tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

State of the Yankees – 2011/12

As I have stated numerous times before on this blog, I am a life-time Yankee fan. I've been through the good times and the bad times over the last 50 years. I remember when the Yankees were on every Saturday afternoon in the early 60's to when I would never see them on TV because they were so bad during the late 60's and early 70's. This trip down memory lane is being written because there may be some who after they read today's blog may think that I am not a true Yankee fan.

Let me first start out by saying that it is painfully clear that this is not George Steinbrenner's team anymore. While Steinbrenner at times meddled to the detriment of the team, the one thing we knew as fans was that he cared about winning. When he said that a season is only successful if you win the World Series, you knew he meant it and he would do everything in his power to make it happened. Some times what he did worked, some times it didn't but at least you knew he cared.

When Randy Levine last Friday said that the season was not a success because the team did not accomplish its goal of winning the World Series, it rang as hollow as a three dollar bill. The fact of the matter is that the current ownership group really only cares about how much money they are going to rake in. Now don't get me wrong, George wanted to make money. But he had passion for the game and the team. Do you see passion out of Hal Steinbrenner?? Randy Levine??? Lonn Trost??? The only one of the group with what I would consider passion would be Hank Steinbrenner, however Hank can't match his Dad in saavy or in dealing with the media. It's interesting how quiet he has been throughout the season and how we have heard nothing from the Steinbrenner family after the Yankees were eliminated.

It's a forgone conclusion that Brian Cashman will be back as General Manager. To be fair, Cashman deserves credit for signing Russell Martin, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, Andruw Jones and Eric Chavez. Chavez and Jones came up big during the last Boston series at Fenway and they filled in admirably. To be frank, I think Girardi didn't use them enough particularly Jones. I loved the Russell Martin signing. Martin was a NL All-Star before being injured when he was with the Dodgers. He has stabilized a position until one of these kids are ready to take over. Obviously, Garcia and Colon saved the season.

While these signings helped the Yankees win their division, they did nothing to ensure that they would advance in the playoffs. Of the non-pitchers in the group, the only one who played was Martin. Jones and Chavez were given limited opportunities to contribute which is amazing in and of itself when the offense struggled so badly. Colon didn't even make the playoff roster and Garcia pitched a good game in Game 2.

My problem with Cashman actually begins back in 2010. He was so fixated on Cliff Lee that he discounted any opportunity to get Dan Haren from the Diamondbacks. In free agency, he once again was zeroing in on Lee and in the end got whipsawed by the Phillies. He ended up taking flyers on two aging pitchers. In essence, he gambled and won. That's just great!!! But all he won was a playoff series and a guarantee that he will be back as Yankee GM. You see under the current ownership, Cashman accomplished a lot this year. His signings were more reminiscent of a low budget team and they got 3 home playoff dates. Spend less money and still get 3 extra games. Extra gate receipts, continued ratings for YES, the sale of playoff items and the continuance of the myth that its only a success if we win the World Series.

It's being reported that 2 people in the Yankee organization will be interviewing for the vacant Angel GM position. One is Damon Oppenheimer who is the Yankees' chief guru for drafting young players. Oppenheimer is being credited for rebuilding the Yankee farm system which 10 years ago was considered one of the worst and now is considered one of the best. My question is this: when are we going to see the fruits of this farm system?? Back in June I was begging for this team to bring up Jesus Montero and they waited until September. The kid showed that he can be exceptional hitter in the big leagues. But already we are hearing that he may be packaged to get an accomplished pitcher. In my opinion, that's a mistake. The Yankees track record for acquiring pitchers is spotty at best. For every CC Sabathia there are more AJ Burnetts. Montero could be a middle of the lineup guy for years. Besides, when are we going to see the many arms that the Yankees have in the farm system??? How come the Rays seem to always have a young arm every year come up and contribute?? Why not bring up one of these kids and see if they can't be the next Ivan Nova.

If the Yankees really were committed to winning the World Series they would level with all of their fans. They would tell us that they are not going to give up key pieces of their farm system. That they are going to go with their youngsters and there may be growing pains. That it may be actually a year or two before we are a legitimate contender to win the Series, not just once but for many years. That we will try to add pieces via free agency but not necessarily the biggest name but players who can contribute when needed. Players who can do the little things. But this will never happen. The reason it won't happen is that the current ownership would be concerned that the bottom line would be effected. Maybe less people will come to the games. The ratings will go down at YES. And heaven forbid if we don't get any playoff gate receipts.

That is why as we head toward a long winter, I am not hopeful. There's already talk that they are going to go after CJ Wilson. He has done nothing this year in the playoffs up to this point. I already mentioned the Montero rumors. And I'm sure they will take flyers on some others who they will gamble on in 2012. In the end they will be competitive again to make the playoffs and probably win the division. The Red Sox are in disarray and the Rays simply don't have enough firepower to match up with the Yanks. So we will be back here next year and Girardi will talk to us about not having luck, being a sac fly away from advancing and how revenue sharing has evened things out. And Randy Levine will once again tell us how the 2012 season was a failure because we didn't win the World Series. Boy to I miss The Boss!!

Joe Girardi: The Consumate Company Guy

Had the opportunity to watch Joe Girardi's interview with Mike Francesa yesterday afternoon. What struck me, besides Francesa's softball questions, was how the Yankee manager came up with excuse after excuse about why his team didn't advance. "We were one sac fly away, one single away from moving on", Girardi quipped to the over indulgent Francesa. Of course, the Yankees would love us to believe that it was bad luck that eliminated them from advancing to the ALCS.(more on the general state of the Yankees tomorrow)

In his continuing defense of the punchless middle of his lineup, Girardi was emphatic in saying that you have to give credit to the Tiger pitchers. Well, I can agree with that if this was a one time occurrence of hitting ineptness on the part of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixiera and Nick Swisher. Girardi was asked about making changes to his lineup and the unfunny Yankee manager flippantly said that he could have batted "Gardy fourth." But Joe, what about moving Posada up into the 6th spot for the slumping Swisher??? Girardi will tell you that we scored 10 runs the game before and I thought we were clicking offensively. But what did Swisher do in that game to make you think he should not have been moved down to the 7th spot for Posada?? Moreover, how many times this year did this Yankee team score a boat load of runs only to come back the next game and barely scratch out a couple of runs??

And this is what bugs me about Girardi: he is all about the numbers. It drives me crazy when I see him go to his binder. While it's important to have an idea of how a guy has done against an opposing team or pitcher, you also need to have a feel for what's going on at the moment and Girardi is terrible at that. Posada was hitting .429 and you don't think it might have made some sense to move him up in the lineup?? Add in the fact that he had winning playoff experience.

Girardi was on the defensive when Francesa pressed him for an answer on what the manager thought was the reason why CC Sabathia struggled from August 1st into the playoffs. Girardi never answered the question and at one point Mike told Girardi "we just want to know what caused the dip in production." The weight issue was brought up but Girardi dismissed that by saying that if CC had won 25 games nobody would be talking about his weight.

But what was the ultimate company line was when Francesa asked Girardi to compare this team to the team of the late 90's where it seemed that there was always someone in the lineup to get the big hit. Girardi said it was unfair to compare the two teams because things are so much more even now because of the increased revenue sharing throughout major league baseball. Are you kidding me???? You have the highest payroll in baseball and you are going to tell me that because other teams are getting more money through revenue sharing that it is harder for the Yankees to win the World Series!!!!

While Girardi may be good at managing a bullpen, he's not good at having a feel for the game. I believe he has a difficult time dealing with the older players because he's not that far removed from when he was playing with them or against them. He is an uptight guy and that can influence your team. They say a team's personality is a reflection of their coach's personality. That may say a lot as one can only wonder what was going on in the minds of those players when Girardi was taking out pitcher after pitcher during Game 5. It gave off the feeling of desperation. Maybe that's why you can't get a fly ball with the bases loaded and one out. Maybe that's why Mark Teixiera looked relieved when he walked to force in the tying run. But it doesn't matter because Joe is the consumate company guy. Revenue sharing is why the Yanks can't win a World Series, please!!!

Posada Goes Out In Style

It has been a difficult year for Jorge Posada. Before training camp, Brian Cashman told the aging Posada not to bother bringing his catching equipment because he was going to be the full time DH. As his troubles batting right-handed continued, he faced the demotion in the lineup vs the Red Sox and the ultimate removal from the lineup vs the Red Sox in September. Questions surrounded him as to whether or not he would be on the post season roster. However, his clutch hitting against the Rays in the division clinching game convinced the Yankee high command that Posada would play in October. It may have been the only good decision they made going into the post season.

Posada was the leading Yankee hitter in the starting lineup. A lineup that consisted of Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixiera, Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher. Posada hit .429 and seemed to be on base every time he was up. It's almost like he knew this was it and he was going to go out in style. The sad thing is that the Yankees didn't capitalize on this Core 4 members last hurrah. I haven't heard anyone ask this question but why didn't Joe Girardi move Posada up in the lineup?? How about flip-flopping Posada and Swisher?? Maybe with Posada at the plate in the bottom of the 7th with the bases loaded and 2 outs he gets the job done. Of course we will never know because Girardi trotted out the same lineup 5 days in a row. More on Girardi in another post.

When you look at Posada's career stats they are average. His career regular season stats: .273 batting average with 275 home runs and 1,065 RBI's. Post season stats: .248 with 11 home runs and 42 RBI's. So the numbers are not great. But Posada understood what it means to be a Yankee. He came up through the Yankee farm system. He detested losing. I'll never forget the double he hit in the 2003 ALCS against the Red Sox. There is that picture of Posada screaming in jubilation as he reached second base.

There is no question that Posada's skills have declined over the last 2 years. The Yankees can't really bring him back. With ARod probably going to need more DH time and the emergence of Jesus Montero and Austin Romine, there is no room for Posada. He has been a good Yankee and he went out in style leading the team he has only ever played for in hitting. The sad thing is its one more player gone from the glory years and you have to wonder if we will ever see such a run again.

Dead Bat Society: Yankees Eliminated

All season if you have followed this blog I have repeatedly said that good pitching beats good hitting in October. Well last night, on a nice October evening, the Detroit Tigers stymied the best team money can buy with a 3-2 win and eliminated the Yankees from post season play. What was so frustrating that numerous times the Yankees had opportunities to take the lead and couldn't deliver.

Not only couldn't they deliver but it was the big stars who shrunk so mightily at the plate and their failure is an ominous sign for the future as they are not getting any younger. The 4-5-6 hitters for the Yankees went 9 - 55 which represents a batting average of .164 with 1 home run and 5 RBI's. What makes matters worse is that they had chances last night to send the Yankees off to the ALCS.

Nick Swisher is one of my favorite Yankees. I love his enthusiasm and I love how he is so paasionate about being a Yankee. But his post season performances have been putrid. Last night, after Mark Teixiera walked to make the score 3-2, Swisher was once again feeble at the plate. What really kills me is why wouldn't Joe Girardi, he of taking a pitcher out almost every inning, move Jorge Posada into the 6th spot?? Posada hit .429 for the series and obviously has been involved in plenty of post season games. It may have helped to relieve some pressure for Swisher. But Girardi is a block head and used the same lineup for all 5 games. The Yankees must decide whether they want to pick up the option in 2012 to keep Swisher a Yankee. As I said, I love Nick Swisher but can the Yankees afford such ineptness out of the number 6 hitter in October??

Speaking of ineptness, Mark Teixiera has been absolutly terrible in the 3 post seasons that he has had with the Yankees. In 2009 he hit .180, 2010 he hit .148 and in this series .167. This from an RBI producer. When he walked last night to force in a run, I got the feeling that Teixiera was relieved. Somehow, I don't see Paul O'Neill, Reggie Jackson or Mickey Mantle being that way. Throughout the whole season, I can't think of too many times when Teixiera carried this team. In the final game of the regular season, he hit 2 home runs and I remember thinking this is typical. 2 home runs in a meaningless game. The fact of the matter is that Teixiera has fallen in love with the short porch of Yankee Stadium. Prior to coming to the Yankees, he was a career .300 hitter. Not any more. Until he begins to drive the ball to left-field, his high average days are over. The sad thing is that the Yankees have nowhere else to go with him.

Speaking of nowhere else to go, this brings me to Alex Rodrieguez. The Yankees have 6 more years to watch the breaking down of what was one of baseball's most feared hitters. ARod was 2-18 in this series. At times, he looked completely lost at the plate. It is evident that the injury to his hip has diminished his power. He is a shell of his former self which absent 2009, was not that successful with the Yankees when he was in his prime and he is far past his prime now. It was clear throughout the month of September and into October, that teams would rather pitch to ARod than Robinson Cano. What's troubling is that I don't see how the Yankees can anticipate ARod playing third base throughout a season. In order to get something out of him offensively, I believe that he needs to be the every day DH.

Yankee ownership has some decisions to make. First, General Manager Brian Cashman's contract is up at the end of this month. In my mind, Cashman does not deserve a new contract and if he gets one he should take a pay cut. He built a team for a 162 game schedule not for October. In fact, as was pointed out by Mike Lupica of the NY Daily News, in the past 10 years the Yankees have been knocked out of the playoffs 5 times in the ALDS. 5 times out in the first round. His bargain basement signings of Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon got them through the regular season but Colon didn't make the playoff roster and Garcia was a non factor. In the mean time, Tiger GM Dave Dombrowski picked up Doug Fister at the trade deadline while Cashman was sitting on his hands. Would the Yankees have loved to have had Fister last night pitching for them??? Cashman should be told what they told Joe Torre, you can comeback at a pay cut with incentives.

Ownership will also have to decide what they will do with the option that CC Sabathia may exercise. Sabathia is the Yankees best pitcher but from August 1st he has not been the same guy who was so dominant early on. I think they have no choice but to extend his contract but they need to be concerned about his weight. A guy his size could break down quickly and a contract extension would have him pitching until he was 36 yrs. old.

Throughout the course of the next week or so I will have more on the Yankees and my observations on the season and on what needs to be done. But all in all, you can't help but being aggravated over what happened in this series and in what should have been a trip to the ALCS.

P.S.: Week 5 NFL Picks later today

Hey Valverde, You Are Heading Back To NY!!!

After Detroit's Game 2 win over the Yankees, Tiger closer Jose Valverde proclaimed that his team wouldn't be coming back to New York. Well, surprise Jose. You are headed back to the Bronx as the Yankees pounded the Tigers 10-1 to even their ALDS series at 2 games a piece. AJ Burnett, he of one of the worst pitching performance all season by a Yankee starting pitcher, was solid over 5 2/3 innings. But what probably saved Burnett and the Yankees season was Curtis Granderson's catch in the first inning when it appeared that Burnett was going to self-destruct.

Where would the Yankees be without Curtis Granderson. With the injuries to ARod this year, Granderson has supplied the Yanks with another source of power and run production. He also is a very good centerfielder and that was on display last night with his catch of Don Kelly's rising line drive that would have cleared the bases and given the Tigers an early 3-0 lead. Granderson continued to flash leather in the bottom of the 6th when he snared a sinking line drive off the bat of Jhonny Peralta that ended the inning and at the time held the Yankee lead at 4-1.

The Yankee offense finaly got on track as they put the game away with a 6 run explosion in the 8th inning that sent the Tiger faithful home and Valverde packing for a trip back to New York. Game 5 won't be easy. The Yanks will be relying on their unflappable rookie, Ivan Nova to clinch the series. One thing in their favor is that the bullpen will be rested particularly David Robertson and Mariano Rivera. Phil Hughes looked strong last night in the 8th inning and could be counted on again if need be. But the key may be for the Yankees to try to get out in front early forcing Leyland to go to his bullpen as it was evident last night that the Yankees were able to get to Alburquerque, Coke and Schlereth. Doug Fister will try to avenge is Game 2 loss but the Yankees should be able to get to him.

The momentum has shifted back to the Pinstripes. They need to take advantage of that home crowd early and send Valverde on a one way ticket back to Detroit.

Pivotal Game 3 Have Yanks On The Brink

Let me make it clear, I have been a Yankee fan all my life. My first Yankee memory is Bobby Richardson snagging a line drive off the bat of Willie McCovey to give the Yankees the 1962 World Championship. I cried when they lost to the St.Louis Cardinals in the 1964 World Series. I lived through the Ruben Amaro-Horace Clarke days from 1965-1975. Experienced the Bronx Zoo and the excesses and losses of the 80's and early 90's. This history lesson is being laid out so that it's understood that I am a Yankee fan. However, as big a fan as I may be, the Yankees are in trouble as Game 3 approaches. Their season rests on the left arm of CC Sabathia because a loss tonight means that the Yankees will be down 2-1 and their season will rest on AJ Burnett.

There is no one else you would want on the mound tonight than CC. He is the Yankees best pitcher and he is a warrior. The problem is that the Tigers will have the best pitcher in the American League on the mound in Justin Verlander. Sabathia could pitch great tonight but will the Yankee offense be able to scratch out enough runs to win. The numbers don't look good.

The projected Yankee lineup is hitting .226 against Verlander. The heart of the Yankee lineup has dismal numbers against the Tiger ace. Robinson Cano .167 vs Verlander, ARod .182 vs Verlander, Mark Teixiera .136 vs Verlander and Nick Swisher .163 vs Verlander. Hardly encouraging numbers coupled with the fact that the Yankees are 2-19 (.105) with runners in scoring position in the first 2 games of the series.

In the post season you only get so many chances to score. If you don't cash in on the opportunities you usually lose. That's what happened yesterday. ARod and Teixiera are 1-15 over the first 2 games. Derek Jeter was 0-5 yesterday with a critical error that set up the 2 run 6th inning which put the Tigers ahead 4-0. If the Yankees are going to win this series, Jeter is going to need to be the Jeter we are used to seeing in October and ARod & Teixiera are going to have to start hitting. You have to wonder what's up with ARod. He doesn't look right up at the plate. The truth be told he hasn't looked right since coming back from knee surgery. As far as Teixiera goes, he's fallen in love with the home run and doesn't seem to have the ability to go the opposite way anymore. This is a guy who was a perennial .300 hitter who is lucky to break .255 with the Yankees.

Eerily this reminds me of the 2006 series against the Tigers. The only difference is that the Yankees have their best pitcher ready to go for Game 3. The problem is so do the Tigers. The drama unfolds tonight at 8:37pm.

MLB Screws Up Game 1 Yanks-Tigers

Many of us who grew up in the 60's & early 70's remember day baseball during the Month of October. There was nothing like it during the post season. Things changed in the late 70's & early 80's as everything went "prime time" which resulted in many young fans missing out on memorable post season moments.

Yesterday, was a sun-filled day throughout the afternoon in NY City with the weather forecast calling for rain in the evening. Of course MLB's weathermen said that the rain would be intermittent and that it should pose no problem for Game 1 of the ALDS between the Yankees and Tigers. A marquee matchup with CC Sabathia going against Justin Verlander. But, lo and behold the skies opened up big time at Yankee Stadium and the game was suspended until this evening thus taking the two aces out of the mix. If the game was played in the afternoon, even at 5:07 (when the Tampa game started), it would have been completed. Instead fans had to sit through a rain delay only to be told to comeback Saturday night and hope it doesn't rain.

With talk of adding another playoff team heating up, MLB needs to seriously consider weather issues when scheduling post season games. There was no reason why that game could not have been played in the afternoon except that Bud Selig is a slave to the TV networks. What if it rains tonight in the Bronx. Then what happens??

October Journey Begins Tonight: Are The Yanks Ready???

After going through 162 games, injuries to ARod and Derek Jeter, inconsistent starting pitching and a terrible season record against their blood rivals the choking Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees begin their journey to what they hope will be their 28th World Championship. Since the mid-to late 1990's, I have always been fired up for the playoffs because there was enough for me to believe that the Yanks could go all the way. However, this season I have no lofty expectations and that is because of one word: pitching.

Throughout the season I have harped on the fact that the Yankee starting pitching has not been good enough to win it all. As Game 1 approaches, nothing has happened to change my mind. That's why I tempered my expectations. Could the Yankees win the ALDS and ALCS? Yes. Could they win the World Series?? Yes. With their lineup and the bullpen trio of Rafael Soriano, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera, the Yankees certainly could win their 28th title. But the starting pitching will make it a struggle.

It may be a cliche to say that Game 1 is a big game in a 5 game series but the fact of the matter is that Game 1 is a HUGE game for the Yankees because their best pitcher is on the mound, CC Sabathia. Sabathia's assignment is to face the American League's best pitcher: Justin Verlander. Sabathia needs to hold down the Tigers long enough so that the Yankee lineup can wear down Verlander. In order to do that, we are going to need to see the CC prior to August 1st. The CC after August 1st will not be good enough. A Yankee loss tonight means that the season will be in the hands of rookie Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia.

The Yankee offense will need to bring their "A" game. Leaving multiple runners on base is not going to cut it particularly against a pitcher like Verlander. In fact, the combination of Verlander and Game 2 starter Doug Fister are 14-0 with a 1.61 ERA in 16 outings from August 16th. ARod, Nick Swisher and Mark Teixiera are going to have to step up and drive in runs. The Yankees are also going to need to utilize their speed and try to manufacture runs.

This series will not be a cakewalk. The Tigers were 20-6 for the month of September and riding a 4 game winning streak. If there is one silver lining it is that Verlander was roughed up in his last outing against Baltimore: 7 innings 8 hits 5 earned runs with 1 walk, 6 strikeouts and 120 pitches. The Yankees will need to wear Verlander down going deep in counts.

It all begins tonight. They have home field advantage which should help. But the Yankees will need to make good on scoring opportunities and CC Sabathia will need to match Verlander and give the Yankees some length. Many of the talking heads are not giving them much respect and hopefully they can build an "us against the world" mentality. The journey begins tonight. Hopefully, it will take us late into October and a ride down the Canyon Of Heroes.

Mariano Rivera: Simply The Best!!!!

Last night, Mariano Rivera got 2 steps closer to being the all-time save leader by notching his 600th save as the Yankees defeated the Seattle Mariners 3-2. With out a doubt, we have been watching the greatest closer of all-time. I say that not because Rivera is a Yankee and I'm a Yankee fan, I say it because of Rivera's longevity of dominance.

The amazing thing is that despite Rivera's dominance, he has never won a Cy Young Award. Other relievers have won the Cy Young: Rollie Fingers, Willie Hernandez and Dennis Eckersley come to mind. Now I'm not suggesting that Rivera should win the award this year as Justin Verlander should win the award going away, but it is amazing that over a 17 year career Rivera has never won the award. The closest he came was in 2005 when he finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting behind Bartolo Colon, then of the Los Angeles Angels.

Of course, Rivera will tell you that what's most important to him is winning and that there is nothing better than winning the World Series. Rivera was the World Series MVP in 1999 and was the ALCS MVP in 2003. That's what makes Rivera even more special: his post season success. With 42 career post season saves and the Yankees being in the post season this year, Rivera will have an opportunity to pad that number. In fact, it will be a long time before anyone challenges Rivera for all-time saves leader in the post season as Brad Lidge is second in career post season saves with 18.

Some will argue that Rivera has benefitted from playing on some very good to great Yankee teams. However, those teams would not have achieved the success that they had without Rivera. Class, humility, professional, dominant are what describe Rivera's 17 year career. We have been really fortunate to watch this man perform. I think it's safe to say that we will never see this again.

Look Into October: Yanks 0-2 vs Angels

For the past several months I have been saying that the way things were going I could see the American League representative in the World Series being a team other than Boston or New York. Well, over the course of the last two games in Anaheim the recipe for my prediction was borne out. Jered Weaver and Dan Haren shut the Yankee offense down, Weaver outdueling Bartolo Colon and Haren slamming the door on the Yankees when CC Sabathia struggled through 6 innings and the worn out Yankee bullpen blew up.

The Yankees are in tough straits right now as ARod is out for 4 games, Nick Swisher is hurting, Francisco Cervelli has a concussion and now Russell Martin has a badly bruised right thumb. By the way, word comes out that Andruw Jones has been playing all year with a slightly torn ligament and will need to have fluid drained from his knee. The bullpen has been overused since Labor Day, with Freddy Garcia getting lit up on the holiday and two extra inning games against the Orioles. Last night their were more bullpen pitchers unavailable than available. The only thing keeping the Yankees in first place is the fact that Boston is struggling just as mightly, as they lost again last night in extra innings against Tampa. The Rays are now only 4 games back in the loss column behind the Red Sox.

Last night's Yankee lineup was brutal. Eduardo Nunez in right field. Jorge Posada back behind the plate. Yet, there is still enough there to generate some offense. The Yankees have scored 1 run in the last 25 innings. Mark Teixiera, Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano need to carry the load. The only guys who have been hitting is Derek Jeter and Jesus Montero. Today its Freddy Garcia against Ervin Santana, who has been pitching very well as of late. The Yanks are in tough again today and the type of pitching they are now facing is what they will see come October. Unless the walking wounded can come back strong, there is no way this team makes the World Series, let alone the ALCS.