Midterm Report
There seems to be an abundance of midterm reports out there, so I think I'll have to give one of my own.
Entering the second half of the season in first place by 3 games is a good place to be in, especially since 26 of their next 38 games are at home. This provides a great opportunity to increase that lead. It's important to realize that the Wild Card will most likely not come out of the AL East, so coming in 2nd place this year isn't going to cut it. In fact, it's all over ESPN that the Yankees aren't going to the playoffs, but it's entirely too premature to begin discussing that.
Another thing to consider is the amount of injuries on the team. Matt Clement, Keith Foulke, David Wells, Wily Mo Pena, and Lenny DiNardo continue their stints on the DL. Mike Timlin and Tim Wakefield are hurting, too. And don't forget Curt Schilling got hit in the elbow during his start on Sunday. And they do not have five solid starters. Josh Beckett, Schilling, Jon Lester, Wakefield...Craig Hansen? Jason Johnson had a good Minor League outing, so maybe he could be called back to help out. It's not likely that there will be many trades before the deadline, but it would probably be beneficial to grab a reliable pitcher.
And in the most obvious news of the year, the bullpen continues to disappoint. Even Timlin can't get it together, but I have to give him a pass due to his injury. Julian Tavarez and especially Rudy Seanez don't bring much to the table, and have been the cause of much anger out of me this year. Jonathan Papelbon may just be the best thing to ever come out of Baton Rouge, LA, and he has continually been a bright spot in the rather dismal bullpen.
So tonight, Lester begins the second half by pitching against Esteban Loaiza of the Oakland A's. Oakland is tied for first place in the AL West with a 45-43 record, but they're 3-7 in their last ten games and maybe they will continue their 3-game losing streak.
Entering the second half of the season in first place by 3 games is a good place to be in, especially since 26 of their next 38 games are at home. This provides a great opportunity to increase that lead. It's important to realize that the Wild Card will most likely not come out of the AL East, so coming in 2nd place this year isn't going to cut it. In fact, it's all over ESPN that the Yankees aren't going to the playoffs, but it's entirely too premature to begin discussing that.
Another thing to consider is the amount of injuries on the team. Matt Clement, Keith Foulke, David Wells, Wily Mo Pena, and Lenny DiNardo continue their stints on the DL. Mike Timlin and Tim Wakefield are hurting, too. And don't forget Curt Schilling got hit in the elbow during his start on Sunday. And they do not have five solid starters. Josh Beckett, Schilling, Jon Lester, Wakefield...Craig Hansen? Jason Johnson had a good Minor League outing, so maybe he could be called back to help out. It's not likely that there will be many trades before the deadline, but it would probably be beneficial to grab a reliable pitcher.
And in the most obvious news of the year, the bullpen continues to disappoint. Even Timlin can't get it together, but I have to give him a pass due to his injury. Julian Tavarez and especially Rudy Seanez don't bring much to the table, and have been the cause of much anger out of me this year. Jonathan Papelbon may just be the best thing to ever come out of Baton Rouge, LA, and he has continually been a bright spot in the rather dismal bullpen.
So tonight, Lester begins the second half by pitching against Esteban Loaiza of the Oakland A's. Oakland is tied for first place in the AL West with a 45-43 record, but they're 3-7 in their last ten games and maybe they will continue their 3-game losing streak.
posted by laura at 10:39
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