Yankees miss chance to gain on Sox, lose opener to Twins

The Yankees, sooner and not later, need to start winning series if they have any chance to make the playoffs this year. Looking flat offensively, they got off to an inauspicious start losing to the Twins, missing a chance to gain on the Red Sox.

The Yankees limped into Minneapolis at 4 AM Monday morning, fresh off a flight from Boston following a game that saw their hopes to creep 1.5 within the Red Sox crushed, but knowing they had played a pretty good brand of baseball at Fenway.

Bryan Mitchell was given the start over Luis Cessa, and he continued the recent trend of the starters keeping the Yankees close, always with a chance to win. But when the bats go quietly as they did again last night, and the team manages only two hits in eleven tries with runners in scoring position, at some point your pitching will give an inch.

On script, Eduardo Escobar stepped in as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning against reliever, Caleb Smith, delivering a tiebreaking single driving home Joe Mauer. Game over.

Lineup moves noticeable

Forget the game, though. There were other signs that Joe Girardi sees a need to shake the team up. Noticeably, Gary Sanchez did not make the start as catcher. Instead, Girardi elected to go with Austin Romine, who has a history with Mitchell and continues to get high marks as a pitch caller.

More from Yanks Go Yard

• Did Yankees fans bully Hal Steinbrenner into signing Aaron Judge, Carlos Rodón?
• Andrew Benintendi-White Sox deal proves Yankees were right to prioritize Carlos Rodón
• Twins already bailing on Gary Sánchez emphasizes Yankees’ trade failure
• New Yankees No. 2 Carlos Rodón hates Astros, dominates them
• 3 cost-effective free agents who can fill out Yankees roster after Aaron Judge deal

Removing the explosiveness of Sanchez bat from the lineup is huge, but it tells of Girardi’s increased disappointment in seeing Sanchez not progressing as a defender, and more importantly, not being “in the game” mentally and in sync with his pitcher.

Offensively, Romine is not gifted. But much like Girardi was when he caught games for the Cubs and Yankees, he’s consistent at the plate, has good at bats, and he has a tendency to come up with a big hit when needed.

In another experiment, Girardi moved Clint Frazier into the number two hole, perhaps believing this will encourage Frazier to be more selective at the plate, something his .318 on-base percentage suggests has been lacking. Frazier responded with two hits raising his average to .308.

Joe, what aren’t you seeing?

Aaron Judge continues to show signs of frustration at the plate since his return from Miami. Hitless again last night, Judge has managed only one hit and has seen his batting average dip by nineteen points in just five games.

John Flaherty, doing his usual masterful job for the YES Network last night, pointed out that Judge is fouling off balls to the right that, normally, he would be turning on. And his body language suggests he knows it and his frustration is mounting.

Visible to even laymen like myself, why does Girardi continue to roll him out there? Judge needs a blow. When is he going to get one?

Other News

As expected, Michael Pineda will be having Tommy John surgery today, effectively ending his career as a Yankees. It’s not likely the Yankees will pursue Pineda when he hits the free agent market this winter.

It was also confirmed that Greg Bird is done for the season as he is also scheduled for surgery to repair a troublesome ankle.

Next: All-Star blues? You be the judge.

The show at Target Field tonight includes a start by Bartolo Colon. Released by the Braves, Colon was picked up by the Twins, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with the aged but crafty pitcher.