Stamford, CT: As usual, July is blowing by faster than Short Matt jumping out of bed when he senses that someone on the internet spelled “LeBron” with a small “b.” Speaker of small b’s, the Yankees are showing some signs of life with a suddenly extended lineup, and things are looking up in the Bronx. They might be setting up themselves up for a big finish if they can add some pitching.
One Week, Big Changes
One week ago, the Yanks trotted out a brutal lineup against the Mets, which Jose Canseco called “one of the worst he’s ever seen.” A bit hyperbolic, considering MVP candidates Soto and Judge were in there, but the rest of it was pretty ugly. This man once knocked a fall ball over the fence for a home run with his head, so he knows ugly. It’s definitely the worst lineup of all time featuring a pair of “DJs.”
The lineup featured the sub .100 hitting JD Davis in the cleanup spot for some reason and the role-player-at-best Jamai Jones leading off. Both have since been DFA’d. Verdugo and LeMahieu were in the midst of massive slumps, while Torres and Volpe were playing underwhelming ball. Rookie Carlos Narvaez was behind the plate.
Not exactly Murderer’s Row…
Yanks Get Their Groove Jazz Back
What a difference a week makes. The trade for Jazz Chisholm coincided with the return of “Big G” Stanton from the IL, and Verdugo and Torres pulling their heads out of their asses. Youngsters Wells and Rice are providing some exciting pop from the left side and suddenly the fearsome lineup from the early season is back.
They put up 7 earned against Zack Wheeler and two TDs on the Phillies last night. Let’s go.
Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Rice
There was some question about where Jazz would play, but the Yankees threw him right on the hot corner for the first time in his career. This guy gives the team a lot of position flexibility, but he could see a lot of ABs at third if he proves capable. Jazzy cracked his first two Yankee dongs on Monday, though the second was off a position player.
And if someone starts to struggle, or maybe even if they don’t, young stud Jasson Dominguez is back playing in triple AAA and nearly ready to come up and give the team a boost.
Now that the lineup is looking better, Cashman needs to find some pitching. Apparently the asking prices are high, as so few teams are declared sellers. Except for the Rays, that is, who dumped half of their team in an everything must go clearance sale. When it’s time to sell, go big.
That’s it for me. Come back tomorrow for Angry Ward.
