Swisher comes through in the ninth
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on May 02, 2011 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
The Yankees offense went silent for a while, but Nick Swisher’s ninth-inning single broke a tie and sent the Yankees to a 5-3 win against the Tigers. The Yankees had an early three-run lead, but the Tigers slowly chipped away while the Yankees squandered scoring opportunities in the middle and late innings. Alex Avila’s second home run of the night tied the game in the seventh, and it stayed that way until Swisher’s RBI single and a run-scoring passed ball in the ninth. Bartolo Colon is still unbeaten as Phil Hughes’ replacement in the rotation. He pitched seven innings, striking out seven, walking none and allowing the three Tigers runs.
Associated Press photo
and as usual, our closer is better than their closer…
Swish is gotta be happy right now.. and Alex with that cannon really shined a couple times tonight.. B.C. was as good as ever and Mo light’s out.. other than a very slow game.. we took a win against Verlander… I’m happy!
Here’s what is lost to me in this whole Jeter debate…who would you replace him with. Because I would rather have an aging, struggling Jeter in there than Eduardo Nunez. Where he should bat is another issue.
Chad-
I didn’t see the first 2 innings, but looking at the recap it looks like the Yankees squandered a bigger lead with baserunning aggressiveness.
This win can be attributed to great managing….
Of the players in the top 10 in stolen bases last year Gardner had the highest success rate.
He has like an 85% success rate in his career.
How is he inconsistent at best?
TheStraw ->
Funny thing is, some people that wanted to give Jeter 6 years 120M.. pheww..
I am not throwing in the towel for Jeter.. not by a long shot.. but I agree that sooner or later if he isn’t producing we have to consider moving him down the batting order.
Hawks beat Bulls 103-95 with Rose spraining ankle with no time left
How could Jorge have the huge at bat with the double on 100MPH pitch, and his last at bat was so ugly.. I mean really ugly…
One thing that was pretty glaring in this game was how bad the Tigers are defensively….
Love getting the Yankees at plus money, it feels like stealing.
(Though getting the Yanks at +117 means they probably should be at +125
)
Wait, what am I talking about? What I mean is, great win for our Yankees!
Colon v. Verlander, that’s why they play the games.
save # 570. 33 more for the record
P-
Glad to see you back. Yeah, the Jeter situation stinks, but at least he has some intangibles that Nunez doesn’t. I just can’t throw him under the bus the way some here would.
CC going tomorrow vs Bad Penny
Trader/SJ/Blake…question about Posada. He fouled off some 99 MPH fastballs and hammered a 100 MPH fastball to the left center gap that hopped the wall. Best guess? Is he just not picking up breaking pitches or is he cheating on the swing that much?
Most don’t want to throw Jeter under the bus, just under the #7 hitter.
GB7-
Mo has 42 more saves, although they’re postseason saves.
By the way, has anyone noticed that our “suspect” rotation is the strength of the team right now? Have to think Rothschild deserves some credit for that. Cash, too, of course.
Can’t imagine 570 saves…wow, that is a ton…
SJ44 May 2nd, 2011 at 10:31 pm
SB rate year.
Gardner has a 50% (4 of
You think that’s consistent?
——————————————————–
Says the guy who believes 450 consecutive plate appearances is “cherry picking.”
You’re unbelievable.
blake – yeah, Inge should have had that grounder by Alex, and Jackson’s throw was weak. Granted, Valverde was wild, and dug his own grave there (and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy; well, maybe KRod), but this fielders didn’t help his cause.
Jeter and Posada, despite their hits tonight, failed in key spots. When you get to a certain age, the questions come. I’m not writing them off, too, too early to do that, but it is concerning. I’d think Joe and Cash are quietly thinking of Plans B…… If they don’t come around, it won’t be easy to make moves, but, hey, that’s why those guys get paid the big bucks.
Jacksquat-
I would bat him ninth.
My guess is Posada is having to start his swing earlier. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
I know much more about pitching than hitting, but I’ve been thinking maybe these guys should try lighter bats to maybe speed up their swings a little.
LGY May 2nd, 2011 at 10:31 pm
Of the players in the top 10 in stolen bases last year Gardner had the highest success rate.
He has like an 85% success rate in his career.
How is he inconsistent at best?
———————————————————–
Because over his last 8 attempts, he’s only been successful half the time.
Not that Sj is into “cherry picking” stats, you understand.
GB7-
I did’t see the double by Posada, but he’s not picking up the balls outside of the strike zone very well, especially the low inside pitch.
LGY,
This year, he’s stealing bases at a 50% rate. That’s inconsistent given his speed.
They have run and bunted themselves out of innings all year.
It’s not a small ball team.
Should some guys be better at stealing bases? Yes.
However, they aren’t. At least not right now.
Perhaps it’s nest to stop running and bunting themselves out of innings until they improve at it and stick with what they do well. Which is swing the bats.
Crow never tasted so good.
YankeesNmore May 2nd, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Not that Sj is into “cherry picking” stats, you understand.
——————————————————-
You should talk.
Last I checked, we are playing the 2011 season and not 2010.
He’s not stealing bases at an 80% clip this year.
Hence the word “inconsistency”.
Gardner is 90 out of 109 in his career in SB or 83%
Granderson is 81 out of 100 or 81%
Lets not be ridiculous and claim these guys are inconsistent base stealers or can’t steal bases because Gardy has had a little trouble this year and Granderson slid over second base one time.
Granderson was 2-2 so far this season and would have been 3-3 if not for a mistake that is rarely going to happen.
Gardner has 8 attempts this year.
Come on.
Jacksquat….is a toothpick light enough???
Solid win……
Have to give Girardi a rare piece of credit- bringing in Joba in the eighth inning was absolutely the correct move and it worked well.
He was electric tonight and gave us a crack at taking the lead.
Gardner had an 85% success rate entering this season.
86 out of 101.
8 attempts in 2011 doesn’t suddenly make him “inconsistent.”
SJ44–You kn ow enough about baseball to not fall into the small sample size trap. Gardner and Grandy are excellent base runners and will ppost great numbers by year end. ARod still runs very well and can steal when it is called for, and Martin has great instincts and running skills for a catcher (he stole close to 20 a few years back).
Saying that Girardi should not push the running game seems silly IMO. I think it is a good idea to try to develop other parts of the offense for those nights when homers and hits are tough to come by…like in the play-offs.
GB,
Jorge has always been a guess hitter. More than just about anybody on the team.
He’s been getting a steady diet of breaking balls this year and he was jumping at them. It got him in a real rut.
The last three days, especially from the left side, he’s staying back much better and letting the ball travel deeper to him.
That’s allowing him to stay on pitches better and hit the ball harder.
Hitting a 100 MPH FB tonight is a good sign.
I think he is close to breaking out.
GB,
I think he’s cheating a bit on the fastball right now to get to them…on the double he was sitting fastball and got it. Doesn’t mean he can’t hit anymore….just means he might have to guess more and guess better.
Joe,
Raburn is also pretty rough out there also
SJ44 May 2nd, 2011
at 10:40 pm: This year, he’s stealing bases at a 50% rate. That’s inconsistent given his speed.
at 10:42 pm: Last I checked, we are playing the 2011 season and not 2010.
———————————————————————————-
Since we are now focused on 2011, rather than 2010, SJ, I have a question for you.
What’s Derek Jeter’s OBP THIS year??? You know, in 2011… Last I checked, after all, this is 2011, not 2010.
You contradict yourself with almost every post.
Great win tonight.
Glad to hear about Hughes too.
SJ44 May 2nd, 2011 at 10:40 pm
=========================================
I think that you are way overstating your case. Jeter and Martin are very smart baserunners, and should be allowed to steal on their own recognizance, based (no pun intended) their savvy. I would also green light Gardner and Granderson, based on their speed and proven ability to steal consistently (sorry, 8 attempts a really small sample from which to draw sweeping generalizations). Nobody else (with the possible exception of ARod) should b running.
I don’t have the time to do an analysis today, but I would wager that the Yanks lost more games since 2010 as a result of sitting around waiting for the 3-run shot, than they have lost as a result of running themselves out of innings.
REPOST
YankeesNmore May 2nd, 2011 at 11:45 am
I’m going to make this very simple.
If you don’t recognize Derek Jeter is done, you either have no idea what you’re watching or you are some emotionally invested, you simply refuse (perhaps subconsciously) to admit the truth.
_______________________________
And I’m going to make this very simple also.
If people are emotionally invested in a player they have cheered for for 15 years, what is the problem you have with that? Let them enjoy the evening of their hero’s career without being such a distraction. Show some respect for their feelings. Is there something wrong with that?
Normy–
It is possible that Jeter may be in decline and you might be the first to call for his replacement. Many others here have a sense of ;loyalty to the Captain, and are willing to give him a season to see if he is finished.
If you are indeed right, I’m sure Cashman will take the appropriate actions at the end of the year…but as of right now, the other options are not very good. So, while you can continue to complain, unless you have suggestions, it really doesn’t do anything but annoy others.
If you are indeed right, I promise to commend you at season’s end and rmind others. Now, there, you don’t have to remind us yourself everyday, ok?
Running and bunting yourself out of innings is dumb.
They cost themselves 4 runs tonight with it.
I’ll take the HR’s and hits and leave those with fantasies about having them be the ’82 Cardinals to themselves.
Overall, they aren’t made up to be a small ball team.
I’d rather play for big innings.
BoJo May 2nd, 2011 at 10:44 pm
SJ44–You know enough about baseball to not fall into the small sample size trap.
————————————————————————–
You base that on what, exactly???
His argument that Gardner is an “inconsistent base stealer” based entirely on 8 attempts???
Of his argument that “post all-star break” is a more reliable judge of somebody’s current ability that their last 450 consecutive plate appearances???
“Glad to hear about Hughes too.”
_________________________________
Tom, I’d like to open this up for discussion.
Is the fact that there appears to be nothing structurally or otherwise internally wrong with Phil a good thing?
I’m really not sure it is, but I’m genuinely interested in hearing what everyone has to say.
I’ll tell you one thing, both colon and Verlander pitched nice games. I was really impressed with Verlander, changing his style on the fly to pitch 7, tied.
Jeter just doesn’t look comfortable….looks like he’s feeling for the ball instead of turning his swing loose….looks like a guy that’s thinking about mechanical things instead of just hitting. Hopefully he’ll get it going soon…Verlander made some darn good pitches against him tonight to be fair
If people are emotionally invested in a player they have cheered for for 15 years, what is the problem you have with that?
—————————————————————————
I have NO problem with that.
I am just pointing out that it’s possible that’s the reason so many here seem to be in denial about the truth of this situation. Derek Jeter is done.
He is no longer even capable of consistently hitting the ball hard.
YankeesNmore May 2nd, 2011 at 10:49 pm
BoJo May 2nd, 2011 at 10:44 pm
SJ44–You know enough about baseball to not fall into the small sample size trap.
————————————————————————–
You base that on what, exactly???
________
He sends me a monthly check to say that every so often.
blake May 2nd, 2011 at 10:50 pm
Jeter just doesn’t look comfortable….
———————————————————–
You wouldn’t look comfortable either if you were trying to hit major league pitching every night with NO bat speed.
YankeesNmore May 2nd, 2011 at 10:51 pm
I am just pointing out that it’s possible that’s the reason so many here seem to be in denial about the truth of this situation. Derek Jeter is done.
________
You might be right…time will tell.
Next topic?
BoJo May 2nd, 2011 at 10:52 pm
YankeesNmore May 2nd, 2011 at 10:49 pm
BoJo May 2nd, 2011 at 10:44 pm
SJ44–You know enough about baseball to not fall into the small sample size trap.
————————————————————————–
You base that on what, exactly???
________
He sends me a monthly check to say that every so often.
=============================================
Fair enough. Not gonna stand in the way of a guy making a living in a tough economy.
Verlander is an absolute stud….he didn’t have good command tonight and the Yanks were able to take advantage early fortunately. Colon did what he’s been doing….throwing strikes and challenging hitters
Ghost,
I think the most overrated aspect in baseball is speed.
Everybody wants it but, few know what to do with it.
I’m a Gardner fan. I think he’s a solid player.
He isn’t however an accomplished base stealer yet.
This year, he’s been especially inconsistent.
They run and bunt themselves out of too many innings.
That falls more on Girardi IMO because for whatever reason, he feels the need to make them a small ball team.
They do have good base runners on this team.
Base stealers? I’d rather see less of it because, at least so far this year, it has done more harm than good.
YankeesNmore May 2nd, 2011 at 10:53 pm
Fair enough. Not gonna stand in the way of a guy making a living in a tough economy.
________
For a small fee, I can agree to anything and everything you say as well.
The Yankees don’t have to be a small ball team to steal bases here and there.
The bunts are really stupid, but the Yankees are a very efficient and good baserunning team.
There is no logical reason to put the red light on base stealers because of a few mistakes so far this season.
In 2010 the Yankees stole 103 bases at a 77% success rate. In 2009 they stole 111 at an 80% success rate.
The stolen base is not a featured part of their offense. But it is part of their offensive attack.
They have base stealing weapons on their team. There is no reason not to use them as they have in recent years.
blake May 2nd, 2011 at 10:53 pm
Verlander is an absolute stud
_________
Agreed…probably watching a future HOFer
I’d rather see less of it because, at least so far this year, it has done more harm than good.
________
Small sample size
Agreed…probably watching a future HOFer
——
As long as Leyland doesn’t kill him.
LGY May 2nd, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Agreed…probably watching a future HOFer
——
As long as Leyland doesn’t kill him.
_____
Good point
G-C-
I honestly cannot say, from a baseball standpoint, if Hughes not having anything wrong with him is good news or not.
Assume you are Girardi/Cashman and you are faced with the happy situation where over the next two weeks all five of your current starters continue at the same pace as they have over the past two weeks and Hughes is ready to come off the DL and the word is he is coming back at 100%. Six “starters”, five positions … who goes to the bullpen?
I had to run out. Did Girardi say anything about Hughes in the post game?
”
Agreed…probably watching a future HOFer”
Possibly….he’s just got an incredible arm….still hasn’t 100% put it all together yet, he could be the best pitcher in baseball if he ever did.
m1kew May 2nd, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Assume you are Girardi/Cashman and you are faced with the happy situation where over the next two weeks all five of your current starters continue at the same pace as they have over the past two weeks and Hughes is ready to come off the DL and the word is he is coming back at 100%. Six “starters”, five positions … who goes to the bullpen?
_______
These things ALWAYS work themselves out….but I would think it is going to take 30-60 days to build up arm strength and innings….
In essence, Hughes could be the big pick up at trading deadline
Good night night people
Tom-
That is great news about Hughes. Glad to hear it’s not one of those things.
G-C
I’ve said it before. I think Hughes has/had tendonitis.
The anti-inflammatories and rest should help take care of it if that is the case.
I hope they check out every avenue though before proceeding.
reading the Yankees Notes on yankees.com. This Alden Gonzalez is pretty awful when it comes to facts. here are 2 excerpts from the article.
“It’s a good sign for the Yankees, who worried about losing the 24-year-old right-hander for the year if he did have TOS. But the club must still figure out what is wrong with its 2010 regular-season wins leader.”
–Pretty sure that would be CC who was the 2010 wins leader.
“The switch-hitting Cano stayed in the game until the eighth inning, then underwent precautionary X-rays, which came back negative.”
–last time I checked, Cano was a lefty
the people they hire to write for them..wow
Thanks SJ and Blake for the response.
Over the first month, the Yankees have gotten more out of Colon and Garcia than even they dared to imagine. Add in Martin and Chavez, Cashman turned a nuclear winter into a month on the beach….so far.
Man, there’s a lot of complaining here after a 5-3 win.
I’m with Bojo, time to call it tonight and get some sleep for tomorrow morning (it was a late night last night, watching the news on tv). And, I’ll doze off thinking of a 17-9 record and first place.
Tomorrow…….
Seacrest out…..another win mañana..
Nice that gardner’s bat has picked up the pace, but, so far, contrary to popular baseball belief, he’s living proof that speed does go into a slump.
GB
went to the Tampa Yankees game in clearwater despite tonsillitis and a fever. We lost again. Marshall pitched in and out of trouble until they sent him in to start the 6th after throwing 88 pitches. Ronny Marte came in to relieve Brett and allowed both his runs to score so his ERA is still in the high 7′s. Had they not sent him out there for the 6th his ERA would be right at 7. Lyerly was pretty awful at fielding today and cost them at least 2 runs. The TY offense has been anemic for days. I hope they break out of it soon.
BoJo May 2nd, 2011 at 10:55 pm
blake May 2nd, 2011 at 10:53 pm
Verlander is an absolute stud
_________
Agreed…probably watching a future HOFer
wow, HOFer? no, I won’t go that far.
I hate this MF.
TY, thanks for the update/ I saw that his defense was again pretty shoddy. Murton and Lyerly can mash a baseball, but can’t field for diddley.
GB-
The Messiah of Mash went 3/5 tonite.
He has dropped below .400 though.
Think he’s a bust ?
MTU, Hughes has been MRI’d x2, and tested for TOS. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with him. Inflamation/tendonitis seems logical…
MTU, he’s ok….for a singles hitter.
3 hits, one to left, one to right, one to center.
Why do you posters let this jackoff get to you. Ignore the A/hole and maybe he will go away. If he has no stage he can’t perform his play….He is a disturbed person with a need for attention. It’s pathetic and personally I feel sorry for him…..
GB,
I think Gardner’s more a testament that speed is equally important as the correct skillset around it.
IMHO, and you’re welcomed to disagree bc my opinion is far from professional, Gardner doesn’t have the instincts on the bags.
He escapes some errors with his speed, i.e. last night, and can definitely steal a base or two, no doubt. I dont think he has the science (running on right pitch, when that pitch should come, in what count, reading body language of pitched, etc.) of base stealing down.
Obviously he’s young and definitely has time to
improve. But I don’t believe he’s as good @ stealing as his steal total from 2010 would have you believe.
Just one man’s opinion though.
Sure, the Yankees ran and hunted themselves out of some innings. Except for the one pitch Posada doubled (could be luck) and Swishers single, their situational AB were terrible.
The two worst right now on the team? Need I say it?
OK, they had April. I’ll give them May. June rolls around, something must be done if we are still with the same production.
Tom-
If that the case, R and R will get him right.
I’ve had it in the shoulder.
No pain at all. Just a dead feeling kinda like a numbness but not quite the same. No muscular endurance.
Took meds and it disappeared in 2 weeks.
Never returned.
GB-
Hear anything on his D ? The bat appears ready fro primetime.
I’m thinking ASB timeframe. What say you ?
GB
well I think the Murton error could have gone either way. They could have given it to Brett on the throw. I was told he was p*ss*d though because of Lyerly. He bobbled 2 balls and only got an error on one of them. Brett was able to get out of a bases loaded one out jam though in the 5th. That 6th inning I think he just gets tired and it always comes back to bite him. the TY bullpen is extremely suspect. Ronny Marte should not come out with men on base. Michael Solbach is a really good relief pitcher and now that he was moved to the rotation he isnt there to eat middle innings. Ryan Flannery pitched tonight and he did real well.
TY, the worst thing a pitcher can do is to pull a musiina with his team mates and be critical of his defense and defense. He needs them as much or more than they need him. I doubt anybody complains about all of the hits and runs he allows. That’s not a good reputation to have going through the system. He’s going to be with most of these guys for a long time. Not good at all.
***Mussina***
Colon’s 4seamer averaged 92.85 and maxed out at 95.6
His 2seamer averaged 91 and maxed out at 94.
The 2-seam velo was the same as last start but his 4seamer was just a tick slower. Just about a half mile per hour slower so no big deal.
Great velo again tonight.
MTU, only that Montero threw himself in fromt of more flashing spikes to block the plate on a catch and throw from right field. The runners will only get hurt.
russellmartin55: Bartolo is like a fine wine that just keeps getting better with age.. @NickSwisher driving in @teixeiramark25 for win..
MTU, if the time comes that the yanks just need a bat, regardless of position, Montero will get the call. Less swing and miss than Vazquez….by a lot.
Night everyone.
See you again on the sunnyside.
Gonna dream of Hughes with 95 MPH heaters on the corners again.
Our not so secret weapon.
I think Girardi feels the need to bunt and steal bases because he doesn’t believe in players in his offense. When the lineup flips past the 5 spot, everyone outside of Martin isn’t hitting their weight.
Tonight was good because Swisher finally came up big in a spot we needed him to and Jorge did some damage.
That said, unless these guys begin to hit for some kind of average, Girardi is going to keep feeling the need to manufacture runs.
And Jeter at the top of the lineup is killing this team. Who here has any confidence with him with RISP and the game on the line right now? I hope he gets it back soon because his at bats are not improving and they are getting uglier by the day. I said it earlier today – I think we all need to scale back expectations of him and accept that he might be a powerless .260 hitting singles hitter.
What’s amazing about this team is they’re winning in spite of the major struggles in key spots of the lineup. They were 1-11 with RISP at one point tonight and they still won the game.
Colon has been a godsend. I don’t care if Hughes is throwing 95 soon, you do not take Colon out of the rotation until he can’t do it anymore.
GB
well I think some of it probably comes down to total team frustration since no one is hitting. The hitters havent been picking up the pitchers and the pitchers havent let the hitters have a chance at getting into games. 2 wins in 2 weeks is tough to take.
Ramon Flores walked 3 more times tonight. The kid’s OBP is up to .480.
GB
also, not sure if he was mad about his defense or the fact that he cant get through the 6th. His pitch count was 90 pitches and he threw 88. It didnt make sense sending him out for the 6th being that close to his pitch count.
TY, they aren’t going to push him this early, after missing time last year. They want to get his endurance up but also want him pitching all year. He’ll get control of it. 9 strikeouts takes a lot of pitches in 5 innings.
GB
The home plate ump was calling the low strike all night and never the high strike. That worked well for Brett because he kept the ball down most of the night. Funny that the home crowd complained everytime he would get a called strike on that low strike but when we would get one called against us they said “good eye ump”
also, that guy Jason Place, apparently a Red Sox castoff is playing for the TY. They had him in right tonight. I dont know anything about him except that tonight he struck out 3 times and doubled.
another big game by jeter. the guy has 5 rbi’s. wonder what is BA is with RISP. man he is playing terrible. Move him down in the order………….
PLEASE
Jeter looks terrible, A 15 million a year for mediocrity.
Nunez has the same number of XBH as Jeter in 100 less PA. Jeter simply isn’t driving the ball, really think he ought to just start pulling the ball and walking more.
jeter got out 3 times on the same pitch. heat inside.
sportsfans 3 + years on this!!!!!!!!!!!!!the guy has a slugging % at the jose molina level.
hit the guy 8th or 9th………
Alfonso Soriano is 2-3 and just hit a solo rocket off of Kershaw.
Great win tonight all…….had to bolt for my hoops game at 10AM so i missed everything after the Nunez/Jeter outs to end the 8th. Really didnt feel good about our chances given all the mised opps through the middle innings which makes getting the W even better.
15 mill. jeter is getting 17 for 4 years. the yanks did not want to insult him to much…….
17 mill for 4 years……………..
15 mill. jeter is getting 17 for 4 years. the yanks did not want to insult him to much…….
17 mill for 4 years……………..
–
Technically he is getting a 16 AAV contract for 3 years with an option that starts at 8 mil and can get to 17 with incentives. At this rate he will NEVER reach any of those incentives which would make the contract at its max 56 for 4 which is 14 AAV
The contract is backloaded too, the yankees might have bet that Jeter would sooner retire than suck, since their recent strategy has been to have declining amounts at the back end of contracts.
That 4th year to Jeter isn’t guaranteed and besides, if he continues to hit like this I’ll bet he’ll retire after next season. He doesn’t need the money that badly to be a shadow of the player he used to be. At some point, if he doesn’t begin to show real progress and not infield singles, he’ll be dropped in the order and the skids will be greased for him. If you don’t think it’s killing him that he can do nothing, and I mean nothing, with the bat right now then you must hate him and I question why you root for the Yankees.
That said, he’s the biggest issue on the team because Jorge can be replaced if he’s ineffective with little to no drop off and he’s gone after the year.
The Yankees have no replacement for Jeter and can’t even think about acquiring one since he’s still under contract for an additional 2 seasons after this.
The first step, to me, is to bat him 7th-8th for awhile and just rip the band aid off. I don’t have any sort of confidence that the next 100 at bats are going to be any different.
The team is winning so it covers up for the flaws in everyone’s game, but when the games get tougher the Yankees are going to need to put their best hitters who can get on base at the top of the lineup.
G. Love May 2nd, 2011 at 11:34 pm
“….And Jeter at the top of the lineup is killing this team.”
*****************************
We are 17-9 and in first place with a 3 game lead. Nothing is killing this team.
So nice to see how Gardner has played over the last week.
With Gardner really heating up and looking like the player we expect him to be (high OBP guy that plays a fantastic LF), it makes Cashman look like a genius for avoiding Crawford. So many people here were ready to bring in Crawford over Gardner, but I think it will continue to look like a great decision through the life of that contract, even if Crawford gets back close to his usual standards.