When you are chasing a division leader, the head-to-head series are just that much more important as you control your own destiny.  The Yankees lost 2 of 3 and were in great position last night to win the series.  So, what happened?

• Aroldis Chapman is no Mariano Rivera.  Of course, no one is but at $85 million for 5 years, he is supposed to be better than 4 blown saves already this year.  He barely hung on Friday night and was exposed again last night.  A key takeway for SU this weekend is how many pitchers are throwing 100 mph these days.  As in almost everyone.  The batters are speeding up their swings to make the adjustment and you still need a second pitch that won’t allow them to sit on that pitch.  Girardi will stick with him although SU predicts that tonight, if there is a save opportunity, it will be someone else to give Chapman “a night off.”  Check your ego at the door and just cash your paycheck if you don’t like it.
• Speaking of paychecks, who’s contract will prove to be worse: Chapman’s or Ellsbury’s?  Ellsbury has been given many chances of late to come through including last night.  He continues to come up short and has settled in at .240 with no power.  Embarrassing.  Chapman is already proving to be mortal in only his 1st year.  SU says you don’t throw big dollars at closers other than Mariano.  They are too up and down and five years is a long time.
• The Red Sox don’t have the power hitters but they all put the ball in play.  That is the difference with the Yankees who swing and miss a lot and have no clue when it comes to situational hitting.  When you play a lot of close games, not getting in runners with a ground ball when the infield is back is a killer.  Judge and Sanchez are front and center in that regard.  But they are still young and will figure it out.
• They still play the Red Sox two more series and will face Sales again two more times for a total of 5 times this year.  While he is great, wouldn’t you think that you would start to pick up a few things when you face the same pitcher that many times?  Here is one thing: he starts almost every right-handed hitter with a slider on the outside corner.  Maybe sit on that pitch and take it to right field?  Just a thought.

Bottom line: this was not the year for the Yankees to make their move.  SU says they are ahead of schedule and I will not get down.  Many more games to go.  But I will say this: NO HOME RUN DERBY IN 2018 for Judge.  Say what you want but his slump began right after the All-Star Break and his swing has a bigger upper cut than it did before.  It’s not a coincidence.

Interesting scene at the 18th green in yesterday’s PGA Championship.  Several of the PGA TOUR’s 20-something stars (Spieth, Fowler) stuck around to cheer on their 24-year old friend, Thomas.  That was pretty cool.  They are competitors but friends as well.  You do not see that much in professional sports.

Generation Next in tennis was on display up in Montreal this weekend.  Sasha Zverev is 20 I believe and he won his 2nd tournament in a row easily beating Federer in the finals.  There was an 18-year old Canadian, Denis Shapovalov, born in Israel and raised in Canada, who beat Nadal and made it to the semis.  He is really good and will be part of the next generation of star players.  It’s good for tennis as the Big Four start to break down.  Zverev might be the favorite going into the US Open or at least right up there with Federer.

OK, are you ready?  The Knicks are reportedly close to signing Michael Beasley to a 1-year deal.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20285835/new-york-knicks-close-agreement-michael-beasley

For those of you unfamiliar with Beasley, he is instant offense.  As in pass him the ball, and it is not coming out of there.  He must be right up there in the League leaders for “shots per touches”.  SU would guess that Monta Ellis is #1 followed by Kyrie Irving with Carmelo Anthony right behind.  In fact, if the Knicks do trade for Irving, they won’t even need a point guard this year which could save a few dollar in payroll.  As stated here many times, SU gave up on the Knicks once Isiah Thomas came to town and except for a brief period when they had Linsanity and then the Felton, Chandler, Gallinari line up, well, they are unwatchable.  But as a fan, you want to get behind a team that is team-oriented and guys like Beasley are not the answer.  Still room on the Brooklyn Nets bandwagon – just let me know.

SU is 100% behind Joe Girardi’s decision to bench Gary Sanchez and send a message that defense matters just as much as offense.  I had noticed the extra bulk coming into this season for Sanchez.  And let’s face it: he has become a hazard behind the plate.  So many wild pitches and passed balls late in games.  So many trips to the mound to talk to the pitchers.  He makes it impossible for them to get in a rhythm.  SU recognizes that he has still not played a full season in the Majors with his injury earlier in the year, and he certainly has a strong arm.  Brian Cashman noted that his extra muscle/bulk is probably contributing to being less flexible this year.  I would also point out that he had attitude issues in the minor leagues over the years.

SU is sure he has now gotten the message and will try a little harder and work on his defense.  Plus he is not setting the world world on fire offensively this season.  I also note that for Girardi, who almost never publicly criticizes his players, this must have been the last straw.  It’s something to watch now.

SU is bullish on the Yankees’ chances now assuming the following happens:

• The Yankees need Castro to return fully healthy along with Hicks.  Assuming Matt Holliday stays on the DL (and he needs to stay there), this will allow Ellsbury to get some DH at bats or at least play a little more.  He is ready to start contributing now.
• Greg Bird needs to return in late August and assume his 1st base duties.  Then they can move Headley back to 3rd base and Designate for Assignment Todd Frazier.  Let’s face the truth: he joined the team hitting .206 and I think he is still hitting .206 with no power and a ton of strikeouts.  Help me here: what is the attraction?  A swing and miss guy with the occasional bases empty home run?  Don’t need it.  Play Torreyes then who has a lot of rbis for few at bats.
• They need an offensive jump start and have 3 players ready to rejoin the line up.  But you can’t keep rolling out so many swing and miss hitters who have no clue how to hit in different situations.

SU is not happy about the demotion of Montgomery today.  Give Jaime Garcia one more start and if he is bad again, send him packing and bring back Montgomery.  The division is there to be had.  Eduardo Nunez is not going to carry the Red Sox for weeks and weeks.  Btw, do you think maybe he would have done just a little better than Todd Frazier?  The moral of the story is always go with the SU favorites.

Stan Wawrinka now out for the rest of the season as he joins Djokovic on the DL.  Unreal how the tennis players are dropping.  There is only a one month off season in tennis (December) and it may be time to re-visit the scheduling.  Tennis like other sports is based on star players and if you keep losing your top guns, attendance is going to start paying the price.

Finally, as we near the start of the NFL season, Fantasy League team owners stay away from Jay Cutler who I thought had retired.  He will only disappoint.

Clearly, Joe Girardi has been checking in on SU of late as he has decided, finally, to bench both Matt Holliday and Todd Frazier for tonight’s game.  How Todd Frazier plays every game is beyond me.  Seriously, it’s like having Chris Carter playing 3rd base but truth be told, Carter was more productive (which is scary).  Holliday has been a rally killer for weeks.

SU hates to say it but they really need Greg Bird to come back towards the end of August and be a factor.  They can then move Headley back to 3rd base and put Frazier on the bench.  He was just a bad pick-up.  They desperately need another left-handed bat in the line up as they only seem to face right handed starters these days.  After going 1 for 18 with RISP the last 2 games, a change was in order.

This is a HUGE series (as in bigly).  The Yankees are playing Cleveland on the road while the Red Sox get the White Sox at home.  Big, big difference and you are getting to the time of year when it’s hard to make up ground as the number of games dwindles.  Plus Tyler Clippard is closing for the White Sox.  Enough said.

Note that long-time SU face, Eduardo Nunez, is tearing it up for the Red Sox.  Seriously tearing it up as in 11 for 16 with 4 doubles, 2 homers and 9 rbis.  He is playing all over the field for them.  My man.

The Yankees celebrated their acquisition of Sonny Gray by rolling out the Clay Bellinger line up tonight.  As predicted, Jacoby Ellsbury makes the line up batting lead off as Brett Gardner gets a night off and … wait for it, Tyler Wade is back at 2nd base.  Scary.  SU is sure Joe Girardi has his reasons but not sure why both Didi and Gardner need to sit out the same night.

There is tremendous pressure on Ellsbury to produce tonight.  This is huge for him.  Holliday no doubt is also feeling the heat but the bar is lower apparently for him to earn his playing time.  SU believes 2 strikeouts and a weak grounder to short will guarantee he is in the line up for the next 2 weeks.  SU would have put Cooper in tonight.  At some point, you just have to sit Holliday down and believe me, we have reached that point.

Did you see that the Cubs awarded Steve Bartman a World Series ring?  A nice touch and he sent them a very gracious note in response:

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20210036/chicago-cubs-giving-world-series-ring-steve-bartman

The guy has suffered for 14 years.  I think he earned this.

What is up with Aaron Judge?  He has been so patient at the plate all season long – laying off those down and away sliders for the first half of the season.  However, since the All-Star Game, he can’t help himself and is much jumpier and anxious at the plate.  It’s clear that the pitchers are making an adjustment and throwing him all off speed pitches – mostly off the plate.  They are gambling on him figuring that one of those pitches will be a fastball.  Result?  A lot of strikeouts and a significant slump.  The pitchers adjusted; now Judge must return the favor.

Speaking of adjustments, when does Girardi start to limit the at bats of Matt Holliday and give Ellsbury a shot?  At what point does he become an automatic out and incapable of driving anyone in with runners in scoring position?  He is not providing any protection to Judge at this point either.  SU maintains he is not physically right.  SU feels badly for Ellsbury; he has become a 9th inning pinch runner.  A modern day Homer Bush.  For a veteran earning $22 million a year, it’s an embarrassment.  And yet, he has to sit there and watch Holliday ground out or strike out at a record pace.  For the record, Holliday is riding a 9 for 66 streak with 4 rbis in his last 17 games  a .136 average for those of you keeping score at home.  It’s bad enough that Todd Frazier plays every day; Ellsbury deserves a shot now at DH or in the outfield and giving Clint Frazier, Judge or Gardner a blow.

All signs are pointing towards the Yankees making the Sonny Gray deal before 4 pm today.  Apparently, Jordan Montgomery is nearing a career innings pitched number and they are concerned about him hurting his arm.  The bullpen is rock solid now.  The Red Sox picked up Addison Reed from the Mets who are in fire sale mode.  The Astros are all of a sudden not looking like world beaters pitching wise.  SU says if you can avoid giving up any top prospects, may as well make the deal for Gray and go for it.  But they will need to straighten out some of the hitters.  Ellsbury playing and producing would equate to a trade deadline pick up.  SU says give him his shot now.

Mark it down sports fans.  Gary Sanchez’s 2-out, ground ball single to tie the game last night in the 9th inning will be the Yankees’ Minolta Turning Point of the Season.  SU did not see the entire game but this was clearly a frustrating night.  CC got pissed off when he was taken out but hey, 3rd time through the line up and is not throwing 97 mph anymore.  No problem with Girardi making that move.  Tyler Wade is just not ready for prime time yet; poor guy kept coming up in key situations.  Matt Holliday cannot elevate the ball anymore; he is Mr. Gounder to Short and a sure DP all the time now.

You get to the 9th inning, tying run on 3rd base, no one out and Frazier and Judge don’t get it done.  Sanchez’s grounder should have ended the game but no – sneaks through as no one goes for it.  The Yankees win in the 11th on a walk-off home run.  Judge chips a tooth in the celebration.  Big win and write it down.  Momentum starts here.

What to expect?  Here is what will happen:

• First, Judge will now go on a roll.  He needed something to happen.  The chipped tooth will create discomfort and knock him out of his funk.  SU knew the Home Run Derby was a bad idea – this always happens.  But he will now feel differently at the plate and it will help as he is irritated by his tooth.
• Matt Holliday is going to go back on the DL.  I can feel it.  He will take one for the team as opponents start to field 7 infielders on the left side of the infield for his at bats.
• Jacoby Ellsbury is going to get hot.  He just needs the at bats.
• Tyler Wade gets a trip back to Scranton for more seasoning or will be included in the Sonny Gray deal with Oakland.  It seems like that trade will be happening this weekend.  If he goes back to Scranton, he can share a car with Cessi who is also not ready for prime time.
• The bullpen looks really good now.  They can even field the best of the rookies to be the long man and stop with the Scranton shuttle back and forth.
• Aaron Hicks will provide a boost when he returns.  It will be interesting if they keep Clint Frazier up or send him down.  That’s why Ellsbury is key as he needs to be a contributor even though not an SU fave.  Plus they desperately need another left-handed bat in the line-up.  The loss of Bird was a killer just for that reason.

Bottom line: the Division is certainly within reach.  Boston has under-achieved and may start to feel the pressure of falling short with a big payroll.  SU feels the Yankees are still playing with house money this season and should not trade away any top prospects.  Stay with the program.

Finally, college football just around the corner.  Time to start paying attention.

SU just read that long-time SU fave and ex-Yankee, Eduardo Nunez, was traded by the SF Giants to the Red Sox.  Ugh.  As opposed to Todd Frazier who is hovering at .204, Nunez is hitting .308 for the season and .348 since June 1st.  OK, he is not the world’s best fielder but he can play several positions, steal bases and is an exciting player.  SU says this was a missed opportunity by the Yankees for a rental player with speed.

Now, it’s possible that the Yankees were forced to take Todd Frazier in order to get the two relievers – not sure about that.  Both Frazier and Nunez are free agents after the season.  Frazier had an interesting first at bat at Yankee Stadium last night where he hit into a triple play with the bases loaded.  SU had to laugh out loud at that one.  Somewhere Chris Carter is watching and thinking, “Hey, I could have done that.”  Frazier did get a ground ball single and walked so maybe he is starting to get grounded as a Yankee.  Or not.

Meanwhile, Matt Holliday grounded out with the bases loaded to make him 0 for 11 on the season in that situation.  He is close to a lifetime .400 hitter with the bases loaded in his career.  SU still maintains he is not right and Ellsbury needs to be given a shot.  If nothing else, it’s another left-handed bat in an overly right handed line up.

Yankees are 1 game out and actually one up in the all important loss column behind the Red Sox.  Hard to believe that after playing so poorly for so long, they are right there.  Lots of rumors about a trade with Oakland for Sonny Gray and the 1st baseman but SU does not want to give up any more prospects.  On the other hand, if it means Frazier gets DFA’d maybe it’s a net improvement.  Stay tuned…

SU is no Jacoby Ellsbury fan; he could have the worst contract in baseball.  The rise of Clint Frazier has placed him on the bench for days at a time and he has been reduced to being a 9th inning pinch runner.  Not bad for $23 million a year.  Remember to do those stretches before taking the field.

But SU says why does Matt Holliday get a free pass?  Since returning after the All-Star Break, he has gone 5 for 44 hitting 4th or 5th every game and supposedly providing protection for Aaron Judge.  I know Girardi is probably thinking that the law of averages says he will now get hot and return to being productive.  But that assumes the guy is fully healthy and fully recovered from whatever “allergic reaction” put him on the bench for a couple of weeks.  That may very well not be the case and therefore, SU says put Ellsbury into the DH slot for a while and see what happens.  He has been humiliated the last few weeks being benched in favor of Frazier and surely has an inner fire that says if just given the chance to play every day for a few games in a row he will produce.  This is his time and Holliday has earned a spot on the bench until he is back to normal.

SU must give props to Chase Headley for his performance over the past several weeks.  It is truly shocking.  Truly.  Now, he does not have many rbis but remember, he is hitting behind Holliday and Todd Frazier so unless he hits a home run, there is no one on base to knock in.  And Todd Frazier just needs to not play.  Put in Cooper at 1st base.  He’s about to go below the Mendoza Line at .200 and is showing no signs of life.  We are down to a couple of months now and players need to earn their time on the field.  SU has spoken.

What is up with Kyrie Irving?  Seriously.  Life is bad making the finals 3 years in a row?  He is arguably the best 1-on-1 player in the NBA right now.  He has no idea about how to play in a team concept but you don’t see LeBron complaining about him.  You can’t get along playing with LeBron?  Some dudes do not know how good they have it.  He may be banished to Orlando or even the Knicks and never see 30 wins again.  He already shoots about 20 times a game; how much more does he need?  SU says no-one forced you to sign the contract you have.  Honor it and if you are unhappy, then you can move as a free agent when that contract is up.  Enough of the whining.

OK, I know if I don’t say something about Jordan Spieth, some SU subscribers will say, “What?  Nothing about Spieth?”  At 24 years of age, he will threaten some of the untouchable records out there over the next several years unless he backs his SUV up into a tree or starts screwing around with porn stars (or finds himself hanging out with Tiger Woods).  He seems to have his head on straight and surrounds himself with good, supportive people.  Golf needs a guy like this – brings in the fringe fans.

SU tries to keep an open mind when it comes to new players on my teams.  OK, maybe I have a blind spot with Chase Headley but in the end, I will be proven right.  I was a big fan of Greg Bird coming out of spring training and his injury has created a domino effect of moves all year long.  We all knew Chris Carter would be a bad fit.  No surprise there.  So, SU asks: how is Todd Frazier any different from Carter?  He is a low contact, high strikeout, right – handed hitter who will hit the occasional home run.  What am I missing here?

I agree it’s a low risk move for a rent-a-player for 3 months as he will be a free agent and then you get the draft pick by allowing him to leave.  But for SU, he falls into the Chase Headley (sorry, can’t resist) and Brian McCann category where whenever he gets a hit, it is a total surprise.  You just don’t expect it as you are mentally and emotionally prepared for the strikeout or pop up.  Speaking of which, have you been watching Matt Holliday since he came back after the All-Star break?  He is a strikeout or double play waiting to happen.  Relatively new SU subscriber, S. Greenberg, suspects whatever virus he might have is still in his system.  SU agrees: he is not right.  In any event, you cannot have him protecting Judge in the line up.  Castro can hardly run and he is not hitting again yet.  Throw in Slugger Ellsbury and right now it’s hard to score runs.  And yet, and yet, they are in the hunt for the division and the wild card.  But SU still maintains that they are way too right-handed now; need a lefty bat who can actually hit.  Ten days to go before the trade deadline.  SU says Cashman is not done yet.  He can’t be.

SU liked P. Bok’s comments on the rumored trade of Melo to Portland.  That would be a high powered offense with him but at this point, it seems he will only accept a trade to a team where he has friends on the roster.  We are back on the play ground picking sides.  Rajon Rondo has signed with New Orleans which must be a huge relief for Knick fans.  No doubt he would have been a great influence on the Knicks younger players.  In fairness to Melo, Jackson gave him the no trade clause so he can certainly be selective.  But they just have to make that move.