Joe Girardi and the New York Yankees are getting a taste of life without Mariano Rivera and boy is it bitter.
Now Girardi knows how other baseball managers feel when trying to get through the ninth inning. After he had to lift Andy Pettitte prematurely because of tightness in his arm, he had to piece the last four innings of the game together without Mo and Joba Chamberlain and the Yankees came close to giving it up. In the 9th inning, he had to watch Dave Robertson give up back-to-back home runs and Boone Logan walk the tying runs on base before Alfredo Aceves got the final out.
The Yankees swept the lowly Baltimore Orioles today, ahead of an off day and a three-game series with the fading Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. But that success is masking some issues that Girardi and Brian Cashman have to be a little concerned about, namely a troubling lack of production from their big sluggers and an inconsistent bullpen outside of Rivera.
Mo is supposed to be back on Friday and the Yankees have to be grateful for that. Even with Boston struggling, these games will take on added importance simply because it's the Red Sox. The Yankees will need to be at their best and that means Mo.
President Barack Obama was right on when he said that other teams would be successful if they had Mariano Rivera. The Yankees got a fresh reminder this week of how lucky they are to have Mo.
Now Girardi knows how other baseball managers feel when trying to get through the ninth inning. After he had to lift Andy Pettitte prematurely because of tightness in his arm, he had to piece the last four innings of the game together without Mo and Joba Chamberlain and the Yankees came close to giving it up. In the 9th inning, he had to watch Dave Robertson give up back-to-back home runs and Boone Logan walk the tying runs on base before Alfredo Aceves got the final out.
The Yankees swept the lowly Baltimore Orioles today, ahead of an off day and a three-game series with the fading Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. But that success is masking some issues that Girardi and Brian Cashman have to be a little concerned about, namely a troubling lack of production from their big sluggers and an inconsistent bullpen outside of Rivera.
Mo is supposed to be back on Friday and the Yankees have to be grateful for that. Even with Boston struggling, these games will take on added importance simply because it's the Red Sox. The Yankees will need to be at their best and that means Mo.
President Barack Obama was right on when he said that other teams would be successful if they had Mariano Rivera. The Yankees got a fresh reminder this week of how lucky they are to have Mo.
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