I wasn’t there this time; I didn’t want to jinx the Yanks as I feared I did last time they came to St. Pete. I needn’t have worried. They jinxed themselves. Or, should I say, Gary Sanchez jinxed them with his sloppy, lazy playing. Brace yourself for a rant.
I’ve been quiet on the blog during the All-Star break because I don’t watch the game or the home run derby. And earlier in the month, I was glued to Wimbledon, tennis fan that I am. But now I’m letting my frustration fly: the Yankees are blowing it. They were keeping it close with the Red Sox, having a really entertaining battle with their rival for the division lead. Now? They’ve squandered that lead.
Tonight, Severino had an uncharacteristically bad outing, but it kicked off with Sanchez’s run-scoring passed ball, and it looked to me as if the two of them were having a heated discussion about it in the dugout. Not good.
Fast forward to the ninth inning. The Rays had gotten off to a great start in the game but the Yanks came all the way back to within one run with bases loaded. On the final play, Sanchez chugged – seriously, I could run faster than he did – to first base for the last out, ending the opener of the three-game set. If there’s one thing I can’t abide, it’s lack of hustle. It was my problem with Cano, and now it’s a problem and has been a problem with Sanchez. I hate to say it, but I think we’re looking at another Jesus Montero situation. Sanchez will probably be benched or fined for tonight’s stink-up, but he should be traded for a starting pitcher. I’m done watching him be talked to and disciplined. I’m done sensing that pitchers don’t want him to catch them. I’m just done.
Now that I’ve gotten all that off my chest, it’s on to tomorrow’s game. Let’s hope for a better result before this season slips away.
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