I haven’t written much about the Yankees’ fortunes this season, for good reason:
TORONTO — The Yankees used five pitchers Thursday, and the only one from the opening day roster was Billy Traber, who gave up seven hits while getting seven outs. With every game important as the team’s playoff hopes fade, the procession of stopgaps was startling.
Losing to Roy Halladay — the best pitcher in baseball, according to Johnny Damon — was predictable. The sheer force of the rout was deflating. It was a 14-3 smackdown in which the Toronto Blue Jays pelted the Yankees with 21 hits.
The Yankees dropped another series and headed to Baltimore for the weekend. The wayward starter Carl Pavano returns Saturday, back for his latest comeback as he nears the end of his boondoggle contract. A morbidly bizarre season continues to surprise.
“We have big games now in Baltimore,” Derek Jeter said. “It’s up to us. We have to start stringing together some wins. We can’t win one here and then lose one. We have to get on a streak.”
Yet the Yankees have won just one of their last seven series. With 35 games remaining, they are 10 ½ games back in the American League East and six behind in the wild-card race.
The Yankees’ overall record is 67-60, including a 6-0 mark against baseball’s worst team, the Seattle Mariners. Taking out those games, the Yankees are one game over .500.
The odds of making the playoffs this year seem slim. The question that remains is, who pays the price this time ?
Last year is was Joe Torre’s head on the chopping block, will Joe Girardi see the door in October ? What about Brian Cashman ?
It ain’t over till the Steinbrenner sons sing.
