think about it, how do you fix this team’s offensive issues? In reality, what can you do other than send the players out there and hope for the best? Once you do that, barring a dumb managerial move (…), it’s really up to them to produce with men on base and Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi (as well as Robinson Cano), who are supposed to be our biggest offensive producers, have been major disappointments with RISP. You can’t really change that. It’s up to them to buckle down and get some clutch hits. The ineffectiveness of the offense can’t really be attributed to injuries (at least not anymore) since we traded to better the team in that regard. There is one thing that seems very striking about the offense, however, and by recognizing it, the Yankees can certainly do something to help their cause.

That one thing I’m referring to is Melky Cabrera. Melky Cabrera has been a burden on the team (offensively), and he’s actually been one of the worst starting players in the AL (of all the players with at least 100 games in CF, this season, Melky ranks last in OPS). With underperformances from Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano, as well as having a lesser offensive catcher (Posada to Pudge) than the team is normally used to, Melky’s presence in the lineup is amplified (along with actual offensive contributions). If Jeter and Cano were hitting .320 and if Pudge was actually getting on base, then, maybe, Melky’s bat could be tolerated. But, that’s not the case, and instead of picking up the slack for the rest of his teammates, he’s having just a terrible year. So, the entire lineup, especially the bottom of the order (Pudge’s OBP is .292), is further weakened by him being in the game and having regular at-bats. It was evident today with Jeter out, as Wilson Betemit and Melky Cabrera were both in the game (that is, for the most part, 2 “easy” outs).

No one can solely blame Melky Cabrera for the Yankees season, thus far. However, his noodle-like bat has acted like a large hole in an aging boat that is already taking on water. The Yankees probably stuck with Melky for longer than they should have, but it seems as though they’re realizing the mistake as he has been eased out the lineups lately. As it stands today, the team needs Hideki Matsui more than ever, if only to rid the Yankee lineup of Melky Cabrera completely. Whatever Matsui can offer over Melky will be welcomed with open arms, as he was hitting .338 with RISP and .323 for the year.

Game 121: Yanks VS. Twins

Here’s the lineup courtesy of PA:

YANKEES (64-56)
Damon LF
Abreu DH
A. Rodriguez 3B
Giambi 1B
Nady RF
Cano 2B
I. Rodriguez C
Betemit SS
Cabrera CF
Rasner RHP

What a wonderful bottom of the order. Betemit and Cabrera (why not stick Jose Molina in there while you’re at it)? Well, Jeter is out after fouling a ball off of his foot in yesterday’s game, so Melky’s return to CF is simply the result of that minor injury (with Betemit moving to SS). The team could really use Hideki Matsui’s bat (he’s running the bases again today), and when he returns, it looks like Melky will finish the season from the bench and Damon will be the regular CF.

UPDATE (2:41) — Quick update as I watch Darrell Rasner pitch a solid game (hopefully the bats will get going) against the Twins. First, Derek Jeter will only be out for today and should return to the lineup on Friday (for the Kansas series). Also, in light of Rasner’s effort, I think it’s important to note that Phil Hughes pitched 5 1/3 strong innings last night (AAA), giving up 2 ER, 1 BB and he struck out 4 (he was throwing 93-94 mph). Rasner’s performance (so far) is good enough to keep him in the rotation for another week. Basically, if Hughes returns, the team will feature a rotation of Mussina, Pettitte, Hughes, Rasner and Ponson. I’d expect Giese to stay in the pen since Girardi seems to like having him as a reliever.

We’ll Take It

Last night we all witnessed a game that was symbolic of the Yankees’ season. It was a terribly frustrating affair and throughout the game it just seemed like our pitching wasn’t good enough to win, and it also seemed like our hitting wasn’t good enough either. Everything just seemed so mediocre and when Mariano gave up that homer (on an 0-2 count), I figured that was it for the Yankees. But, then A-Rod showed up on his white horse (Madonna must have bought it for him) and delivered a game-changing homer. That effectively opened up the flood gates and the Yankees finally got the win after 12 long innings.

At this junction, and as we near the end of the season, a win is a win no matter how frustrating the journey was to get it. The losing streak is now over. Hopefully we can string something together before it really is too late.