From the Eye of the Hawk

               Despite the official loss of Derek Jeter for 2013, a new set of aches and pains for other players, and a most humbling trashing at home by the Boston Red Sox last weekend that seemed to crush any postseason hopes for the Yankees, there's now only 1 game that separates the Bombers from that final Wild Card spot. Every time the Yankees are left for dead, they pull the fans right back into it!!

 

               After the Yankees gained some momentum by having a great start to their homestand which included 2 out of 3 against the pesky Orioles and a revenge clean 3-game sweep against the Chicago White Sox, the other Sox, from Boston, came into town and thoroughly pounded Yankee pitching and left the team busted up and down for the count. Had it not been for a wild pitch to end the 4th game between the Yankees and Red Sox, the Yanks would've been swept themselves. The frustrating part for the Yankees was that their bats also put the hurting on Boston's pitching, but the main strength of the Yankees all season long that's kept them float, their bullpen, picked the worst week to stink and feel soreness. Robertson, Kelley, and Boone Logan complained of pain afterwards and needed to be shut down for a few days, and even the great Mariano Rivera blew two of the save opportunities to Boston. Luckily for Rivera, the wild pitch to end the last game in the Yankees' favor gave him the win. Instead of only having Tampa ahead of them in the Wild Card standings, the painful losses to Boston also allowed Cleveland, Kansas City, and Baltimore to get in their way. The only good news was the Yankees headed to Camden Yards to play one of the teams blocking their Wild Card view, the Baltimore Orioles.

 

              The opening night of the 4-game set had a bizarre start between the early innings when Yankee Manager Joe Girardi used his hawk skills to spot the Orioles third base coach stealing signs from the catcher and starting yelling at him from the dugout. Snivelling Orioles Manager Buck Showalter took exception to Giardi yelling at his coach and the two managers had a heated exchange as tobacco juice flowed from Buck's mouth. The Yanks would go on to lose the first game, but not without showing some of the 'comeback' ability they displayed in the disastrous Red Sox series. The game ended 4-2, but with the tying run on base and Curtis Granderson sending a deep fly that Adam Jones caught on the warning track. The next night the Yanks found themselves in a 4-1 hole later in the game, and with any-any-any hopes of a postseason run just about gone, then the Yanks struck back with 2 homers from Soriano and Reynolds to make it 4-3 O's. Then in the 8th, Alex Rodriguez began a rally with a lead-off double, followed by a Cano hit, another Soriano homer, and later a Reynolds RBI double to make it 7-4 Yankees, and the Yanks would win 7-5. Then the following game, same story, Andy Pettitte grinding through his start and losing 3-1, but homers from Granderson and A-Rod make it 3-3. Then in the top of the 9th Cano homers and Overbay adds and RBI single and the Yanks go on to win that game 5-4. The beauty of it all was that during the two victories, Tampa, Cleveland, and of course Baltimore had losses that put the Yankees above them and amazingly only 1 game out of a postseason spot with 16 more games to go (including 3 verses Tampa).

   

              Amongst that joy there was the official announcement that Derek Jeter wasn't getting healthy and needed to go back on the 15-Day DL, which ends his 2013 campaign.....that never really started in to begin with. Jeter commented that perhaps in his rush to get back onto the field he hurt himself in the long run. A day before the news broke, GM Brian Cashman traded for Seattle shortstop Brendan Ryan - who's not known for his bat, but can sure play the position. The pickup is also a sign the Yankee front office isn't too happy with Nunez's defense lately, one fielding miscue of which opened the door to the big rally the Red Sox put on Phil Hughes to comeback to win that game from the Yanks. Overall Nunez's defense is much improved from last season and he has played the position well beyond expectations, but at this point of the season with 16 games left there's no room for defensive miscues - no matter what potential Nunez has in his bat and legs.



Position:
78-68 (3rd Place AL East - 10.5 games back of 1st Place Boston Red Sox and 1 game back of Second AL Wild Card spot holder Tampa Bay Rays with 2.5 games behind First AL Wild Card spot holder Texas Rangers).

Homeruns:
- Alfonso Soriano continues to tear the cover off the ball and has to be considered the best Yankee one-sided trade ever.
- Alex Rodriguez isn't hitting as many homers as Soriano, but he's swinging the bat great and has been a huge part of the Yankees' late August into September resurgence.
- Robinson Cano reached 100 RBIs with not having much offensive talent around him for most of the season.

Foul Tips:
- Ivan Nova has been struggling with a tight tricep muscle and he was the Yanks best starter since early August when Kuroda showed signs of dead arm.
- Key pieces to the bullpen; David Robertson, Shawn Kelley, and Boone Logan has soreness and tendinitis issues. Although Kelley and Robertson eventually returned, its a scary thought if those two can't be relied upon and Joba has to come into important games.
- With no return of Mariano Rivera for 2014, Girardi has been calling upon Mo for more than 3-out saves and the increased workload on the 43 year-old pitcher might prove costly.
- Girardi admitted that Andy Pettitte is a 85-95 pitch pitcher at this point of his career, and if somehow the Yankees do make the postseason, how are they going to get more than 5 innings against top-level lineups?
- David Huff showed promise as a long reliver, but in his first start for the Yankees he got punished by the Red Sox and he flip-flopped back into the pen with Phil Hughes.

Strikeouts:
- Derek Jeter was shutdown for 2013. At this point he can only serve the Yankees as a cheerleader.
- Both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain use whatever mound time they get to irk Yankee fans even further with their 0-2 counts that end up being walks.

                         

              The last Boston beating certainly took away any hope the Yanks had with getting the AL East crown, but with their beating the Rays they've been the Yankees' best friend this week. The Yanks get another crack at Boston in Fenway and they'll be looking to avenge those brutal losses in New York, the Yanks just have to hope Boston decides to start resting some guys for the postseason.

      

              Whether it takes a 4-out save from Mariano or Alex Rodriguez homering with a tweaked hammy, the Yanks are going at these final 16 games hard on fumes -which gives great credence for Girardi being voted Manager of the Year.

   

              It's all in the Yankees hands to win it.....

Use the Oven Mitts

            A run was needed and a run has been received as the Yankees have steadily transformed into one of the hottest teams in baseball. After a string of wins against tough opponents such as the Detroit Tigers, the Angels (yes - they're terrible this year, but Mike Scioscia usually owns the Yanks), the Red Sox at Fenway, combined with continued success against the roll-over Toronto Blue Jays at home; the Yanks need to be handled with oven mitts to prevent burns.



            Leading the charge has been Alfonso Soriano who chipped in with a mind-blowing 8 homeruns and over 25 RBIs since returning to the Bombers nearly three weeks ago. The trade by Brian Cashman, which received little media attention when it occurred, has to be the quickest impact trade in MLB history. In a 4-game span during his hot streak Soriano clubbed 5 homers and over 18 RBIs. Another pick up of Cashman's, Mark Reynolds, cut by the Indians, introduced himself in his first Yankee at-bat by hitting a homerun over the Green Monster.



            The second major factor in the Yankee surge has been the underestimated Alex Rodriguez who looks anything but the slow and withered reports that came out of his rehab assignments. Although the 211-game suspension finally came down upon A-Rod as was expected, also as was expected, A-Rod appealed it and took the field for the Yankees in 2013. His bat speed is much improved from the embarrassing display from last October and he's able to play third base without a hitch. After the third base merry-go-round this season, the Yankees finally have a steady player at that position who can actually hit a ball over the outfield wall. The bizarre part about all this are the stories and rumors that keep leaking out in which Rodriguez ( or his handlers) accuse the Yankee organization of falsifying his MRI and X-Ray reports with the goal in mind of keeping A-Rod out of the lineup, including back in last season's playoff run.



            Cashman admitted he's no longer able to speak with his highest paid player and one-time corporate lackey ally Randy Levine said he would like to get rid of A-Rod entirely. While that front office mess goes on, the biogenesis drama stays strong with A-Rod being accused of informing on other participants, including his teammate Francisco Cerveilli. Rodriguez denied that story, but with that craziness, battling the front office, and all the other baggage that comes with A-Rod, he's been able to concentrate at the plate and has completely taken everyone off guard by his production.



            Whatever dissenters A-Rod had on his own team might've been won over thanks to Boston starter Ryan Dempster, who purposely plunked the media star in cold blood and fired up the Yankees to a major come back win up at Fenway. Manager Joe Girardi went absolutely ballistic on the field after the umpire warned both benches after the beaning, and not before when Dempster threw his first pitch behind A-Rod's legs. The warning took away the Yankees right to retaliate with a beaning of their own. It was a moment that brought the Yankee clubhouse together and its one beaning that Boston may look back to regret.



              The last piece that has helped get the Yanks rolling has been the return of Curtis Granderson to the lineup and he's yet to have a break in his hand or wrist. After months and months of sporting a lineup that was even weak by National League standards, the Yankees have assembled a squad of batters who can drive pitch counts up and knock the ball out of the ballpark. Also, Granderson's return allows Girardi to give Gardner and Ichiro some much needed rest and lengthens the lineup whereas players like Nunez and Overbay can hit further down in the order with no pressure to put up major numbers. Derek Jeter made a visit to the DL after his second return this season and his rehabbing for his third 2013 return, which should be sometime next week. Once Jeter is back the team will make a long-shot run at the AL East with the Wild Card being more realistic.

Position:

67-59 (4th Place AL East - 6.5 games behind 1st Place Boston Red Sox and 4 back of Wild Card leader Tampa Bay Rays). 

Homeruns:
- Alfonso Soriano is in the best offensive stretch of his career at age 37 - hopefully he's not been hanging out with A-Rod after school.
- Alex Rodriguez shows no signs of being distracted by his suspension appeal or the war of words with the Yankee front office. His hip surgery must have went well because he's been hitting the ball with authority and showing enough range at third.
- Ivan Nova is the Yankees most trustworthy starter these days behind Kuroda.

Foul Tips:
- Mariano Rivera blew three consecutive save opportunities for the first time in his career, but then he followed that up with 3 saves and a Win shortly thereafter.
- CC Sabathia has been slightly better in his last few starts, but still far from the dominant starter he once was not too long ago.
- Andy Pettitte also has been slightly better in his past couple of starts, but he's been struggling to get out of the 6th innings most times.
- Derek Jeter has been on the DL three times in the past two months with various leg and calf issues. If this latest rehab stint doesn't hold his legs up, they may have to consider shutting him down for the season.

Strikeouts:
- Joba Chamberlain has completely fallen out of favor with Girardi. The once jeweled prize of the Yankee farm system has been buried deep in the bullpen for having an atrocious season.
- Phil Hughes is stuck on 4 wins for the season, and although the offense has let him down alot this season, his starts have mainly turned into batting practice for the opposing team.
- Important utility man Jayson Nix suffered a broken bone in his left hand from an errand pitch and is likely done for the season. Nix was able to play all infield positions without Girardi having to hold his breath. Cashman might need another clever pickup replacement because in no way are they trusting Eduardo Nunez's defense.
- Both David Phelps and Michael Pineda appear to be shutdown for the season due to various nagging injuries. There was hope earlier in the year that Pineda could come up as a bullpen man in 2013 and just throw blazing fastballs.
- The biogenesis daily media reports as well as the infighting with A-Rod and the front office is overshadowing the on-the-field activity for the team. It's gotten very ugly and A-Rod warned alot more stories will likely come out over the next few months.


           
            The Yankees are set up to make a run at a postseason birth if they can keep everyone in the lineup healthy for once in 2013. Boston can usually be relied upon for a good September collapse, but the Yanks would still need to keep up this current intensity in order to compete with the many other AL teams in the hunt.



             Maybe the Yankees can be the small-town feel good story this time......