First Rough Stretch Reached

(Guh.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Well here we are.  The low point of the season to date has been reached.  The Yankees wake up this morning losers of 4 straight games, games they were outscored 21-9 in, and 6 of their last 8.  They've looked absolutely putrid in those 4 games, on the mound, at the plate, and in the field.  For the first time this season they have the appearance and accompanying performance of the cobbled together, replacement-level mess they were expected to be.  The quick gust of wind that was blown in the team's sails when Curtis Granderson returned to the lineup has been snuffed out by his re-injury, and tonight the boys will try to wake up out of their funk in time to not get swept out of town by the effing Mets.

Here Comes Tyler Austin...

IT'S AUSTIN!! IT'S AUSTIN!!  BUSINESS IS ABOUT TO PICK UP!!!!

He's still included in the crop of top OF prospects that's underperforming early this season, but Tyler Austin is showing signs that he might be starting to remove himself from that herd.  In his last 10 games, Austin is hitting .316/.378/.632 with 3 2B, 3 HR, 7 R, 9 RBI, and 5 BB.  He's raised his season batting line to .266/.368/.411 (.360 wOBA) and the power/patience combination that was his calling card through the lower levels of the system is starting to come through now that he's over 200 PA at the Double-A level.

Kid's starting to put it together, people...

Game 52 Wrap-Up: NYM 9 NYY 4

(That's a lonely walk.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Losing back-to-back 1-run games to a team like the Mets is the baseball equivalent to a swift kick in the apple bag to any baseball team, no matter how much that team may be overachieving.  The Yankees lived in that reality the last 2 nights, dropping both games at the hand of their 2 best pitchers and having the added insult of only scoring 2 runs total in those games.  Getting outscored by the Mets lineup is difficult to do and the Yanks managed to do it in consecutive days.  They tried to wash the stink of all that off last night back at The Stadium with David Phelps on the mound.  The shit only got stinkier and got stinkier quick.

Game Notes:

- There's nothing to say other than to just call Phelps' top of the 1st a complete disaster.  It was an awful combination of badly-located fastballs, missed curveballs, and poor defense behind him and when it was all said and done the Mets had 5 on the board and Phelps was out of the game after recording 1 out.

- Not much more to say after that horrid 1st inning.  Adam Warren gave up a run in the 3rd on a Marlon Byrd HR and 2 in the 4th on a 2-out Lucas Duda double.  That made it 8-0 Mets and the Yanks basically folded their tent at that point.

- Brennan Boesch at least tried to contribute, hitting a solo HR in the bottom of the 4th to get the Yanks on the board and singling in another run in a 2-run 6th.

- Of course Ivan Nova came on to pitch 5 good relief innings in a game that didn't mean anything.  For what it's worth, Nova looked really good last night, mixing and commanding his fastball and curveball really well and striking out 6 to just 1 walk.

-Garbage time RBI single for Robinson Cano in the 9th.  Yay.