Yankees: Aaron Boone’s managing dooms NYY and Aaron Judge leaves with injury

The Yankees were swept by the Braves and they’ve reached a low point.

The New York Yankees have lost five straight. Sadly, ace Gerrit Cole and manager Aaron Boone have been unable to help whatsoever amid the slide. After Cole was battered for three home runs in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, Boone made another questionable pitching move that ultimately doomed the Yanks and got them swept.

The Atlanta Braves have returned the favor and stole two from New York at Truist Park after the Bombers did the same at Yankee Stadium, but this time it was much different. Rookie Ian Anderson out-dueled Cole in the afternoon contest and then Boone decided to remove Masahiro Tanaka, who was absolutely cruising, after 66 pitches in the second game.

What happened next? Well, Boone went with reliever Chad Green, who was on 10 days of rest. He blew the first two batters of the inning away, and then surrendered a single. All good, right? Nope. Freddie Freeman then cranked a two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth and that was it. 2-1 Braves. Series over.

PLEASE explain why Tanaka needs to be taken out after allowing just three hits and striking out four? He was averaging 13 pitches per inning! In any other scenario he’s on his was to a nine-inning complete game! The man needs every single opportunity to pitch deep into games during this shortened season in order to get ready for the playoffs.

Also, you’re about to play the Mets five times in three days and Tanaka isn’t going to be on regular rest until Monday. Let the guy throw six or seven innings before calling on the bullpen. Nobody would’ve been critical if the wheels had all of a sudden fell off in the bottom of the sixth. He was pitching according to plan and doing the managing himself.

The only “worry” was that he was slated to face the top of the order in the bottom of the sixth, but why aren’t you going to trust him after he had only allowed a few singles up until that point?

Though we just learned Tanaka told Boone that he was starting to feel tired (a little bit!), as the manager, he had the option to let him keep going. The decision looks a lot less unjustifiable, but maybe give Tanaka that extra push he needs to fight and get through six innings. It’s not like he was being forced to go the distance or there was a risk of overuse/injury. Not even close.

Also, what’s there to “talk” about after five innings and 66 pitches? Honestly. What you’re going to have for dinner after you finish dominating the Braves? This isn’t even a discussion if it’s a regular nine-inning game.

And the decision to bring in Green? Why? Did we really need to call upon a guy who hasn’t pitched in almost two weeks to face some of the best hitters in the National League? Why didn’t we use him at all against the Rays? We need answers.

Another problem was Thairo Estrada striking out looking with runners on second and third and nobody out in the fifth. Absolutely unacceptable. And then Aaron Hicks, who’s batting .192, failed to bring another run home after a Tyler Wade sacrifice fly. We can point the finger just about anywhere, but Tanaka’s shining performance being cut short really stings.

Oh yeah! And to top it all off, Aaron Judge was removed from the game because he’s … injured AGAIN!

He couldn’t get through six innings of one of the most boring and inactive games we’ve watched all year? We thought the training staff from last year was replaced. If he goes back to the injured list, this no doubt has to be a failure of oversight.

This is 2019 on repeat, just worse because we’re playing during a global pandemic and social unrest. Let’s just follow the NBA’s lead and get this season canceled already.

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