When the Red Sox left The Bronx on June 9 having swept three from the Yankees, even the most optimistic Yankees fan had to believe by the time July surfaced Boston’s AL East lead over the Yankees could be substantial.
Nevertheless, the two-game lead the Red Sox held on June 9 has turned into a 21⁄2-game lead for the Yankees, who went 18-8 in June despite missing several key parts.
Derek Jeter’s pursuit of 3,000 hits stalled on
June 13 when he left a game with a Grade 1 strained right calf six hits shy of the magical number.
Joba Chamberlain’s season ended on June 5 because of a right elbow ligament injury that required Tommy John surgery.
Without Rafael Soriano and Chamberlain, manager Joe Girardi got creative in the late innings, where David Robertson shined.
Bartolo Colon went on the disabled list on June 12 with a hamstring problem when he was throwing well enough to be called the No. 2 starter.
Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher got hot, Alex Rodriguez’s home run power vanished, but he drove in 21 runs.
Here is a review of June and a peek at July, a month that certainly will bring a new face or two before the July 31 trade deadline. The smart money is a starter and reliever being acquired.
MVP: Jorge Posada
Nick Swisher hit seven of his 10 homers in June, drove in 23 runs and batted .326 (28-of-36).
Yet, Posada gets the nod here. Not just because after two brutal months his bat went nucleaur but because what it meant to the Yankees’ trade plans.
Posada hit .382 (26-for-68) with three homers and 11 RBIs after being awful in April and May.
Suddenly, the Yankees didn’t have an overwhelming need to upgrade the DH spot. Therefore, they can use their chips to bolster the rotation and bullpen.
LVP: Boone Logan
Late in the month Logan lowered his arm angle and pitched better. Nevertheless, the third month of the season did very little to erase the inconsistencies the only lefty reliever of the first 2 1⁄2 months.
And that is the reason the Yankees are monitoring what’s available in the trade market for lefty relievers.
Logan, who lefties are hitting .265 (13-for-49) against this season, appeared in nine games. He worked 61⁄3 innings, allowed three hits and seven walks. On the positive side he fanned eight.
When Pedro Feliciano went down in spring training and Damaso Marte continues to be a ghost, Logan was asked to be the pitcher he was a year ago and hasn’t been that guy.
Consequently, he is hard to trust.
LOOKING AHEAD
Derek Jeter’s 3,000 hit will be the personal highlight, and it might arrive this week in Cleveland.
Phil Hughes is close to rejoining the rotation, likely moving Ivan Nova into the bullpen. Unless, of course, another injury hits.
There are whispers Rafael Soriano might surface after the All-Star break. Don’t bet too much on that.
By Sunday, July 31, general manager Brian Cashman will have added at least one pitcher and likely two, especially if Soriano continues to remain on the DL.
As for the schedule, it starts with three Subway Series games against the Mets at Citi Field tonight. There are eight games against the pesky Rays. The end of the month gets soft because the offensively-challenged A’s and Mariners visit the Stadium in front of the Orioles who finish the month with three games.
WOULD YOU BE SURPRISED?
Cashman doesn’t make a move?
Ideally, Cashman is looking for a lefty starter and lefty reliever and the markets are thin. Does Wandy Rodriguez do anything for you? Or Mike Gonzalez? Didn’t think so.
Other teams say Cashman isn’t going to deal high-end prospects Jesus Montero, Manuel Banuelos or Dellin Betances. And the Yankees aren’t wild about acquiring players with financial commitments beyond this season.
YOU DON’T WANT
TO BE JOE GIRARDI:
If he doesn’t get another lefty reliever.
There is a possibility Pedro Feliciano makes it back but that’s a long shot. If Cashman can’t add a lefty, Girardi’s lone lefty is Boone Logan and with nine games against the Red Sox remaining, that’s not a secure feeling.
GAME OF THE MONTH:
YANKEES 6, ROCKIES 4,
June 26
On Old-Timers’ Day, one of the youngest Yankees delivered the game’s biggest play.
Eduardo Nunez, filling in for the injured Derek Jeter, broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning with an RBI single, propelling the Bronx Bombers to a 6-4 win.
Before the game, the Yankees honored long-time trainer Gene Monahan, who is retiring at season’s end. After the Rockies jumped out to a 3-0 lead, the Yankees tied the game in the bottom of the fifth behind back-to-back homers from Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada.
After the Rockies added another run in the top of the sixth, Alex Rodriguez singled to drive in Brett Gardner to tie the game again, setting the stage for Nunez’s heroics. Mariano Rivera struck out the side in the top of the ninth to pick up his 20th save of the season.
5 Key Stats
12-3 Record without Derek Jeter after yesterday’s 5-0 win.
1 Number of earned runs in the past
19 appearances for David Robertson. Robertson has fanned each of his last eight batters he faced with the bases loaded.
54 Number of at-bats for Alex Rodriguez without a homer after yesterday’s game.
.255 (13-for-51) Eduardo Nunez’s batting average replacing Jeter. He also committed four errors.
43 The number of RBIs Nick Swisher has for the season. Swisher, who entered June hitting .213 with three homers and 20 RBIs for the season, hit .326 with seven homers and 23 RBIs in the month of June. The right fielder is now hitting .251.