Sonny Gray is taking a beating this morning from all sides following yesterday’s bad outing. The fans are demanding that Lance Lynn be put into the rotation and Gray sent packing. Even Aaron Boone seemed to be hinting that a change was coming in his post-game remarks. SU is not on board with the move:
- OK, Gray was bad yesterday but he was decent in his last few starts. Plus what else are you going to do with this guy? He does not pitch out of the bullpen – has always been a starter. SU says keep him in the rotation but with a short leash.
- I am telling you that Lance Lynn is not the answer. He was good yesterday but he has not been good for several years. SU says have both Gray and Lynn both warm up for the next start and have one of them on call throughout the first part of the game. The reality is that neither of these guys is the answer or can be trusted.
- Gleyber Torres made two mental errors yesterday. His head was not in the game. But he is still only 21 and these things happen. He also hit 2 home runs and is probably your best hitter right now. Give him a pep talk but do not discipline him.
- The injuries call out for Stanton to do something, anything. He struck out with the bases loaded early and then struck out on 3 pitches in the 9th inning. Clearly, not feeling generational in the heat yesterday. SU says let’s see what he’s got this weekend. But they should move him down to clean-up. What’s the point of him batting 2nd when your 8th and 9th hitters are Romine and Robinson? And tell me why Robinson is playing again? Better off having Walker as the DH and putting Stanton in the field.
Things do not look great heading into Boston but baseball is not a momentum type sport. Anything can happen here. Look for Bird to hit at least two home runs over the Green Monster – he seems to be finding a left field stroke. Sale is out and the Red Sox are not putting out any Hall of Famers this weekend. SU will take a series split and move on.
Will Urban Meyer have to step down? SU says no way. Ohio State has no track record of doing the right thing (see Republican Rep. Jim Jordan and his history as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State). SU says winning trumps all else. He will be suspended the first two games of the season against bad teams and will then return in all his glory. But perhaps, perhaps, it puts him one step closer to the NFL for his next move.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
Even Michael Kay was questioning Boone’s lineups the past week on his radio show and the obsession with resting the players. Gray has to learn that in New York when you suck the fans are looking for some self-flagellation, a la Andy Pettitte- don’t smile and say that is your way of dealing with adversity or try to rationalize your performance (e.g. Ian Kennedy).
Right, Ian Kennedy is what comes to mind here. California cool kid – rolls with the punches. His care-free post-game comments got him banished to San Diego in short order. Playing Stanton in the outfield at Fenway will be scary as there is a lot of room to cover and odd angles on the walls. He may be an injury waiting to happen out there but Robinson is not the answer. We may even have a Tyler Wade sighting this weekend in the outfield.
Gray is not the answer but he’s not the problem. He’s a back-of-the-rotation guy and will be awful some percentage of the time.
Now is Stanton’s time. With Sanchez and Judge in the lineup, Stanton has been, at best, redundant. Now he needs to carry the team for a few weeks. Doesn’t look great so far.
Also, it took more than 10 years but how about the number of players bunting against the shift? This is the correct way to deal with the shift. Not silly rule book changes that will result in some sort of “illegal formation” nonsense. Do it once or twice a game and you’ll get the opposing pitcher frustrated with his manager (statisticians) and the whole thing falls apart.
Interesting that the distance between the Yankees and Red Sox is the same as their difference in performance vs. the Orioles.
I tried to look up where Sonny Gray ranks among qualified pitchers based on ERA but couldn’t find him. Despite ranking among league leaders in games started, he has not qualified because he has been so bad that he gets pulled too early from his starts to accumulate the innings required. If he did qualify, his ERA would rank 75th out of 79 according to MLB.com. Another Gray stat – no Yankee pitcher has ever had more outings lasting 5 innings or less while giving up 6 ER or more. And there’s still another third of the season left. If you check the game log, with 3 exceptions, his above-average starts have come against teams drafting in the top 3 next year. His great starts have come only against teams drafting in the top 3 next year, with no exception.
I think he’s clearly an August trade candidate. Addition by subtraction – his WAR is negative, extraordinary for a SP – and replace him with Sheffield in the rotation and keep Lynn as a long reliever/spot starter. Maybe pull a Sanchez and make up an injury for him until he’s traded. He never looks comfortable and it’s tough to watch.