So Alex Rodriguez is back. All goodness should return to the Yankee universe, right? Well, this was not the case in a 12-2 massacre by the Baltimore Orioles.
A-Rod did hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning. But that doesn’t match 12 runs scored by the other team. Yes, it’s great to have a star hitter like Rodriguez, but when all else stinks, there’s not a whole lot the guy can do.
Baseball is perhaps one of the most team centered sports. You can’t rely on a Michael Jordon night after night to bring home the wins. Even ace pitchers play every five games or so. Baseball requires depth, and perhaps this is where the Yankees are falling short.
Filip Bondy of the Daily News proclaimed:
“Lousy pitching…questionable hustle…bad karma …a hopeless, early deficit. Robinson Cano failed to cover second base on what should have been a fielder’s choice and third out . . . Mike Mussina blew apart like so many Yankee starters this season, only worse . . . Another distressing error from Johnny Damon followed in the second, [bringing] another two unearned runs.”
What’s a team to do? I do think we need to give manager Joe Girardi some time to make this team his own, but I do think the responsibility falls on him. And the expectations are huge. New York Yankee ticket buying fans expect a winning team, and 20-25 doesn’t cut it.
