Pinstripe Alley Sep 14, 2018
The Yankees need Aroldis Chapman back
Chapman could return next week, which bodes well for the playoffs. A few weeks ago, I argued that the Yankees had the ability to take their time with Aroldis Chapman’s injury timeline and that the remaining relievers would be able to step up and take his place, unlike when the Yankees were left high and dry when Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and Jordan Montgomery went down. Admittedly, I was wrong. While that bullpen did still look good on paper and there were some encouraging trends, paper and trends don’t win ballgames. The players do. And since Chapman’s recurring knee tendinitis...
Pinstripe Alley Sep 12, 2018
The Yankees are on the precipice of a great playoff rotation
It may not feel like it at times, but the Yankees’ rotation has the chance to be excellent down the home stretch Things went wrong for the Yankees’ rotation almost from the very start of the season. They entered with a solid first five, but their depth was immediately stressed when Jordan Montgomery went down with a torn UCL in April. The loss of Montgomery meant untested rookie pitchers like Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga were quickly thrust into the spotlight, perhaps before they were ready. The trouble didn’t end there. Masahiro Tanaka managed to strain both his hamstrings...
River Ave. Blues Sep 11, 2018
J.A. Happ has given the Yankees exactly what they’ve needed since the trade deadline
Coming into the season, the question was not “will the Yankees get a starter at the deadline?” The question was “which starter will they get?” It was a damn near certainly the Yankees would get another starting pitcher, especially after Jordan Montgomery went down with Tommy John surgery and Sonny Gray stayed healthy but went […] The post J.A. Happ has given the Yankees exactly what they’ve needed since the trade deadline appeared first on River Avenue Blues.
Pinstripe Alley Sep 6, 2018
On Andrew McCutchen and the Fallacy of Depth
The Yankees’ outfield was supposed to be impregnable, yet it’s proven to be vincible. It’s natural at the beginning of a baseball season to take stock of a team’s strengths and weaknesses. For the 2018 Yankees, the latter category included their starting pitching, and that’s been borne out this year with Jordan Montgomery’s Tommy John surgery, Luis Severino’s up and down stretch since July, and other setbacks. Where the Yankees were supposed to be set was in the outfield. Coming into the season, the Yankees started Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge left to right....
Pinstripe Alley Aug 26, 2018
Jonathan Loaisiga returns to Double-A rotation, could help Yankees down the stretch
The rookie right-hander is back from injury and could make for a very interesting September call-up. The last few weeks have seen the Yankees suffer numerous injuries to some of their biggest stars. Their injury troubles stretch far past the previous month, however. They’ve been dealing with losses in their rotation all season, from Jordan Montgomery’s Tommy John surgery back in April, to CC Sabathia’s brief sabbatical to rest his knee last week. Included in that list of ailments is Jonathan Loaisiga. The 23-year-old right-hander was a mild revelation earlier in the year before coming...
