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One Hit Wonder
Posted By Chasing Records on September 3, 2010
One Hit Wonder
Say what you want about the Oakland Athletics and the Chicago White Sox, but during their six game winning streak, the New York Yankees have looked like the best team in baseball. During two of the six victories, they did not get a great outing from a starting pitcher, but the offense picked it up. In three other wins, the offense was suspect, but the starting pitcher carried the team. All of a sudden, the Yankees head into Labor Day weekend with a 1.5 game lead over Tampa Bay, and a magic number to clinch the playoffs of 21 over the Boston Red Sox.
CC Sabathia should be in control of the American League Cy Young Award, but sometimes, voters do not choose to support Yankees. We’ve seen this before. In 2003, Hideki Matsui was not awarded the Rookie of the Year title because he wasn’t considered a first-year player due to his career in Tokyo. The award went to Angel Berroa instead, who has not had much of a career since then. There is a fine argument for not considering Matsui a rookie, except for the fact that Ichiro Suzuki was deemed AL Rookie of the Year two years earlier. Fast forward to 2006: Derek Jeter has a monster year which includes a .343 batting average and 97 RBI’s… from the number two spot in the order. The MVP award went to Justin Morneau, who had a very good season, but some voters did not even put Jeter in the top five for the award. Let’s just hope the writers are able to look past the uniform and see the 19 wins that CC has on September 2nd, far more than anyone else in baseball.
Sabathia was lights out on Thursday, which he has been for two full months. By holding the Athletics scoreless over eight frames, his ERA dropped to 3.02. Another outing or two like this, and the Yankees will have a 20-game winner with an ERA somewhere in the two-range. He’s been worth every single penny. Speaking of earning his pay, how about hitting coach Kevin Long? What he has done to Granderson’s swing in the middle of a season is incredible. After being inserted in the line-up in the second inning, Curtis Granderson cracked two bombs to right field, giving CC all the support he needed for a sweep of the Oakland A’s.
Photo: Yahoo Sports - Getty/AP
Keep an eye on Lance Berkman. I just have a feeling that this guy is going to give the Yankees a big time September and make Joe Girardi really think about who his DH should be come October. In three at bats, Berkman has two hits since his return from the DL Wednesday night. Marcus Thames has been hot against left-handers, so don’t be surprised to see a DH platoon between Lance and Marcus the rest of the way.
The Yankees needed to take 2 out of 3 and at least win the series from Oakland this week. It sounds like a tall order, especially considering the Yankees’ ownership of the best record in baseball. But take a look at their September schedule. After six more home games against Toronto and the upstart Baltimore Orioles, they head off to take on Texas, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore on the road. Texas and Tampa Bay have been very good at home, and Buck Showalter has the Orioles playing winning baseball since his arrival. After this current homestand, the Bronx Bombers only host seven more regular season games at Yankee Stadium. These seven games will take place against Tampa Bay and Boston, both post-season contenders. The grueling month ends with another six game road trip in Toronto and at Fenway Park, two difficult places to play. Piling on wins is critical, especially with a tight battle for AL East supremacy.
I would never ever root for a rain out. Yankee games are one of the things I look forward to every day. But if Hurricane Earl hits New York and the Yankees get an off-day Friday, it wouldn’t be such a horrible thing. Derek Jeter looks like he needs a week off, and Robinson Cano showed some signs of fatigue on Thursday as well. Anytime you can rest the studs in the bullpen, it’s a plus. The threat of a double-header looms on Saturday, but rosters have expanded so the Yankees should be able to get by. If they can dominate the rest of their home-stand, and keep their heads above water for the remainder of the season, the New York Yankees should have no trouble reaching the post-season for the 15th time in the past 16 years.
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