Ok, we got swept by the Royals for the first time since 94'
It's all in the pitching. I watch this team and the talent they have and wonder how in the heck they could lose so badly to teams like Tampa and KC. It happens during the course of every season, but this year its been magnified ten fold.
You can see it in their swings, you can see it in their faces, you can see it their eyes.
When we lost Roger, Andy and Wells two seasons ago, I wondered what would happen. Now we have our answer. Last years core was just good enough to help get us embarrassed against the Red Sox.
This team might not have that chance.
New York has a habit of turning the Randy Johnson's into the Ed Whitson's pretty regularly. It has a habit of turning the Steve Kemp's into the Horace Clarke's.(sorry Horace) Watching this team go down two or three runs early in most every game is taking its toll and if the pitching doesn't come around this might be the year we watch instead of play during the playoffs.
I know come July "The Boss" will do what it takes but how many pitchers can he find? Pavano has been iffy if not terrible, Mussina so-so, Wright a complete bust, and Randy a shell of himself. Losing Lieber was a major blunder, because he proved he can pitch in NY. I don't inderstand the thinking behind some of the moves that they make because we'll go out and spend millions on free agents then play cheap with our own guys. It cost them with Bernie, and it certainly cost them 60 million extra with Jeter. The only starting pitcher to impress me has been the rookie Wang of all people.
In the bullpen Stanton is lost, Quantrill is worthless and a castoff Buddy Groom has locked up the lefty roll. Sturtze seems to be good, and Karsey is another waste. Gordon is coming around, but who really trusts him in Oct? Mariano is back to "the great one!"
If the pitching doesn't improve, the bats will continue to falter because they know that if they don't score 5-6 runs they won't have a chance.
The season isn't lost yet and we do well against the Twins, but if Randy came on and struck out 15
guys just once I think it would have a lasting effect on us that would breath some confidence back into the team.
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