A little perspective, the Yanks are now 9.5 up on the Sox, exactly how far ahead the Sox were going into the 2007 All Star break. I’m not sure they have a Beast Mode A-Rod to lean on, though.

Yeah, I’m pleased and all, but this lead feels really tenuous, especially because we can’t go back to playing the national league. (Every time I hear people talking about A.J. Burnett being an all-star caliber pitcher, it takes a lot of work to remind myself they’re not being sarcastic).

If the Yankees go 38-39 over the rest of the year, they end up at 90 wins.  That’s probably good enough to take the second wild card at worst.  As it is now, no one in the AL East projects to win much over 86 games.

And actually, the only other team in the AL that projects to win 90 games is Texas.

[2] True.  We’ll probably lose the lead when the Red Sox, Orioles, Rays, and Jays all start playing those August games against the NL and we don’t.

It’s tough to ask for more than that.

Tough, but we’ll be sure to find a way.

Losing 10 out of 11 to townies might be the answer.

I didn’t mean that particularly seriously. I guess my problem is that as SG noted, this hasn’t felt like a particularly great team. The rest of the AL east seems pretty hard hit by injuries (at least TWN and Tampa). I know getting to the playoffs is all that matters, and it’s not like I think it’s unlikely that they will, but I feel like this team’s problem is that they aren’t consistent enough. Consistency is what separates great teams from good ones. You need consistently good pitching to win in the playoffs, which we don’t have and you can’t rely on hitting home runs, because nobody is consistently good at that. This team doesn’t have anywhere enough consistently good players to win consistently and that lack of consistency consistently leads to consistent failure.

[2] do NOT mock my Pirates.

EDIT: or consistency.

“You need consistently good pitching to win in the playoffs”

No, you need to pitch, hit, and field better than the other guys, or have more luck.  It’s for example fine to have an occasional melt-down start as long as the rest of the time you get good ones.

[10] Sorry. As someone german once said: Irony: Do not let yourself be governed by it, especially not in unproductive moments. Could have learned that lesson.

[11] Ack.  Should have read to the end.

Is it safe?

if he had a better defense behind him he may have pitched seven shutout innings

And Hughes might’ve managed a decent start too, but you go to war with the defense you have, not the defense you wish you had… etc, etc.

[8] “I guess my problem is that as SG noted, this hasn’t felt like a particularly great team. “

If by “particularly great” you mean the ‘27 Yankees or the ‘75 Reds, I would agree.  I do think this team is very, very deep.  There’s practically nobody on it who either isn’t reliably above average OR isn’t capable of breaking out in shorter bursts (e.g., A-Rod, Tex).  The SPs have been solid, and trending better as the season has progressed.  The BP is great (and we’ll see what Joba adds).  The defense is strong.  And they’ve been scoring a lot of runs even without a lot of help from the supposed big boppers.  What’s the flaw that’s preventing them from being “great”?

[15] I think ‘the defense is strong’ might be a little bit of an overstatement.

[15] If by “strong” you mean lead-reinforced shoes, hands covered in vaseline, and rocks for gloves, sure.

What’s the flaw that’s preventing them from being “great”?

They stink.

The BP is great (and we’ll see what Joba adds).

About 300 pounds.

What’s the flaw that’s preventing them from being “great”?

Unclutchiness. And popups baserunning errors.

This team’s defense is strong in the same way that John Sterling is a good announcer.

They may very well be a great team.  I just don’t think they “feel” like one.  That’s subjective and it’s based on
- CC still hasn’t looked like the ace he normally is
- I still don’t trust Phil Hughes and probably never will
- I don’t think the bottom of the lineup is very good relative to what they’ve had in the recent past
-a bullpen of Soriano/Robertson/Logan/Eppley/Rapada is worse than a bullpen of Mo/Robertson/Soriano/Logan/Eppley/Rapada
- A cleanup hitter who can’t slug any more

I’d be wary of thinking Joba or Aardsma are going to add much.  Joe Nathan came back from TJ surgery and needed a year to get back to where he was.  Joba and Aardsma could contribute, but I don’t know that they’re going to be that much better than what they have on hand.

All that being said, if CC has his typical second half and if Andy Pettitte is back and throwing well in September and Rodriguez and Teixiera perform a bit better this is probably the best team in baseball.  It doesn’t mean they’ll win the World Series, but they’ll have as good of a shot at it as anyone.

The BP is great (and we’ll see what Joba adds).

A fifth starter.

[20]  !!!

“I .....don’t trust Phil Hughes….” For shame.

SG…....... welcome to the club.

Is this the true gutty, gritty Yankees team? Save Girardi mode? Save the Cashman mode?