Bombers Banter: Are the New York Yankees Still in the Playoff Hunt?

With the New York Yankees coming off back-to-back wins against the Kansas City Royals to keep their slim playoff hopes alive for the time being, I figured it was time to break out the second Yankees Roundtable Discussion of the season.

Allow me to introduce you to my fellow Yankee writers who will be participating in this  edition of Bombers Banter: Matthew Goodman, Colin Linneweber, and Adam Mayerhoff (Jersey).

If you're a top Yankee writer who was left out of this discussion, don't worry, it's probably because you were included in the last Bombers Banter, and I just wanted to give some new people a shot at contributing. 

Those writers who took part in the first roundtable will be notified once again for the next discussion. As always, if you'd like to get involved, just post a comment here or shoot me an e-mail.

This discussion will center on the Yanks' recent struggles and their chances of getting back into the pennant race.

Enjoy and feel free to comment.

 

Question: Things have spiraled out of control for the Yankees since their eight-game winning streak to open the second half of the season. What can be done to turn things around and get the team back in contention for a playoff berth?

Matthew Goodman: The injuries to Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford have opened a small window for the Yankees to claw their way into the playoffs. But if the Bombers are going to advance to the postseason, they need to get more consistent with their offensive production.

The rotation has done as well as it can, considering all of the injuries. Plus, Phil Hughes has been pitching well and could provide some stability in only a week or two. The bullpen, despite recent hiccups, has been a team strength.

Unfortunately, the team seems unable to put together pitching and hitting on the same nights. They also lack flexibility and depth. The lineup has the ability to put up big numbers down the stretch; all that's left is to see if they can do it.

Colin Linneweber: Start hitting with runners in scoring position and finally realize the urgency that they face.

Jersey: A lot has gone wrong for the Yanks. The offense is inconsistent, the starting pitching has been poor, and the bullpen has been awful of late. However, I think all three of these are fixable.

The offense and bullpen are too good not to pull it together, but the real issue is starting pitching.

Ponson has been a pleasant surprise, but I don't think anyone truly expects him to continue this way. Rasner is on his way out as soon as Joba comes back, and while Geise has been good so far, so was Rasner in his first few turns.

With three-fifths of your rotation unreliable, you'll have trouble making the playoffs, especially when the climb is so steep. However, Joba is not expected to miss too much time, and perhaps Phil Hughes or a veteran pitcher acquired via waivers can help bring stability back to the rotation.

Jordan Schwartz: Clearly they need to start doing a better job with runners in scoring position, especially getting that runner home from third with less than two outs with a groundball or a sac fly.

However, Manager Joe Girardi also needs to put them into easier run-scoring situations, and that means bunting. Not bunting with Johnny Damon up with two on and nobody out in the ninth inning of a tie game on Saturday was completely ridiculous.

If you're not going to lay one down there, you might as well take the bunt completely out of the playbook, which it looks like Girardi has done.

 

Question: Should Brian Cashman have tried to claim former Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Paul Byrd off waivers?

Matthew Goodman: Cashman did the right thing. While Byrd has been on a hot streak recently, he's a finesse pitcher whose ERA was above 5.00 about a month ago. He's moving to a hitters' park, where he'll probably get beaten up a bit.

I doubt he would have been better than Rasner or Ponson, whom he would have been replacing had the Yankees claimed him. The short porch at Yankee Stadium greatly decreases his value since he's a right-handed flyball pitcher.

Colin Linneweber: It couldn't have hurt. Cashman has done a nice job this season. Unfortunately, injuries have ravaged the season. Cashman and his flunkies believe that Hughes, Kennedy, and Pavano are options as good as Byrd, and they will all return in a short amount of time.

Jersey: Absolutely. Byrd has been very good since getting advice from Bert Blyleven on a mechanical issue. With the rotation as unreliable as it is, a veteran starter can't hurt. Perhaps there is still another pitcher soon to be made available, but with Jarrod Washburn off the table as well, the options are wearing thin.

Jordan Schwartz: Definitely. Despite the injuries to Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain, the rotation actually remains the team's strength, which doesn't say a whole lot about the offense.

That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. Darrell Rasner is 2-6 with a 7.04 ERA since June 11. You're telling me the Yankees wouldn't be better off with Paul Byrd, who's 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA since July 21?

 

Question: How do you feel about Joe Girardi's strategy of constantly shuffling the lineup in order to give guys days off?

Matthew Goodman: The strategy is fine, since the Yankees have an older lineup that requires micromanagement to keep guys fresh. It is a testament to Girardi that the Yankees have done as well as they have, given the injuries they have suffered.

Losing Matsui and Posada hurt them greatly and forced Girardi to turn to an admittedly thin bench to generate production. The struggles that Jeter and Cano have endured were completely unexpected and Girardi bears no blame for them.

Colin Linneweber: I like consistency. A lack of consistency breeds chaos, and chaos is never good for a squad. Set roles are the way to go.

Jersey: I don't mind shuffling the outfield so much because Melky Cabrera wasn't hitting enough to earn consistent playing time before being sent to the minors. Giving some players half-days off by DH'ing them is not a bad idea, even if it means sticking a Wilson Betemit or Justin Christain in the lineup.

However, the recent benching of Johnny Damon was utterly bizarre. Shuffling is not the worst idea in the world, but Girardi needs to be wary of over managing.

Jordan Schwartz: I hate it. When you have an offense that has been struggling as much as the Yankees, it doesn't make sense to sit Johnny Damon when he's on a five-game multi-hit streak or to insert a mediocre hitter like Wilson Betemit into the lineup. 

Maybe part of the reason these guys aren't hitting is because there's no consistency.  One day they're playing the field, the next day they're the DH, and the third day they're riding the pine. These guys don't need all these days off. It's baseball, not basketball.

 

Question: Do you think Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman will be back with the Yankees next year if the they fail to reach the playoffs?

Matthew Goodman: It would be shortsighted to let them go, given the injuries the Yankees have sustained. Cashman is responsible for the revival of the Yankees' farm system. It has already born fruit (Chamberlain, Hughes, Cano) and is poised to provide even more quality players over the next few years (Melancon, Jackson, Montero).

The depth Cashman created allowed the Yankees to go out and get Nady, Marte, and Pudge without gutting the system. He should be allowed to see his plan through.

As for Girardi, he has done a magnificent job of keeping morale high and riding out the wave of injuries. He lost his two top starters (Wang and Chamberlain), his starting left fielder (Matsui), his starting catcher (Posada), and various other players at some points.

Through it all, he has managed the bullpen effectively and kept workloads reasonable, so both position players and pitchers will be reasonably fresh down the stretch. He should be given at least one more year so he can manage a healthy team.

Colin Linneweber: Both should have the liberty to do as they please. Girardi will unquestionably be back. Cash may decide to run the Phillies. I expect both to be back, though.

Jersey: Yes and yes. The team has suffered through a lot of injuries, and that is the fault of neither the manager nor the GM. While this was not the only problem they had this year, it was a major one, and I don't think the Yanks could justify firing either of them.

Jordan Schwartz: All indications are that they will both return, but I'm still on the fence as to whether or not they deserve to. Cashman did a great job getting a big bat in Xavier Nady at the trade deadline, but he failed to add another arm to the rotation in Washburn and Byrd, something he also couldn't do this past offseason with Johan Santana. 

Girardi has really been a disappointment. I thought he'd bring a lot more National League-style small ball to a Yankees team that for too long had sat back and waited for a three-run homer under Joe Torre. Girardi hasn't done that, but in the end, I guess both guys deserve another chance because of all the injuries the team has suffered this year.

 

Question: Who is the team MVP through three-quarters of the season?

Matthew Goodman: Without a doubt, the team MVP has been Mike Mussina. At the beginning of the season, he was an afterthought, a washed-up veteran on the verge of baseball oblivion. By reinventing himself as a pitcher, he has proven to be resilient and effective by stabilizing a battered rotation.

I know that A-Rod has been good when healthy, and Mariano has been close to perfect. But Moose shored up the team's greatest weakness and has a shot at posting one of the best seasons of his Hall-worthy career. That, to me, is MVP-worthy.

Colin Linneweber: Without question, Mike Mussina.

Jersey: It's got to be Mike Mussina. Rivera has been incredible, but with the rotation as shaky as it's been, Moose has actually been mentioned in Cy Young talks. He's kept the Yanks in the race more so than any other player thus far.

Jordan Schwartz:  It's definitely Mike Mussina. In April, a lot of people, including myself, questioned whether or not he deserved to be in the rotation, but now the question is whether or not he deserves Cy Young votes. His 16-7 record and 3.35 ERA have kept the Yankees afloat during an injury-plagued season.

 

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and authorhouse.com. Jordan can be reached at [e-mail]