About Yesterday: Yanks Shut Down Cubs 3-0

About Yesterday Afternoon: The Yankees Shut Down the Cubs 3-0

By Tim Kabel

September 7, 2024

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The Yankees won the first game of the series against the Cubs. Before you get too excited, remember they won the first game against the Rangers, Cardinals, and Nationals too and then proceeded to lose each of those series.

Luis Gil was tremendous, and it was a well-played game. Let's just take it for what it was. It was one game. The Yankees played well and won. That's the way we must proceed with the remainder of this season and however far the Yankees go into the playoffs. Each game needs to be treated as an individual entity because we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves.

Quick Stats –

·       Aaron Judge has now gone ten games without hitting a home run. For those of you who are starting to worry, just remember April when you thought his career was over. He is still batting .323 with 51 home runs and 125 RBI for the season. Take a deep breath.

·       The Yankees’ bullpen did not allow a run for the first time since August 28th. The fact that Clay Holmes did not pitch was merely coincidental.

·      There has been a lot of discussion about the fact that Anthony Volpe has not progressed to the point that many fans or media members wanted him to. There was even some suggestion that he should go back to the minor leagues. Well, his numbers overall are significantly better this year than they were last year. His batting average is about 45 points higher and these days .254 is fairly respectable. His strikeouts are way down, and he has scored over 20 runs more than he did last year. It is a progression. There is marked improvement in his offense since last year and reason to believe that he will only get better.

·       Brian Cashman and company have bungled a lot of things this season but, giving Luis Gil a two-week break could have been a stroke of genius. Someone else must have thought of it

·      On September 6th,1981, Gene Michael was fired as the Yankees’ manager and replaced with Bob Lemon. That was the year of the split season due to the strike. The Yankees ultimately made it to the World Series, where they lost to the Dodgers. Back to the firing of Gene Michael, that's what we call a precedent. Call Hal.

Big Story –

This Yankees’ team is very frustrating. They can play an excellent game like they did yesterday and then get blown out for two games in a row to lose a series. They are inconsistent and unreliable. At this point, you can't even describe them as streaky because they don't go on winning streaks. They are more of a one step forward, two steps back team.

They are running out of time. They need to start winning on a consistent basis and ride that into the postseason if they are going to have any hope of success. I just don't believe the Yankees are capable of it. They have proven they are a mediocre team with a few great players. That is not enough to win a World Series.

Player of the Game – 

Luis Gil pitched six one-hit, shutout innings, with seven strikeouts.

Notable Performance –

Austin Wells had a two-run single in his return from a hand injury.

Better to Forget 

Not much. There actually wasn't anything to complain about. Don't tell anyone.

My Take –   

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

·       I have stated in this forum that I don't think it's a good idea or fair for John Sterling to come back just to call playoff games for his “last hurrah”. However, it is the height of absurdity for Mike Francesa to criticize him for coming out of retirement. I think we all remember when Francesa went on his endless farewell tour before his own retirement from WFAN. That lasted a few months, until for whatever reason, he returned and ousted the three people who were hosting the afternoon drive show. That should disqualify him from criticizing anyone about anything they do after retirement. That would be like Orson Welles telling someone “Hey, I think you've put on a few pounds.”

·       A win is like an ice pack. It temporarily dulls the pain and makes you think you don't have a problem. Eventually, the ice wears off. The Yankees still have major flaws in the lineup and the pitching staff. Many of us have stated for quite some time that relying on a bullpen made up of vagabonds and drifters who have been released by other teams was not the way to go. That eventually caught up to the Yankees. Now, even their stalwarts, such as they were, are having problems. Clay Holmes is not someone to bring in to put out a fire. At this point, he could barely blow out a candle on a birthday cake. Ian Hamilton is being touted as a savior when in reality, he was struggling a great deal before he went on the IL. Scott Effross only lasted a couple of days before he was sent back to the minors. Yesterday, after the game, Boone stated, “We have a lot of great arms down in the bullpen”. Where? Were they visiting from somewhere else? He certainly couldn't be referring to the Island of Misfit Toys that Brian Cashman assembled. That is yet another reason why Boone needs to go. I do not believe he is being forced to utter this nonsense. I think it comes naturally to him. I think he believes that he can dispense this ridiculous pablum and we will all simply smile, nod, and swallow it.

·       Brian Cashman actually said the following on Friday: “Staying pat with Alex Verdugo in left field over Jasson Dominguez gives the Yankees the best chance to win.” Really? My question is, to win what? Clearly, he doesn't mean baseball games. Yes, Verdugo has been hot lately but, when he was statistically one of the worst hitters in baseball for a large portion of the season, that didn't move the needle very much. Now he is just on the cusp of mediocre. It would be nice if Cashman simply said “Look, we're looking at the big picture, and for this organization, it makes the most sense to keep Dominguez in the minor leagues long enough to preserve his rookie status for next year. There are multiple reasons for this but ultimately that is what is best for the franchise.” Cashman would never say that. I don't know if he could say it but even if he could, he wouldn't. When we are deep enough into the season for Dominguez to come up without losing his rookie status for next year, I would be willing to bet that suddenly, Alex Verdugo no longer “gives us the best chance to win.” Meanwhile, the Yankees are not putting the best product on the field right now because in reality, they are going to make the playoffs one way or the other. But it really doesn't matter, because we have Duke Ellis on the Major League roster. All is right with the world. I know that someday, my grandchildren are going to ask me, “Grandpa, where were you when Duke Ellis got his first Major League hit?”

Next Up 

Today, the Yankees will play the second game of the three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at 2:20 PM at Wrigley Field. Clarke Schmidt, (5-3, 2.52 ERA) will face the Cubs’ Javier Assad, (7-4, 3.21 ERA). Hopefully, the Yankees can gum up the works for the Cubs at Wrigley Field.