If you think back to about six years ago during the 2009 championship campaign you'll remember it was a late June game at Turner Field when the Yankees turned their season around. It was the 6th inning and the Yanks were getting no-hit when Brett Gardner walked and then got picked off at first. The call was awful, Gardner clearly made it back in time, and Girardi lost it. Heading into that game the Yanks had lost nine of their last 13, had fallen five games back of the Red Sox in the division and their offense was sputtering despite a lineup stacked to the rafters with talent.
Girardi got thrown out, Cervelli subsequently hit a home run to tie the game, A-Rod drove in a couple runs and the next thing you know the Yanks put up an eight spot and won the game. They were a different team from that point forward. The Yanks will be looking to recapture some of that magic this weekend and hit a turning point not only for the team but more importantly for this offense.
With 36 games to go in the regular season each series is becoming more important than the last. The Yankees are in a really favorable position as far as making the postseason via the wild card but the division race can still be a competitive one as long as this team can get their shit together and this is the weekend to do it. On paper heading into this season the Braves might have been the worst team in baseball. They're 19 games under .500, they've lost 10 of their last 12, have absolutely nothing to play for and the three pitchers going for them all have ERA's at 4 or higher.
But of course probably none of that will matter. The Yankees are their own worst enemy right now. It makes no difference whether it's Dallas Keuchel or Scott Feldman on the mound. Whether it's Carlos Carrasco or Josh Tomlin. This team isn't hitting. You can sit here and wonder about Tanaka being an ace or whether Pineda is fully back yet or if Severino and Eovaldi can handle pitching in the playoffs but none of that means anything until the offense get's back on track. You're probably going to see Beltran in the 3-hole this weekend and that's a good thing. He's been the best, most dangerous hitter in the lineup for about a month and he needs as many ABs as you can get him. A-Rod won't factor much into these games so you've just got to hope and pray that a 4-day rest will get him his legs back so he can go back to being a productive force in the middle of the order and not a negative one.
Pitching Match-ups
Tonight - Masahiro Tanaka (9-6, 3.61) vs. Williams Perez (4-4, 4.76)
Tomorrow night - Luis Severino (1-2, 2.74) vs. Matt Wisler (5-4, 5.43)
Sunday afternoon - Nate Eovaldi (13-2, 4.00) vs. Julio Teheran (9-6, 4.29)
Things to worry about - Pedro Ciriaco
Think of him as this weekend's Jose Ramriez. .664 lifetime OPS and absolutely KILLS the Yankees. I thought this guy was gonna be the next George Brett while he was with Boston. When they traded him I was sure we'd finally seen the last of him but no such luck. He's not an everyday player with Atlanta but if Fredi Gonzalez is smart he'll start him everyday. Don't be surprised if he takes over the series.
What's in our favor - Nick Swisher
The Swish cleared waivers a few weeks ago and the Braves picked him up. Big mistake. The last thing anyone on Atlanta needs is Nick Swisher walking around the clubhouse with that shit-eating grin on his face trying to pump everyone up singing "Don't Stop Believin" while they're 50 games out. These guys are just trying to get through the rest of the year without losing their minds. It's only a matter of time before one of them snaps...
Girardi got thrown out, Cervelli subsequently hit a home run to tie the game, A-Rod drove in a couple runs and the next thing you know the Yanks put up an eight spot and won the game. They were a different team from that point forward. The Yanks will be looking to recapture some of that magic this weekend and hit a turning point not only for the team but more importantly for this offense.
With 36 games to go in the regular season each series is becoming more important than the last. The Yankees are in a really favorable position as far as making the postseason via the wild card but the division race can still be a competitive one as long as this team can get their shit together and this is the weekend to do it. On paper heading into this season the Braves might have been the worst team in baseball. They're 19 games under .500, they've lost 10 of their last 12, have absolutely nothing to play for and the three pitchers going for them all have ERA's at 4 or higher.
But of course probably none of that will matter. The Yankees are their own worst enemy right now. It makes no difference whether it's Dallas Keuchel or Scott Feldman on the mound. Whether it's Carlos Carrasco or Josh Tomlin. This team isn't hitting. You can sit here and wonder about Tanaka being an ace or whether Pineda is fully back yet or if Severino and Eovaldi can handle pitching in the playoffs but none of that means anything until the offense get's back on track. You're probably going to see Beltran in the 3-hole this weekend and that's a good thing. He's been the best, most dangerous hitter in the lineup for about a month and he needs as many ABs as you can get him. A-Rod won't factor much into these games so you've just got to hope and pray that a 4-day rest will get him his legs back so he can go back to being a productive force in the middle of the order and not a negative one.
Pitching Match-ups
Tonight - Masahiro Tanaka (9-6, 3.61) vs. Williams Perez (4-4, 4.76)
Tomorrow night - Luis Severino (1-2, 2.74) vs. Matt Wisler (5-4, 5.43)
Sunday afternoon - Nate Eovaldi (13-2, 4.00) vs. Julio Teheran (9-6, 4.29)
Things to worry about - Pedro Ciriaco
Think of him as this weekend's Jose Ramriez. .664 lifetime OPS and absolutely KILLS the Yankees. I thought this guy was gonna be the next George Brett while he was with Boston. When they traded him I was sure we'd finally seen the last of him but no such luck. He's not an everyday player with Atlanta but if Fredi Gonzalez is smart he'll start him everyday. Don't be surprised if he takes over the series.
What's in our favor - Nick Swisher
The Swish cleared waivers a few weeks ago and the Braves picked him up. Big mistake. The last thing anyone on Atlanta needs is Nick Swisher walking around the clubhouse with that shit-eating grin on his face trying to pump everyone up singing "Don't Stop Believin" while they're 50 games out. These guys are just trying to get through the rest of the year without losing their minds. It's only a matter of time before one of them snaps...
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