Judge has 51 HR and is batting .363 with RISP.

I actually don't care one bit if he isn't a vocal leader.

In a game in which he made two fielding errors and struck out twice, Donaldson was jawing with the opposing team's pitcher. One thing I know about leadership in MLB: .220 hitters can't be leaders.

LeMahieu is batting .189 with RISP this season.

Hicks has a .303 slugging percentage for the year.

The long-awaited return of Stanton has resulted in 3-for-31 and about 100 runners left on base.

Everyone already knows what the rest of the weekend will look like. 

The Yankees won't get shut out three times in the Tampa sweep ... three shutouts in a row isn't likely ... they'll manage five or six runs over the next couple of games.

Torres will hit an opposite field home run and we will once again be reminded that he is at his best when he gets behind the ball and goes to the opposite field.

Stanton will hit a home run and it will mean he's getting his timing back.

Donaldson will get an RBI single and it will be the hit that finally gets him going. It will also be the only hit the Yankees have with RISP this weekend. One-for-the-weekend with RISP.

Boone will say that he was encouraged by the "traffic" and good at-bats because the Yankees hit a few balls that died at the warning track. The sweep is disappointing but they're trying hard and will have to pick it up.

Showdown with the Rays

Like most Yankee fans, I think the Boone-era Yankees have a tendency to back down.

So the once-inconceivable descent into the wild card round seems like a strong possibility at this point.

That felt like a playoff preview as the Rays close in.

Five games on the loss side.

The same old weird story with Cole. A delayed start to the inning; an error by the shortstop; followed by an ill-timed "one bad pitch," which somehow wasn't his fault.

In a 3-2 loss, the offense deserves most of the blame, and that blame is spread around.

But Cole gets derailed by the littlest things all the time.

Also, I'd like to point out that nothing magical happens when the calendar flips to September. The Yankees haven't put August "behind them" just because the calendar says so. 

It's September and Mantle and Maris are walking through the door.

Joey Gallo hits an occasional home run.

His so-called big resurgence with LA is a .196 batting average, three home runs, and 22 strikeouts in 46 at-bats.

Six extra-base hits gives him a nice slugging percentage ... for now.

But if LA really wants this, they can have it.

Only ten players in MLB history with multiple 50-HR seasons.

Does not include Barry Bonds or Hank Aaron.

I kind of figured he had "peaked" in his rookie year. Lots of players peak early and lots of Baby Bombers certainly peaked early.

Yankees are only up six games on the loss side. When Judge downplays the personal accomplishment because his team lost, he sounds sincere.

"He should know better" is the mantra for Gleyber Torres.

"Torres didn’t come close to touching second base because his footwork was so poor. The so-called neighborhood play on double-play grounders usually resulted in outs until 2016 when those plays could be challenged for the first time.

Torres didn’t get to the majors until 2017, so he should know better.

...

Torres has had a much better season this year, hitting .242 with 18 homers and 50 RBI in 115 games, but he’s hit .168 with two homers and four RBI over his last 25 games since July 31. He was 0-for-4 in Monday’s loss."

Is it a "much better season," though?

Eighteen home runs is a lot for a second baseman, but that's it.

Horrible with RISP. 

Way too many strikeouts, double plays, and pop ups.

Everyone knows the problem. His swing is too big. The result is 18 home runs. Not enough. He should know better.

A baseball article from 1997.

Nothing excites the MLB community more than the short-lived success of ex-Yankees.

Gallo and Montgomery getting a ton of coverage for good starts with their new teams.

It reminds me of when Gary Sanchez hit a grand slam in his first week with the Twins. They can keep him. What a slob.

Phil Hughes made one all star game, and only one.

I'm selling all my Gallo and Montgomery stock right now. Come see me in two years when Gallo is DFAd because he struck out 120 times in 200 at-bats.

"Left-handed pitching!" 

Montgomery is not the second coming of Andy Pettitte. He's the second coming of Eric Milton.

OF COURSE Montas has to play better. I'm not convinced he will.

But I also think Bader will be the starting CFer in the playoffs, while Montgomery had no role on this team in the playoffs.

Speaking too soon.

For the guy who has 10 strikeouts in 19 at-bats and happened to connect on a couple of home runs early on. 

I can't say for sure what the future will hold, but I'm confident that Gallo stinks.

In any case, I'm baffled by the local infatuation with Gallo. Not a good player, never really was. The NY Post in particular. Devotes a lot of ink to Gallo, but never catches up with Andrew Velazquez batting .179, pontificating about Velazquez's mental well-being or his ability to handle pressure.

Red Sox pitchers almost combine for a "Maddux."

Nine inning shutout on 117 pitches.

Time of game: 2 hours and 15 minutes.

At Fenway, Sunday night prime time, Yankees vs. Red Sox. History would suggest they'd get through five innings in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

I conclude the Yankees didn't show up to play.

Gleyber 0-for-Fenway.

Yankees can't get the ghost runner home.

It wasn't your imagination.

I like Andujar well enough. I'm not anti-Andujar.

But it's time to put up or shut up.

Prime time, 27 years old, pennant stretch, complained about getting sent down, shoulda won the rookie of the year four years ago.

Time to let your bat do the talking.

"Step up" and make the Yankees keep you on the postseason roster.

The best way to beat the Yankees is to stand in the batter's box with the bat on your shoulder.

Eight walks and one HBP in eight innings, and I'm hearing about bad umpiring and trouble with the release point.

This isn't Little League.

Make the other team earn it.

Loser's Lament

Gleyber steps it up on Giancarlo's absence.

Three strikeouts and a rally-killing GIDP from the cleanup spot 

I didn't find it perplexing.

"If they missed that, they will get a very up close and personal look at Montgomery on Saturday night when he pitches against his former teammates. In a trade that is still perplexing for how it weakened the Bombers’ pitching depth, they sent Montgomery to St. Louis for Harrison Bader, a tremendous defense center fielder who is on the injured list and in a walking boot for at least another week."

Montgomery just isn't very good.

Benintendi in LF, Bader in CF, Judge in RF, Stanton DH, Hicks on the bench, Gallo in another city.

The team is better now.

 

"The fact is, however, despite running into a rough stretch his last few outings, Montgomery had been a fairly solid starter for the Yankees. The 29-year-old homegrown lefty pitched to a 3.94 ERA over 502.2 innings in his five-plus seasons in the big leagues. This season, Montgomery had a 3-3 record because of poor run support and a 3.69 ERA. The lefty’s numbers were a little deceptive, as his xERA 4.11 indicates some very positive luck."

Easily replaceable, as thest statistics attest.

Besides, those 502.2 innings are over about 100 starts, and I'm not even making that up. The exact number is 97 starts. A 22-20 career record, playing for teams with 100+ wins ... it's not just poor run support.

If you want to be a coach, be a coach.

 Coaches don't make $10 million, but it sounds like a good time to transition.

Benintendi is paying homage to Gallo.

0-for-4 with 3 Ks.

Since joining the Yankees, Benintendi is 1-for-17 with 6 Ks.

Stagnation

Montgomery has a 22-20 career record in 97 career starts. He simply hasn't figured out a way to consistently get past the fifth inning.