Kevin Kernan probably knew the Yankees' AAA staff would outpitch David Price tonight.

ARod is hurt.

He's not playing tonight and I doubt he'll be productive in the playoffs, if he plays at all.

This doesn't mean the Yankees are doomed:

"If A-Rod's timing doesn't come around, opposing managers will walk Cano and the clock will strike midnight on the Yankees' October."

First of all, the Cinderella metaphor is misplaced. Yankees are 98-win, $200 million, home-field-advantage favorites.


Secondly, how much baseball do you have to watch to understand that it's unpredictable? I mean, if the Yankees need a productive ARod to win, then how did they win 98 games?

Maybe Sabathia and Nova throw back-to-back shutouts.

Maybe Verlander pulls a hamstring on the second pitch of the game.


Kevin Kernan knows that Cano will be intentionally walked and ARod will make out and, because of this, the Yankees will lose in the playoffs. How does he possibly know with precision how the details of the games will unfold?

Maybe Cano walks, ARod is hit by pitch, and Teixeira hits a homerun to give the Yankees a 14-run lead.

Maybe Cano walks, ARod hits into an error, and then Teixeira hits a bloop single that scores two runs and gives the Yankees a 17-run lead.

Maybe Cano walks, the pitcher balks three times in a row, and the Yankees sweep despite ARod's .100 batting average.

Maybe Russell Martin will hit into a triple play and a Red Sox rookie catcher will hit two homeruns.