Pride of the Pinstripes Vol. 9
If there's one thing we've learned about the Yankees so far on this road trip, it's that they're beatable. Oh, and staying up for West Coast games is tiring. The high-powered offense we see in the Bronx is often times non-existent on the road. Losing 2 of 3 to a Trout-less Angels squad is unacceptable for a first place team. The Halos are without the best player in the MLB right now, but they did have a close imitator. I think Yankees fans will be happy they never have to hear the name Eric Young Jr. ever again. In the second game, Young tied it in the 8th with a homer and then won it in the bottom of the 11th with a walk-off, two-out base hit. Then last night, to add insult to injury, Young made a seemingly impossible diving catch to rob Aaron Judge of extra bases and a Yankees lead. Last night was the one that hurt the most. The Yankees jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first behind a three-run bomb by El Kraken (Gary Sanchez), but then Big Mike decided to pitch like he had cable. To rub it in even further, the guy usually known for his glove, Andrelton Simmons, hit a two-run shot on one knee to give the Angels a 7-5 lead in the 7th that they never looked back from. The big bright spot in the series? Aaron Hicks is still raking and Chase Headley looks like he might remember how to swing a baseball bat. I call that the Gleyber effect. The Bombers are now an average 16-16 on the road, and are set to take on the lowly 27-38 Oakland A's in a four game set in Oakland.
The biggest loss against the Angels besides losing the actual series was the injury of CC Sabathia. Sabathia left his outing on Tuesday with a Grade 2 hamstring strain and is now headed to the disabled list. CC had been pitching like an ace his previous six starts, posting a 0.99 ERA. Now the question is who will replace Sabathia in the rotation? The two most talked about answers lie in Chad Green and Chance Adams (pictured above). Green pitched well last Sunday against Baltimore, but is not yet stretched out to pitch more than about 60 pitches. Top pitching prospect Chance Adams is 3-2 with a 2.52 ERA at Triple-A, but the 22-year-old is looked at as too young to get a Major League call. My opinion? Give Chance a chance (pun intended). He may only be 22 and hasn't pitched at the Triple-A level for a long time, but this kid is a stud. In his last two minor league seasons combined, Adams is 20-3 with a 2.05 ERA. The Yankees may be worried if they call Adams up and he is lights out they won't know what to do when CC comes back. Too much pitching is never a bad problem, and furthermore I believe starting Green is just plugging a hole rather than trying to win games. In Chance Adams lies an opportunity to see a potential spot in the Yankees rotation for years to come. Even if he isn't effective, Adams can be sent back down after Sabathia returns. All in all, the rewards outweigh the risks. Therefore,call up Chance Adams, beat the A's, and follow us on twitter @POTP_. Go Yanks!