The New York Yankees left Baltimore last night with their sub-.500 record intact, having come out on the short end of their series with the Orioles. They?re still ahead of the Birds in the standings, and may finish ahead of them, but it’s hard to look at their ballclub and make the assumption that they?ll be in the playoffs in October.
Baltimore fans seem to love to read bad things about the Yankees. It?s certainly understandable. A Yankee series at Camden Yards sounds very much like a home series for New York, with hordes of folks walking toward the gates wearing anything and everything with an interlocking “NY.” Those more knowledgeable local fans know that the Yankee franchise began life in 1901 as the original American League Baltimore Orioles ? they moved to the Big Apple in 1903. Everyone knows that Babe Ruth was a Baltimore kid, and how players like Reggie Jackson and Mike Mussina bailed on Charm City for piles of George Steinbrenner?s cash.
Speaking of money, you might be interested in knowing that the Yankees? 2007 payroll of $189,639,045 has produced less bang-for-the-buck than any team in baseball. Heck, Roger Clemens is making more per start than Jeremy Guthrie is making for the season.
With a couple of notable exceptions, the Yankees aren?t hitting a whole lot this year. In an age when a starting pitcher with an ERA under five seems to be completely acceptable, the Yanks have had considerable trouble scoring more than four runs a game. Fifteen of their losses this year have come in games where they scored four runs or less. Nine of those were one-run defeats. When New York pitching is at its best, their offense frequently fails to show. Not that they necessarily should have won all 15 games, but even going 10-5 in those contests would certainly change things.
As the trading deadline approaches, it’s likely the Yankees will be aggressive buyers as they attempt to make up ground inthe wild card race, since I doubt they have much of a shot to catch Boston for the division title, barring wholesale Red Sox? injuries. One difference this year, however, is that the Yankees seem locked into keeping their young pitching prospects. Philip Hughes, Jeff Marquez, Zach Kroenke and Joba Chamberlain are all at the Class AA level or higher (Hughes is on the DL currently), and are highly coveted by other teams. Their likely strategy will be to pursue veterans whose salaries their current teams are anxious to shed, even with little or no talent going the other way.
In-season management changes in Baltimore pretty much guarantee a 10th consecutive losing season, but I strongly believe the beginning of the MacPhail Era means better ? much better ? days are ahead in the next three to five years. In the meantime, if you’re not able to immediately enjoy the fruits of victory, it?s OK to get excited about another Yankee defeat.
Contact Phil Wood at [email protected]
