About Yesterday: Yanks Edged by Cubs 2-1

About Yesterday Afternoon: The Yankees Were Edged by the Cubs 2-1

By Tim Kabel

September 9, 2024

***

The Yankees had an opportunity to sweep the Cubs and gain another full game on the Orioles. After all, they had their ace, Gerrit Cole pitching. Unfortunately, they also had Alex Verdugo and Gleyber Torres playing defense. The first batter, Ian Happ, hit a ball that Verdugo possibly could have caught, but it became a double. Much worse was the error committed by Gleyber Torres on a simple ground ball to second that extended the inning.

On the post-game show, Todd Frazier gave a blistering critique of how Torres should have handled the ball. It would be hard to say that Frazier was unfair. He was totally accurate. If Torres had fielded that ball cleanly, neither run would have scored for the Cubs. That's what made the difference in the game. This was a close game that Gleyber Torres cost the Yankees with his poor defense. Think about it. The playoff games are likely to be close games for the most part. Do we really want the outcome of playoff games to be determined by the poor play of the team’s second baseman?

Quick Stats –

·       Aaron Judge has now gone twelve games without hitting a home run. If he goes on one of his tears in the next few days, this will all be forgotten. He is certainly the least of the worries for this team.

·       This was the first series this season in which the Yankees did not hit a single home run. They could have used one yesterday.

·      Clay Holmes pitched a scoreless 8th inning, with two strikeouts. Of course, the Yankees were already losing, so there was no chance to give up the lead.

·       On Saturday, the Yankees clinched their 32nd consecutive winning season. Unfortunately, they do not give parades into the Canyon of Heroes for that. They have a bit more to do. That is the second longest streak in Major League Baseball history. The longest streak was also by the Yankees at 39 years, from 1926 to 1964. 

·      On September 8th,1925, a fellow named Babe Ruth hit his 300th career home run. I wonder whatever happened to him.

·      Yesterday was Gerrit Cole’s 34th birthday. I think Gleyber Torres was a bit confused about the whole gift giving thing. Instead of giving Cole a gift, Torres gave the game away to the Cubs.

Big Story –

From the beginning of the season, the mantra regarding the Yankees was that they would be different this year because they would win the games they should win. This was a game they should have won. They had their ace, Gerrit Cole, pitching and he pitched very well. Yet, a lack of offense and sloppy defense gave the game away. I know the Yankees won the series but, they need to accumulate victories to secure a win of the American League East. The Orioles lost yesterday, and the Yankees could have increased their lead. They didn't. Now, they will be playing a three-game series against the very hot Kansas City Royals. The Yankees have 19 games left in the regular season. Those 19 games will determine whether they are a wild card team or winners of the American League East. As that noted prognosticator, Aaron Boone, has stated, “It's all right there in front of them.”

Player of the Game – 

Gerrit Cole pitched a solid six innings, with seven strikeouts and deserved a better outcome.

Notable Performance –

No one really stood out.

Better to Forget 

That Gleyber Torres is the starting second baseman.  His 17 errors lead the Major Leagues. If they gave him a trophy for that, he would drop it.

My Take –  

I have several thoughts regarding yesterday's game and the state of the Yankees in general.

·       I have stated in this forum many times that Gleyber Torres is a major liability for this team. While it is true that he has improved his offensive production a great deal over the last several weeks, there are still major concerns. His overall numbers are adequate, at best. To be more than fair, he does seem to do well as a leadoff hitter. Right now, the Yankees do not have another viable option on the Major League roster. So, they are basically stuck with him. He is the worst fielding second baseman in the Major Leagues. He is prone to lapses in concentration and judgment in the field and on the bases. Although he has been hustling more, who knows when or if he will decide to jog on his way to first base again. While it is entirely possible that he could get a big hit in a playoff game to win it for the Yankees, it is equally possible that he will commit a blunder in the field or on the base paths that will cost them a game in the playoffs. If the Yankees had moved on from him earlier in the year, they could have developed one of their younger players to fill that role now. At this point, it's too late. However, under no circumstances should the Yankees re-sign Torres for the future. That would be a colossal mistake.

·       Alex Verdugo had an adventure with a fly ball in the first inning that turned into a double. He had one single in three at bats and is hitting .234 for the season. I guess what we saw yesterday proves the statements of Brian Cashman to be correct. Remember, on Friday Cashman said, “Staying pat with Alex Verdugo in left field over Jasson Dominguez gives the Yankees the best chance to win.” Now, in a week or so, when it will be safe to recall Dominguez without jeopardizing his rookie status for next year, I wonder how Cashman will justify the move then. Clearly, the acquisition of Verdugo was a mistake. Mistakes happen. However, continuing to ride with the mistake because it would damage your pride to admit that it was a mistake is a character flaw. We have seen a lot of this from Cashman in the past few years. It is time for him to go.

·       Jon Berti is nearing a return to the Majors. If he returns to the roster, is Duke Ellis really necessary? Also, it will be very interesting to see if the Yankees release DJ LeMahieu or do something else, such as send Oswaldo Cabrera to the minors. Cabrera has done nothing to deserve a demotion, but I could see it happening. The gutsy move would be to release LeMahieu and play Berti at second base over Torres. Berti could bat leadoff and would probably be a far superior fielder then Torres. Unfortunately, there is zero chance of that happening. Berti will come up and sit on the bench. LeMahieu will stay on the bench. Oswaldo Cabrera will likely be sent to the minors.

·       I like Nestor Cortes very much. I have always liked him. However, I was surprised and disappointed by his complaints about pitching in relief on Saturday. He will be returning to the rotation against the Red Sox. He did a great job on Saturday and if it is determined that he needs to pitch out of the bullpen down the stretch and into the playoffs, he should simply shut his mouth and do it. I have a feeling that it might be Clarke Schmidt who goes to the bullpen but, this outburst should be the last time we hear anything like that from Nestor.

·       Wade Boggs just announced that he has prostate cancer.  I think I speak for all of us when I say best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Next Up 

Tonight, the Yankees will open a the three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium. Carlos Rodon, (14-9, 4.31 ERA) will face the Royals’ Brady Singer, (9-9, 3.36 ERA). Hopefully, Singer will be off-key.