Lil Bit Special Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2008/07/17/2008-07-17_with_67_games_to_go_numbers_dont_add_up_.html The Yankees head into the second half of the season with twin credos of "It's not as bad as it could be" and "We need to be more consistent." They have 67 games to prove they can take advantage of the fact that they haven't been buried in the American League East or the wild-card race. And that they can find the elusive consistency that Joe Girardi has been craving - and missing - through a maddeningly uneven, injury-plagued first half in which the Yankees finished 50-45. "We've survived this long and we can certainly play better than we have, I think we all agree with that," Mike Mussina said. "I don't see any reason why we can't start inching our way closer." "You want to get to first place as soon as you can, so the urgency is there," Girardi said. "We have less games to make up ground, which makes it a little more urgent." The third-place Yankees are one game better than they were last season after 95 games, when they went 45-22 (.672) over their last 67 games to win the AL wild card at 94-68. But some might argue that many of their players are not only a year older now, but also a year less effective. If you believe that 94 victories will get them a playoff spot this year, that means they must go 44-23 (.657) in the second half. Maybe the Yankees have to hope for one of those teams to pull a Mets-like collapse. Or they could believe that the baseball ghosts some believe inhabit Yankee Stadium really want October baseball there. Here are some other numbers to keep in mind: 43 of the Yanks' remaining games are against teams currently above .500, including nine each against the Red Sox and Angels and six against the Rays. Thirteen of their remaining 21 series are against winning teams. Their second-half opponents have a .536 winning percentage. Seven of their next eight series are against teams that were over .500 at the break, which could challenge Girardi's desire to "Get out of the gate fast." The Yankees play 13 of their next 16 games at Yankee Stadium, but 32 of their last 51 are on the road. The Yankees (23-23) are one of six teams at .500 or better on the road. "We're going to have a lot of games at home in July, but then we go to the West Coast twice and we have some difficulties in our schedule," Girardi said. "We've responded well on the road, so that's a good thing. You'd feel bad if you were 15 games under .500 on the road and had a lot of road games coming up. We have to play very well." After leading baseball last season by scoring 5.98 runs per game, the Yanks are averaging 4.59 this season, thanks perhaps equally to injuries and ineffectiveness. They have scored three runs or less 42 times this season - the same total as all of last year. They have lost Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui to injury for stretches, but they are also awful with runners in scoring position - 26th in baseball with a .713 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) with RISP. The four teams below them on that list are San Diego, Seattle, Toronto and Washington. Toronto entered the break one game under .500, but the others are the three worst clubs in baseball. The major-league average OPS-with-RISP is .756. On the pitching side, the Yanks have seen their plans to integrate youngsters Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy into the rotation sputter and they can only hope Chien-Ming Wang returns in September. While Mussina and Andy Pettitte are rotation bedrocks, they're also the Yanks' oldest starters. Still, Joba Chamberlain has proven to be a valuable addition to the rotation, and their bullpen, once considered a weakness apart from Mariano Rivera, has sparkled lately. The Yankee bullpen is eighth in the majors with a 3.47 ERA. "It's more common that you have injuries to deal with than you have none," Mussina said. "If all your starters stay in the rotation, that's unique. You always know there are going to be changes. It's been little more than half the season and we've done OK. "We just have to play more consistently. The days we play well, we just have to have those days more often." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor99 Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 They're going to make a run, I have no doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonEJet Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Never say never about the Yanks Didn;t you and the rest of the Mess contingent knocl us off last year too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyjunc Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Never say never about the Yanks Didn;t you and the rest of the Mess contingent knocl us off last year too? Yep, it was while they were celebrating their 2007 division title and looking forward to the World Series:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt39 Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Why are people realizing now the Yanks stink with RISP? This has been a problem for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GangGreen Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Yankees: AL East Champions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsis Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Yankees: AL East Champions! 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowmoe57 Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 HA HA Yankees suck whining cry of 26 CHAMPIONSHIPS MAN 26 CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 5..4..3..2.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasonJet Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 We're 5 and 1/2 games out. Spare me they hyperbolic melodrama until September at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 I like this years pitching staff much better. All they need is for people to hit to their career averages. Not the 38 year old players. No the younger guys need to hit to their career averages and they will be in the postseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GangGreen Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 2009 No, 2008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Jet Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 No, 2008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GangGreen Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Watch, once we win the AL East, I'll laugh in all your faces! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war ensemble Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 5 and a half doesn't seem too bad considering what we've came back from before. Everybody just has to wake up and start hitting in the clutch. Our pitching can hold its own if we can only get some more hits with runners in scoring position. And please don't pinch-hit Betemit any more, he's terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharrow Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I wonder how much money they'll shell out this offseason if they miss the playoffs. A lot of money potentially coming off the books too. The could dwarf the cubs' $300 MM offseason they had the year before last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetlag Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 The crazy part is the fact that even though this team has had a slew of injury problems...and hitting problems...and pitching problems (**** you Kennedy) they are still only 5.5 back of the league leader. Could you imagine if they actually got their act together? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Mac Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 80 won't get it done? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 80 won't get it done? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Watch, once we win the AL East, I'll laugh in all your faces! Do you jump ship if Johnny Damon gets traded? Just askin..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 5.5 games back is too much this late in the season? A good team can make up 5 games in a week and a half. Silly article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyjunc Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 5.5 games back is too much this late in the season? A good team can make up 5 games in a week and a half. Silly article. Or a bad team can blow a 5 game lead in a week and a half:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFSIKH Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Or a bad team can blow a 5 game lead in a week and a half:D True. There is too much time left. I have serious doubts the East can take the wildcard. There is no patsy like in years past with the Orioles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbn007 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 True. There is too much time left. I have serious doubts the East can take the wild-card. There is no patsy like in years past with the Orioles. Interesting take. Now allow me to play "devils' advocate for a moment. Right now, the Al West should be declared over, and the Angels the winner. The A's should fade, and Texas is a good story, but that rotation is not going to get it done. I doubt anyone other than the Angels wins more than 85 games, and maybe only the Angels even finish above .500. The race with the White Sox and Twins should also be over soon. I really like the staff the Twins throw out there, but that offense makes the Yankees look like the 1927 Yankees. I do not think the Twins have the staying power. The Indians are done, the Royals are done, and the Tigers may have a solid run in them, but the pitching has not really delivered, and the hitting is not "all-world", like we were reading about in ST. That leaves the AL East. Between the Yankees, Bosox and Rays, the best possibility for the WC is from this bunch. The Blue Jays will fade, and the O's will end up just below .500. IMO. I really feel that the WC winner will emerge from here, and it will only take 92 wins or so. Yankees - here is your challenge. You started the post AS break with 3 2nd place teams. You beat the 1st one, 3 straight. Here comes the 2nd one, with the Bosox waiting this weekend. You follow that with a week at home against the O's and Angels, before heading to Texas and Los Angeles and Minny. 26 games in all, against tough competition. Lets see a 17-9 mark. So far you are 3-0, so that leaves a record of 14-9 to go. Get it done!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drago Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 5 and a half doesn't seem too bad considering what we've came back from before. Everybody just has to wake up and start hitting in the clutch. Our pitching can hold its own if we can only get some more hits with runners in scoring position. And please don't pinch-hit Betemit any more, he's terrible. they can do it this year, but it will be much harder than in the past. This year the AL east doesn't have 4 **** teams and the red sox. They have two legit teams and the rest are all quality enough to put up fights against the Yankees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbn007 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Yankees - here is your challenge. You started the post AS break with 3 2nd place teams. You beat the 1st one, 3 straight. Here comes the 2nd one, with the Bosox waiting this weekend. You follow that with a week at home against the O's and Angels, before heading to Texas and Los Angeles and Minny. 26 games in all, against tough competition. Lets see a 17-9 mark. So far you are 3-0, so that leaves a record of 14-9 to go. Get it done!! Now it is 6-0. That leaves a requirement of 11-9 to get to 17-9. I will be happy with that mark, but since they reeled off 6 straight, I now want that mark to be 19-7. So they need to go 13-7 over the next 20. Do-able? yes. Likely? Small chance, unless they take care of business against the Orioles next week, and at Texas the following week. And don't fall flat on your faces against the Bosox or Angels. But the post season is very much a real possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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