Gibbons: Pen makes Yanks front-runners
TORONTO — Four games to start the season against the muscular Yankees lineup is enough for an opposing manager to develop an ulcer.
Yet, when John Gibbons assesses what is ahead of the Blue Jays starting Thursday at Rogers Centre, he looks at what types of arms will surface from the visiting bullpen if the Yankees grab a lead by the middle innings.
“Great bullpens make a difference,’’ Gibbons said by phone from Montreal on Tuesday, where the Blue Jays ended the exhibition season against the Cardinals. “Against [the Yankees] you better do something early or it’s going to be a long night.’’
A lot has been made of the Yankees’ lineup after the addition of Giancarlo Stanton in December. Many believe it could be record-breaking with Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius and Stanton. That was before Greg Bird had foot surgery on Tuesday in New York and is expected to miss at least eight weeks. His loss will hurt but not decimate a deep lineup.
Still, even the best of lineups can be pitched to across six months of games. To think the Yankees’ bats aren’t going to experience lulls is foolish. There is going to come a time this season when Aaron Boone and hitting coach Marcus Thames are going to be asked, “What’s wrong?’’
As for the bullpen, Boone has so many talented options and three to four innings to utilize them. That should have opposing managers concerned if their club is behind heading to the seventh and sometimes the sixth.
“You had to like the Yankees before they got Stanton because of the bullpen,’’ Gibbons said.
Is the group of Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, Chad Green, David Robertson, Adam Warren and Chasen Shreve capable of getting the Yankees ahead of the two-time defending AL East champion Red Sox?
“Clearly, the Yankees and Red Sox are the front-runners as they generally are,’’ said Gibbons, who didn’t discount the Orioles and his club as easily as others have.
“You look at the Orioles and they signed [Alex] Cobb and [Andrew] Cashner over the winter. They can swing it and score runs. They can pound it,’’ Gibbons said of the Birds, who will open the season without closer Zach Britton. “We need to score runs. If we score runs we will be OK.’’
That’s because, on paper, the Blue Jays have quality starters Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ. All four will face the Yankees, beginning with the lefthanded Happ on Thursday.
Yet, Gibbons also understands what injuries can do to a team.
“I live in San Antonio and follow the Spurs a little bit. They lost Kawhi Leonard [nine games played this season], their best player. They beat the teams they are supposed to beat but when your best guys are out it’s tough,’’ Gibbons said.
Bird doesn’t qualify as one of the Yankees’ best guys because he missed the entire 2016 season with shoulder surgery and played in just 48 games last year because of July foot surgery. Yet, and this is a bad word — potentially the Yankees believe Bird is a middle-of-the-order hitter who would have thrived hitting between Judge and Stanton in the No. 3 spot.
Gibbons knows what injuries mean. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki appeared in just 66 games last year and isn’t ready to start the season due to a bone spur in the area of his Achilles. Talented second baseman Devon Travis has played in 213 games in the past three seasons and just 50 in 2017 because of injuries. Josh Donaldson was limited to 113 a year ago.
Ever since Bird flied to center for the final out of last year’s Game 7 in Houston the buzz about 2018 started. Then Stanton was acquired. Brandon Drury and Neil Walker arrived during spring training to make the lineup deeper.
Yet, if Gibbons is right the Yankees’ bullpen will be making a lot of managers’ nights very long.