August 31, 2012
Can you feel it !? I get butterflies in my stomach when I think about the postseason. The cool weather; the hoodies; the leaves. But before all that to happen in the Bronx, the Yankees have to hold on tight and get through this one more month. And that's the dog-days of September.
Can the New York Yankees hold on for one...more...month ?
The reason why I ask the question is because of the inconsistency in August, and the injuries; Yankees have dealt with a lot of injuries and still manage to be first place, which is amazing. The recent big lost in injury was Mark Teixeira with that strain calf. That was tough lost, with the huge games coming up against the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays.
Orioles : These bastards are for-real. I thought I'd never say that, but they are the REAL DEAL. Watching them beat the Chicago White Sox in the rubber-game today, they have the intensity of not looking back. This is a team that has been on a wrecking crew since the end of the 2011 season. And they want to be rewarded for what they did last season by making the postseason. Can't blame them.
Yankees have to win to this three-game series. That's why the Teixeira injury came in the worst time because this series is crucial for the Yankees. It's gonna be tough to play without Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez; who are they're meat of the lineup.
Yankees still have enough to take two out of three, and Robinson Cano must be a part of that offense they score, if they want to win this series. Cano has got to come through with runners on base, which he's been suffering in. We know Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher are the hottest hitters right now, but they need Cano to come up big in this series.
Raul Ibanez : Yankees should be able to put Ibanez in the lineup tomorrow, with the right-hander Miguel Gonzalez starting for the O's. He hasn't been playing since the Blue Jays had lefties, and they need him. Ibanez has saved the Yankees this season, if you think about it. He's come through for the Yankees with a lot of clutch, go-ahead hits.
Alex Rodriguez Should Be Returning : A-Rod could make his return Monday at Tropicana Field against the Rays. With Teixeira out, that's a big plus.
Yankees In September : The Yanks have got to pull one run out of themselves; we know they need a run in October, but September could be in jeopardy with the Orioles being only 3.0 games out and they will see them seven times in the next ten games. It's a little worrisome.
What you expect ? This is the dog-days of September. It's the month were players get tired and some players/teams get hot. These games will get exciting, but at the same time it'll get nail-biting.
