The Full 408: The New York Yankees Take Two Series On The Road

The New York Yankees got two key series wins this week against the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets. This along with the help of the Boston Red Sox taking two games against the Toronto Blue Jays boosted the Yankees back up to just 2.5 GB in the division. As the Yanks’ head into their most important series of the season here’s how they once again managed to stay right behind the Jays in this week’s edition of The Full 408.

The Good

• When the Yankees acquired Dustin Ackley at the trade deadline it seemed as if nothing would come of it. They already had Stephen Drew, who apparently has nothing but the Yankees trust (until now) and Brendan Ryan was sharing time with him. Instead, after Ackley was on the DL almost immediately after coming to New York, he made his impression this week. Dustin came through with key at-bats and solid fielding this week. The Yankees set a record for the most used second baseman in a nine inning game (4). Why? I suppose seeing what they have with each. Rob Refsnyder has been coming in for garbage-time innings, and Drew, Ryan, as well as Ackley have been switching between starts. As of now, it seems Ackley is the only one stepping up as he’s been switching between second and the outfield. Should he continue to hit, it’ll prove to be a very useful addition.
• Adam Warren returned to the rotation in Tuesday’s loss against the Rays. It was agreed upon his day would end at about 60 pitches and that’s exactly what happened. Warren went four innings and gave up two earned with four strikeouts. This was a fairly solid start being it was his first since June and the process of getting him back into the rotation took a good amount planning in a very short time. However, it didn’t get any easier for Warren as he opened up the series versus the Jays on Monday with a loss after giving up three runs in the first inning. Should he perform as he did earlier in the season, the Yankees could get another great answer for their rotation as they did with Luis Severino.
• Carlos Beltran continues to power the Yankees through September with Mark Teixeira not being there. He made Citi Field his home once again over the week and has really been the Yankees’ most valuable player this month when a big bat was needed most (and not just for home runs). Beltran is no stranger to the postseason, he knows this is the month to stay hot, and I expect him to as they head into October.
• I’d like to add one more here because I can’t tell if it’s 201o or 2015 right now. CC Sabathia has came back from his injury in a dominant way. CC gave the Yankees six innings with one earned and seven strikeouts last night, and was pretty much in a pitching duel with Matt Harvey. In CC’s last three starts his ERA is 1.04 and opponents’ batting average is just .109. CC showed some signs of life in the second half of the season and I knew they were going to miss him while he was gone. Apparently it could’ve been a good thing being that he’s hot right when they need it the most. None of the other starters have the postseason background he does, CC could be great for the Yankees this October should they make it past the wild card.

The Ugly

• I understand it’s no easy task to work with a bullpen, but Joe Girardi has to figure out what to do with this situation that seems to be a topic every night. Besides Justin Wilson and Dellin Betances it seems he has no one to trust. Some rookies have shown bursts of promise, Nick Goody and James Pazos have been decent, and even Nick Rumbelow last night bounced back from his Tampa outing, but their appearances are mostly coming in out-of-reach games still. I’m not saying to put them in when the game is tied and they’re playing in Toronto, but get them more meaningful at-bats so you have a better feeling going into these last couple of games. Girardi seems to be playing roulette with every bullpen player, even with Chasen Shreve struggling now, it’s not a good sign of what’s to come if these guys have to face playoff caliber lineups.

Weekly Performances

• Keep It Up: Michael Pineda gave the Yankees 5.1 innings of scoreless ball Saturday, and the bullpen came in to complete the shutout of the Mets. Pineda (just as Tanaka and CC) has been strong this last month of the season and is healthy as ever. It seems this rotation is coming together (unfortunately without Nathan Eovaldi) just at the right time, and hopefully that holds true as the Yankees finish the season.
• Pick It Up: It was decided Chris Young would only make starts when the Yankees were facing left-handers, now he just seems to get pinch-hit appearances late in games. Though this might be the reason he’s struggled, he still needs to make the most of what playing time he does get. He hasn’t gotten much work lately with the outfield being at full health (for once), but he needs to get his swing back and show the Yankees he can still help. From his at-bats he’s getting contact but it appears to be just an inch off. It could very well be from a lack of at-bats, but he can’t depend on Girardi to give him a chance to get that inch back at this time of the season, especially with Carlos Beltran playing the way he is.

The Reel

Luis Severino bounced back from his outing in Toronto.

Chase Headley assists Pineda with some defense.

Justin Wilson was lethal out of the bullpen this weekend.

A funny moment in Sunday’s game: Greg Bird and bird.

What’s Next?

Yes, it was a great week for the Yankees, but this week is going to make or break the season (division-wise at least). The Yankees finish their road trip in Toronto, the three games that have been circled since September started. 2.5 GB, the Yankees ideally need to get at least two games to have a chance at the division and hope for the best. However, a sweep would put them in the driver seat and they’d control their own destiny until the end of the season.

Here are the match-ups for the remaining two games in Toronto;

• Luis Severino (vs Marco Estrada)
• Ivan Nova (vs Marcus Stroman)

This is what it all comes down to. Wilson, Betances, and Miller didn’t pitch Sunday or Monday, they’re ready to go, and the bats need to be as well.

See you next week on The Full 408!

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