I’m not in full-blown panic mode yet,
but I’m really starting to worry about the New York Yankees, who have been a
mediocre team so far in 2012 rather than the juggernaut they are supposed to
be.
It is too late in the baseball season
for the Yankees to be a barely-above .500 team. The Yankees and the Boston Red
Sox, the traditional powerhouses of the American League East, continue to
languish at the bottom of the standings behind the more youthful Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays
and Toronto Blue Jays. The only thing the Yankees have going for them right now is that
they are only 5.5 games out of first place, despite their inconsistent start, in
late May. There is still plenty of time for them to right the ship.
But if it
wasn’t for a vintage performance by Andy Pettitte, the Yankees would have
gotten swept this weekend by the Cincinnati Reds. The Yankees have been getting
beat by a lot of teams that they should be pounding on. Most recently, the
Yankees have been hurt by a lack of clutch hitting, but poor starting pitching
was the main cause of their woes up until a few weeks ago. The Yankees have
also been victimized by some unfortunate injuries, not just to Mariano Rivera,
but to his replacement David Robertson and Brett Gardner, whose speed is sorely
missed on a team struggling mightily to score runs.
I’m starting to wonder not when
but if the Yankees will pull it together. I’m not completely
panicking just yet, but check in with me in a couple of weeks.
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