Bombers’ big guns must get back on track
THE Yankees occupy an odd September middle ground: Looking up at the Blue Jays in the AL East, looking down at the clubs competing for the AL’s second wildcard spot and trying to avoid altogether the cliff that would land them out of the playoffs.
It’s the time of year when we debate the importance of going into the postseason hot or cold, and history shows that you can succeed magnificently or fail spectacularly either way. So that’s why Joe Girardi focuses on a more intangible measure as he tries to safely navigate this final stretch of the schedule.
“We’ve seen a lot of teams that have had to play like crazy to get in [then] go on a roll during the playoffs,” the Yankees manager said Saturday, before the team continued its series against the White Sox at Yankee Stadium. “We’ve also seen teams that maybe could coast a little bit, [and] all of a sudden, they’re able to turn it on when the playoffs start. So it’s really hard to predict.
“One thing is, players want to feel good about themselves going into the playoffs.”
You normally feel good about yourself when you win, and coincidentally, the Yankees will continue to try to win games. Yet this goal transcends mere results. The Yankees have specific areas of concern that can be addressed by the start of the playoffs, with the AL wildcard game set for Oct. 6.
Most notable is the fate is Masahiro Tanaka, who set off alarms Friday when he said he still felt the right hamstring strain that prevented him from pitching in Toronto this past week. The righthander said he thought he was on track to pitch this coming week, probably at home against Boston, and Girardi said Saturday his ace felt better. Tanaka is the obvious selection to start the expected wildcard contest for the Yankees.
“I think he’ll pitch [in the regular season],” Girardi said. “I’m pretty confident in that. But we’ve got to make sure that he’s where he needs to be before we put him out there.”
That means Tanaka will run and perform some fielding drills before getting assigned a start.
Who else needs a pickmeup before the intensity picks up? Alex Rodriguez once again finds himself in a funk, and therefore surrounded by questions about his tank capacity. Dellin Betances has been piling up the holds, though only after raising teammates’ and fans’ blood pressure with command issues. Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner and Chase Headley are among the everyday players who look like Danny Glover in “Lethal Weapon,” slogging away while mumbling, “I’m too old for this .”
To Girardi, it’s important the Yankees not regard themselves as limping toward the finish line.
“I think sometimes because of where we were at, the fact that we went 54 in that road trip (against Tampa Bay, the Mets and Toronto), at any other time, most people would probably say that’s a pretty good road trip,” Girardi said. “You’re playing two firstplace teams that have been playing extremely well. You’re going to Tampa. You see [Chris] Archer. You see [Jake] Odorizzi. That’s not that bad of a road trip, 54. But because we lost two games in Toronto and we didn’t make up the ground that we wanted to make, there’s a perception.
“But our schedule has been pretty tough, and I think our guys have responded pretty well. … And they’ve been extremely resilient. … We’ve seen a lot of good pitching. We’ve faced a lot of tough teams. And that’s probably why we’ve played the way we have.”
Probably. Of course, if the Yankees can’t win the wildcard game, or an even worse outcome comes to be, no one will be looking for the upside in such details.
There’s the magic number, and there’s also the number of ways in which the Yankees can prepare for October magic. They have to pay strict attention to both.