I'm amped about the upcoming contest against the hated Bosox. My beloved Bombers are only 2.5 games out of first, and have a four-game set at Boston. Considering where we began the season (11-19), to still be in contention is an achievement. I suppose we'll know alot about this team going into the trade deadline 7/31. The Yankees have one of the toughest second-half schedules in all of baseball. Of the 12 teams that the Yankees will face in the second half, nine of those teams are not only above .500, but are within five games of a postseason berth. Additionally, the Yankees’ second-half opponents have a combined winning percentage of .508.
Nonetheless, if we close the gap, and the pitching holds up, we could be buyers instead of sellers.
I'm still very concerned about the much beleagured pitching staff. In particular, Randy Johnson, has not lived up to the hype. The Big Unit was supposed to be the ace of the staff, but has come up very short. He is pitching with such inconsistency, that you cannot rely on him to give the team a lift.
As expected, the offense is very potent and has resurrected itself at the best possible time, particularly Giambi and Matsui.
Update: Yanks grabbed game one (8-6) in an emphatic, heartbreaking fashion. Schilling wasn't worth a six-pence. Our pitching is still very inconsistent. I'll be happy for a split. After the Friday laugher, we're assured at least a split. Hell if the Sunday, starter Al Leiter is inspired by the pinstripes, we could take 3 of 4. Imagine that Sox Nation, to be defeated by patchwork starting rotation. The AL East is truly weak this year.
Guess you're happy with the split, because the Red Sox put a hurtin' on the Yanks last night.
Yeah, it wasn't nothing nice. Actually, it was expected since the guy which got the knod to be the starting pitcher last night was an unemployed cattle rancher living in TX :)
Nah, dunno if he was _really_ a cattle rancher, but he certainly was a reject from the Padres, who were all to happy to get rid him. Bottom line, the Yanks will continue to tease and not be dominant until their pitching and defensive problems get solved. They simply don't have the pedigree of pitching that we've come to expect over the years.