About Last Night: Rangers 10, Yanks 6

by Paul Semendinger

September 5, 2024

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About Last Night:

The Rangers crushed the Yankees. CRUSHED. The final score does not reflect how badly the Yankees played and how much they were dominated by the Rangers.

This is a Good Team?

In September, the Yankees are now 1-3.

The Yankees are 2-6 over their last eight games.

Since June 13, the Yankees are 31-39.

The only reason the Yankees aren't completely buried at this point is the fact that the other teams in the division have been almost just as bad. It is not that the Yankees are good, they are not. It is simply that the other teams are also not good. This is indisputable. It simply is. The 2024 Yankees are not a good team, or, if they were once good, they are no longer.

The Game Story:

In this game it was Nathan Eovaldi vs. Marcus Stroman.

After the Yankees went quietly in the first inning, the Rangers scored in their first opportunity. With one out Wyatt Langford singled. He then went to third on Nathaniel Lowe's single. Adolis Garcia then grounded into a sure doubleplay, but the Yankees were too slow to turn it and Langford scored putting the Rangers up 1-0.

Marcus Stroman, the Yankees' starter, threw 30 pitches in that first half inning. It was not a good sign...

The Rangers scored again in the second. There was a bloop to center that fell in front of a charging Aaron Judge that became a double due to Leody Tavaras' hustle. Ezequiel Duran then doubled Tavaras home. (When do we see the Yankees hustle like the Rangers did?)

After two innings, Stroman was at 53 pitches. He then had an easy third, but it all fell apart in the fourth:

• Ground out

• Single

• Single

• Run Scoring Ground Out (Rangers up 3-0)

• Double (4-0)

• Single (5-0)

And that was the end of the night for Marcus Stroman.

Scott Effros came in for the Yankees. Overall, he did well enough: 1.1 innings, one walk.

In the top of the fifth inning, the Yankees finally got on the board. Gleyber Torres walked and then Juan Soto hit a two-run homer. (Rangers up 5-2.)

In the 6th, the Yankees, who do not have a relief pitcher who can go multiple innings, so once a team gets to their bullpen it becomes a parade, brought in Tim Mayza. He struck out the first batter he faced. And then it got ugly again: a double, a walk, and an infield single ended his night. Mark Leiter, Jr. came in and poured gasoline on the fire. He allowed a two-run double (7-2 Rangers). Then came a wild pitch and it was 8-2.

In the seventh, the Yankees turned to Ron Maranicco. (I guess, Leiter couldn't pitch to more than three batters.) Is this good managing? Is this good roster planning? Ol' Ronnie M gave up a few more runs. It was then 10-2 Rangers.

At that point, I gave up on the game and focused on getting this summary written.

Update - In meaningless at bats with two outs in the 9th, the Yankees put together a rally (three walks in a row) and Trent Grisham hit a grand slam. The grand slam will do one thing, it will keep help Grisham on the roster and Jasson Dominguez in the minors. It'll also give a false talking point, "They were in it to the end. There is no quit in this team." Except, the Aaron Boone had already lifted Aaron Judge and Juan Soto and was using his worst relief pitchers. He had already quit on the game. A few walks and a big hit do not change that fact.

Player(s) of the Game:

Nathan Eovaldi : 7 innings, 3 hits, 3 walks, 2 runs - WIN

Notable Performances:

• Juan Soto: 3-for-3 (HR, double, 2 rbi)

Better to Forget:

• Marcus Stroman: 3.2 innings, 9 hits, 5 runs - LOSS

• Tim Mayza: .1 inning, 2 hits, 1 walk, 3 runs

• Mark Leiter, Jr.: .2 innings, 1 hit (allowed two runs to score), Wild Pitch

• Ron Maranicco: 1 inning, 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 runs

• Lots of Hitless Batters: Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, Anthony Volpe, Jose Trevino

My Takes:

There was a fun moment in the top of the first inning. Jazz Chisholm couldn't get the bat weight off his bat. He kept pounding and punding it and the thing wouldn't budge. He handed it to Giancarlo Stanton, who pounded it once and it came right off. Strength. Unfortunately, that was the last fun moment for the Yankees all game.

***

The "talking point" on Marcus Stroman is that he always keeps his team in the game, but, he doesn't. At all. He gave up 9 hits, five runs, and threw 88 pitches in less than four innings. That, simply, isn't good enough. He had one good month (May) when his ERA was 1.67. His ERA in August was 4.56. In July it was 5.50. That is not, absolutely not, keeping his team in the game.

***

Since August 1, the Yankees have lost series to the Angels, Tigers, Nationals, Cardinals, and Rangers. None of those are good teams. The Yankees fashion themselves as a good team, but good teams do not play this poorly. They just do not. The Yankees are not a good team.

At one point, the Yankees of 2024 were 49-21. That record is what the team's future hopes all rest upon. That record is a mirage. That record obscures how badly the Yankees have been over the rest of the season.

The 31-39 stretch the Yankees have played since mid-June includes a nine game stretch where they went 8-1. That was supposed to be the turning point. It wasn't. Since then, they have gone 12-14 (against bad and mediocre teams). Imagine the Yankees' record without that good week.

***

The Yankees demonstrate year-after-year that they are not good enough. The fans see this every year when they note obvious facts before the season such as (1) The team doesn't have a third baseman (2) The team doesn't have a lead-off hitter (3) The team needs starting pitching (4) The bullpen looks weak. When some read those concerns, they make excuses for the team. But, over the course of the season, those weaknesses become readily apparent - and they doom the team year-after-year.

***

I am bufuddled by the fans that continually make excuses for this franchise. They have not been good for a long time.

What is there, anywhere, to make anyone believe that this team has any real chance to win a World Series, other than citing that the other "good" teams are just as bad?

***

Brian Cashman was once a great General Manager. He then became a very good General Manager. He fell to Pretty Good and then Good. He's now a poor General Manager. Years ago, he wanted full responsibility for the team. Well, he has it - and the results are not there. They have not been there for a long time.

Cashman also hired Aaron Boone. That was his guy.

And for Boone, the results are not there.

It is well past time for both of these men to go. Their tired story is exhausting. It's been the same thing for years now. It's boring. It's teduious. We see this every year. Every single year.

Since 2001, the Yankees have won one World Series. This isn't any old team, this is the New York Yankees - the sport's greatest and most valuable franchise. And the people running the team do not seem to know how to build a championship ballclub.

***

On Twitter, there is footage of Aaron Boone taking batting practice. This footage comes from the YES Network. As the Yankees sink, their network is showing their manager in th batting cage - as if that means anything. The Yankees, so often, seem blind. Do any fans want to see Boone batting? Why would they highlight this? Why is Boone even in there? What is he trying to prove?

Aaron Boone should be working on developing his players - teaching them. He should be going over game situations and lineups and discussing roster moves with the GM. He should be explaining to his players how to hustle and how to play the game fundamentally. These things have been absent from the Yankees, by and large, throughout his tenure. Boone's team is playing horrific baseball and he thinks it's all fun and games. "Look at me." It really is embarassing. We're talking the New York Yankees here. This franchise used to be defined by World Series wins and greatness. Now we see their manager, even though the team is playing terrible baseball, taking time to bat and (a few weeks ago) imitating one of his star players. "I can be like the Batting Stance Guy." (Note to the Yankees - Aaron Boone and The Batting Stance Guy have the same amount of managerial wins in the World Series.)

This is not leadership. It simply is not. The more I watch Aaron Boone, the more it seems like I'm watching a sitcom focused on a baseball team with the boss who wants to be loveable but is always doing foolish things to hurt, rather than help, his team. If Boone is eventually let go, maybe the Yankees can hire Steve Carell to manage the club. They'd probably win at the same rate, but the situational comedy would be funnier.

***

I know at the end of the season we will hear from Hal Steinbrenner. If the Yankees somehow win it all, he'll tell how he never lost faith in his leaders and the players. If they lose out (most likely) he'll say how focused the Yankees are on winning and how they'll do what they need to do to win. It's the same script every year.

If you owned the team, would you be as silent as Mr. Steinbrenner? It would be nice to see that the boss cares, but we never hear from him.

Next Up:

The Yankees are off today. Tomorrow (Friday) they begin a three game series in Chicago against the Cubs. They'll play three afternoon games. How fun!