~~~ OFFICIAL YANKEES 2007 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS OR BUST THREAD ~~~

[trying2learn]

I haven't been interested in Yankee threads this year for this reason. Even my fun with my Yankee-fan friends this year isn't as cool.

Part of the joy was the fact that the Yankees were the best, and it was neat when they would lose from time to time. It just isn't the case anymore. They're barely the second best team in the East.

I'm not rooting for them to turn it around, but it would at least make for more enjoyable ribbing back and forth with the guys.

[sublime]

one break for the yankees next week is they will miss both matsuzaka and beckett (likely anyways).

should be wakefield v wang
moose - schilling
pettite - gabbard/tavarez outside shot of beckett i guess.

[andyfox]

Fellow Yankee fans: This is not a slump. It's a quarter of the season and we suck. The offense has been putrid the past week: we've given up just 17 runs in 6 games and lost four of them. Matsui did well yesterday, and then killed two rallies today. Now that A-Rod has stopped hitting home runs, nobody is. Only Jeter and Posada have been hitting the ball well day in and day out. Five save opportunites in 39 games is a mark of how badly the team has played.

The Red Sox have a markedly superior team.

[Triumph36]

[ QUOTE ]
Fellow Yankee fans: This is not a slump. It's a quarter of the season and we suck. The offense has been putrid the past week: we've given up just 17 runs in 6 games and lost four of them. Matsui did well yesterday, and then killed two rallies today. Now that A-Rod has stopped hitting home runs, nobody is. Only Jeter and Posada have been hitting the ball well day in and day out. Five save opportunites in 39 games is a mark of how badly the team has played.

The Red Sox have a markedly superior team.

[/ QUOTE ]

i agree, but injuries happen - who knows, maybe the sox get some injuries too. i don't know why the yankees' home run power is gone - giambi's still a big bat, and most of the lineup was still good for 10+. Hell, Damon hit 20 last year.

these next six games should show where the yankees are. if they can go 4-2, and win some of these games easily, i'll have some confidence.

[andyfox]

Their best opportunity is to be the wild card. Here are the projected triple crown numbers for the season for some of their starters:

Giambi 23 81 .273
Matsui 12 107 .287
Damon 10 62 .256
Abreu 8 87 .236
Cabrera 10 62 .232
Cano 4 70 .234
Mientkiwicz 13 48 .225

I guess the good news is that some of these guys can't get much worse. While they're still (I believe) leading the league in runs scored, it's been three guys responsible for most of the offense (Posada, Jeter, A-Rod), and only one guy driving the ball out of the park (and he's, understandably, cooled off).

As a team, they just look so hapless. The only starter I have confidence in is Pettitte, and nobody in the bullpen inspires me.

I'm hoping against hope I'm wrong, but this team looks bad.

[Triumph36]

andy -

you can't expect all these guys to struggle as they have. cano is a .300 hitter, cabrera should be hitting closer to .270, abreu .300 - matsui should have a little more power, along with most of these other guys.

when hughes and clemens arrive our staff will be better.

[andyfox]

The staff has been pretty good the last week or so. They're definitely a better team than their current record--look at the runs scored vs. runs allowed, although that is a bit deceptive in that 3 guys have been responsible for creating such a large percentage of the runs.

They have to go 72-51 (.585) to get to 90 wins, which might get them the wild card. Doable. But the thing that concerns me is that the guys who have been subpar--Abreu, Damon, Giambi, Matsui, Mussina, Rivera--are not youngsters.

[sublime]

the yankees have the best offense in baseball. even am injury to one of the lesser components (matsui/giambi etc) would only bring them down to others levels.

[andyfox]

They've scored one less run than Boston and given up 49 more. Over a one run/game differential. That's huge.

[Triumph36]

sigh - can we use roger clemens as a relief pitcher for the 5th and 6th inning? seriously