BOSTON – In just a few hours Gerrit Cole will stand on the mound at Fenway and take a deep breath, the kind that stretches the lining of the lungs. He’ll prepare to throw the first pitch in the most important game of the season, knowing the Yankees have turned their desperate gaze in his direction.
Today, Cole isn’t just the $324 million ace, he’s the franchise’s last line of defense against the relentless Red Sox. They’re 5-0 against the Yankees this season, including Saturday’s 4-2 schooling on national television. There’s no mistaking the message being sent this weekend. As DJ LeMahieu put it, “(the Red Sox) have outplayed us for five straight games.”
So it’s win or else Sunday afternoon. Before you write this off as a doomsday narrative, consider Cole will be making first-ever start at Fenway in a Yankees uniform. He’s already pitched big games in front of the Green Monster – notably during the 2018 ALCS with the Astros – but even that wouldn’t have put the same bullseye on his back.
Cole is now officially the enemy of greater New England, which is no small burden in itself. What compounds the assignment is the Yankees’ crisis. They’re six out in the East, 4.5 out in the wild-card race. But even those numbers don’t reflect the Yankees’ growing realization that everything they do – everything – is accomplished with greater ease by the Sox.
That leaves manager Aaron Boone reaching for his last remaining weapon – Cole. He’s all that stands between the Bombers and another humiliating sweep by the Sox.
Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers
No doubt the Sox are enjoying the Yankees’ misery. Alex Cora already thinks he owns Boone. His players are just as confident their domination has been bookmarked for October. Of course the Bombers fiercely push back on the notion that Boston has their number, as Boone insists, “we know we can beat anyone.” They just haven’t figured out a way to stop the Sox.
Saturday’s loss was more of the same: a close game that served as a billboard of the Sox’ athleticism. They took an early 3-0 lead on Jordan Montgomery then drafted behind Nathan Eovaldi until the eighth inning. The Yankees did stir with two out the ninth, closing to within two with the tying runs on base for Aaron Judge.
It was a best-case scenario for a franchise in need of a pick-me-up: a legitimate home run threat, already with two hits on the night, against Adam Ottavino, the former Yankee who’d pitched himself out of the Bronx in 2020. But it was a different Ottavino who unleashed a two-strike, 98-mph fastball that was more than Judge could handle.
Judge seemed caught off guard by Ottavino’s new-found velocity; he’s throwing 2-3 mph harder this year than as a Yankee. The surge forced Judge into a defensive swing as he flailed at what would’ve been ball three. The slugger later explained he’d simply out-thought himself trying to predict Ottavino’s sequencing. Judge was sure he’d see a two-seam fastball over the inside corner. Ottavino instead worked the other side of the plate, getting Judge to swing and miss to end the game.
“It gets you in trouble,” Judge later said of the mind game. “Sometimes you just have to go up there and just hit. I have to get the job done there and get the next guy up.”
The slugger, normally a beacon of optimism and can-do leadership, was in an especially bleak mood after the game. It’s as if Judge had had an epiphany, like he’d run face-first into a brick wall of reality.
No, the Yankees won’t dare discuss lowering their sights for the wild card, but something’s clearly off. GM Brian Cashman admits, “I’ve got work to do” before the July 30 trade deadline. He’s looking for a center fielder, a starting pitcher and a middle-innings reliever, or anyone who represents an upgrade over Brett Gardner and Albert Abreu.
Cashman says it’s too early to gauge the market – most teams are still focusing on the upcoming amateur draft – but Yankees fans should manage their expectations in the meantime. Even if Cashman finds a nugget, it won’t be enough to re-make the roster’s innate flaws.
The Bombers are being weighed down by an over-reliance on home runs and walks. They’re boring and formulaic, virtually useless at moving runners or taking the extra base. It’s why, despite a he-man middle of the order the Yankees hit into so many double plays. Without HRs, ground balls expose their lack of overall speed, dooming rally after rally.
And despite recent upticks by LeMahieu and Gary Sanchez, the season has been sabotaged by nightly failure with runners in scoring position. Judge himself is mystified.
“I don’t have an answer for you,” he said when asked for a working theory. “We would’ve had it fixed if we had the answer.”
That’s where Cole comes in. He needs to give the Yankees the kind of masterpiece that neither Montgomery nor Domingo German was capable of this weekend. Both starters allowed the Sox to jump out to early 3-0 leads – poison for a team that’s struggling regain its balance.
Maybe Cole can paper over those deficits Sunday. That would give the Yankees much needed oxygen. But the problems are bigger than even a $324 million ace can solve. The Sox have made that point loud and clear.
Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text with beat writers and columnists. Plus, get breaking news, exclusive insight and analysis every day. Sign up now.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Bob Klapisch may be reached at bklapisch@njadvancemedia.com Follow him on Twitter at @BobKlap. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
"save" - Google News
June 27, 2021 at 07:03PM
https://ift.tt/3jiNewJ
Gerrit Cole must save Yankees from being swept by Red Sox to quite possibly salvage the season | Klapisch - NJ.com
"save" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2SvBSrf
https://ift.tt/2zJxCxA
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Gerrit Cole must save Yankees from being swept by Red Sox to quite possibly salvage the season | Klapisch - NJ.com"
Post a Comment