If I wanted to, I could do this analysis for any Championship team ever.
I could also do this analysis for every current MLB team.
"Sure, [team] has won [xyz] games, but their team has a flaw that has not been adequately addressed. They recently lost badly to [team] because [player] played poorly. They are relying on [star player] who is in a slump. What will happen in October? Fans of [team] should be worried."
"This was going to be about the Yankees and their starting pitching, and whether they could get their starters through the other team’s batting order at least twice in the postseason before turning the game over to their bullpen."
Twice through the lineup?
Probably.
Not three times through the lineup.
The Yankees want a tie game after five innings, with the presumption that they can win a battle of the bullpens.
"Then the Yankees went with one of those relievers, Chad Green, as an opener in Thursday night’s game against the Indians. Green didn’t make it through the Indians’ order once before giving up a grand slam to Jose Ramirez. The game ended up a 19-5 win for the Indians."
Everything changed because the Yankees lost a game by 14 runs.
"If the Yankees face the Indians in October, whether the Indians are the American League Central champs or an AL Wild Card, they won’t be throwing Green at them in Game 1."
Well, okay.
I can easily think of a scenario where Chad Green starts Game One of a playoff series.
But, whatever.
"Won't" means "probably won't" and I can move on.
I don't know what this is leading to.
I just think Lupica wanted to point out that the Yankees lost a game by 14 runs.
"Now, no one is still quite sure who the Game 1 starter for the Yankees, whether it will be Domingo Germán, this year’s young ace, or the rehabbing Luis Severino, last year’s young ace. Or Masahiro Tanaka. Or James Paxton."
If you're talking about the playoff rotation pecking order, it's Tanaka in Game One and German in Game Two.
Barring injuries and other unforeseen circumstances.
"But what we do know is that starting pitching is going to be an issue for the Yankees come October, even though they are likely going to be coming off a regular season in which they win even more than the 100 games they won last year, and still might end up with the best record in their league, maybe even in the whole sport."
Completely backwards.
It's as if Lupica doesn't actually know that English words have specific meanings.
What we know with reasonable certainty is the starters the Yankees will use in the playoffs.
What we don't know with reasonable certainty is how effective they will be. Or what team(s) they will play.
About the only thing I'd bank on is Paxton giving up runs in the first inning. What a tool that guy is.
"The Yankees didn’t make a deal for a starter at the July 31 Trade Deadline. Rather than make what he considered a bad deal, general manager Brian Cashman made no deal at all. Here is something Cashman said after the Trade Deadline:
'This is a damn good roster and it can compete, we feel, with anybody in the game.’' "
Eh, forget it.
Too much wasted energy discussing the pitchers the Yankees were going to acquire at the trading deadline.
It's as if nobody has noticed that every AL playoff game is going to have double-digit scores and lots of home runs and no starting pitcher can stop it.
Certainly no starting pitcher that was available at the trading deadline.
"The questions about the Yankees’ starting pitching -- especially if they end up against the Astros in the AL Championship Series the way they did two years ago -- will stick to them like a tick until one of their starters throws a gem in October."
The Yankees are going to rely on their bullpen, their fielding, hitting with runner in scoring position.
The same way they got to 100 wins.
Of course it will be harder in the playoffs. It's the playoffs.
It's going to be harder for their opponent, too.
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