August Yankees Musings

The Brawl

Thursday afternoon was filled with plenty of entertainment as Miguel Cabrera and Austin Romine went toe to toe in what might turn out to be a better bout than tonight's Mayweather-McGregor showdown. Things certainly escalated quickly in Motown and stayed at a boiling point throughout. 

However, in my opinion things should've never gotten to that point. The umpires handled the situation all wrong. Joe Girardi had the right to be incensed after no warnings were issued when Gary Sanchez was plunked. Sanchez is the Yankees best hitter and had been destroying the Tigers in the series, which certainly seemed to indicate intent in the hit by pitch. Yet when Tommy Kahnle threw behind Miguel Cabrera he was immediately tossed from the game. The umpires should've warned both teams after the Kahnle incident (after missing the opportunity to do so after Sanchez was plunked) rather than ejecting him. The ejection is what got the Yankees hot and then moments later led to the interaction between Romine and Cabrera that led to the benches clearing brawl. The umpires lost control of the game so badly that more batters were plunked and the benches cleared two more times in the Tigers victory. 

Now the Yankees will have to deal with the fallout from the events in Detroit. In the short term that is a four game suspension for Sanchez and two game suspension for Romine. Both players are appealing and may even have a reduction in punishment but at some point this week the Yankees will likely lose both catchers for a game or two and their hottest hitter in Sanchez for up to four games. This will be a big loss in a week when they will be hosting division leaders Cleveland and Boston. It's a week that could go a long way in seeing the Yanks make a push for the division crown if they play well or just the opposite turn September into a real dog fight for the wild card if they play poorly.

In the long term the events in Detroit could have a positive impact on the team. This could be something that brings the team even closer together and really gets them fired up going forward. Only time will tell but if this is the case the Yankees could become an even more dangerous team down the stretch.

Lineup Boosts

The Yankees have struggled most of this year to drive in runners in scoring position but this issue has become even more glaring during the month of August. This is something that the team will have to improve on quickly if they are going to make a run at the division crown or at the very least maintain the wild card lead. Last night the team wasted plenty of run scoring opportunities and a great start from CC Sabathia before eventually falling to the Mariners 2-1 in 11 innings. It was a game the Yanks could ill afford to throw away, especially on a night when Boston got smoked by the Orioles. 

The Yankees have finally started to get some big pieces back into their lineup; Starlin Castro (last night), Greg Bird (today) and Matt Holliday will arrive soon. If Castro can regain his All-Star pre-injury form and Holliday can get back to where he was early in the season the Yankees will regain two big run producing bats. Meanwhile if Bird can find the spring training form that saw him lead the Grapefruit League in home runs before he injured his ankle the Yankees will have another power hitting lefty at their disposal. 

With all of these players returning to the fold Joe Girardi will have plenty of options when constructing his lineup on a daily basis. This coupled with a stronger bench will also give Girardi plenty of options to pinch hit late in games. Hopefully these will additions will help the Yankees offense find it's way a bit. If the Yankees are going to truly compete for a division crown and possibly make a run in the playoffs they will need more from their offense. 

Cuban Missile Crisis

One of the biggest concerns around the team this month has been Aroldis Chapman. When the Yankees traded for David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle at the deadline it looked like the team had solved it's bullpen issues. On paper they probably have the most stacked 'pen in the league. However, due to Chapman's struggles this is no longer the case. 

Chapman has struggled like never before in his career and no longer looks like the dominant force who helped the Cubs win the World Series last year. His recent blown saves have even forced Girardi into removing him from the closer role. Chapman has lost the Yanks multiple games this month, most notably against the Sox at the Stadium a couple weeks ago. The Yanks can't afford blown saves down the stretch in a playoff race. The team needs to hope that Chapman can turn it around enough to at least be counted on in a setup role down the stretch. If he can't what once looked like the team's biggest strength becomes just a bit less of certainty.