A Little Bit Of Nitpicking

I hate to be "that guy," but I've really got a problem with the way things were handled the past 2 games.  I get that the Yankees were and still are in a shitty position schedule-wise for the rest of the season.  I get that Buck Showalter is a dickbag and yesterday's game probably shouldn't have been played yesterday.  And I totally get that the Yankees are sitting pretty for a playoff spot right now and are thinking big picture as this last month of the regular season progresses.  But I DON'T think that those factors add up to it being OK to not play to win, and I feel like that's the message that Joe sent with the way he managed both Wednesday's game and yesterday's game.

And that's not to say that the players don't share some of the blame for the 2 losses.  They flat out didn't play well, in the field or at the plate.  Against a team like the Orioles the Yankees should do more than score 8 runs in 2 games, and the Yankees should especially do more than put up 0 runs against a bullpen the likes of that of the Orioles.  But when your manager enters a lineup card on Wednesday that has basically the entire starting lineup on the bench on a day where your team's worst pitcher is on the mound, that sets the tone for that game maybe not being that important.  And the players, being human beings, can pick up on that and play as if the game isn't that important.  And when you get into extra innings the next game, and your manager decides to stick with Scott Proctor for a 2nd inning of work after he had a less than smooth 1st inning of work, and sticks with him during that 2nd inning even when he's clearly worn out and giving the game away, well that just sends an even bigger message that that game isn't that important.

Again, I get that yesterday's game was a crappy situation for the Yankees because it was supposed to be a West Coast travel day.  But that still doesn't excuse playing like you've got one foot on the plane, and it doesn't excuse managing like you've got one foot on the plane.  Sitting pretty or not, the Yankees aren't officially in the playoffs yet, and the AL East isn't locked up.  The only thing that makes those 2 things happen is winning ballgames, and the Orioles are a team that should be very easy for the Yankees to beat to cut that magic number down when they want to.  And with the decisions that were made over the last 2 days, I don't think they wanted to.

Everyone needs rest, and everyone needs to be healthy, but the bottom line is winning.  Winning is the most important thing, and since I don't feel that Joe managed to win yesterday or Wednesday's game, I certainly hope the calls he made help the team be ready to come out and play winning ball in Anaheim.