June 11, 2006: Oakland 6, N.Y. Yankees 5
Well, it's now a four-game skid, and fans are in a panic. It's ridiculous, really. It's a long season. Losing four games would be a disaster in football. In baseball? These things happen. Jeter is clearly still hurting, and is playing very poorly. Giambi was out of the lineup altogether. But they aren't another Sheff and Matsui - they'll be back soon.
The only thing I'm worried about is that front office will panic, and do something stupid like sell the farm for some over-the-hill veteran, mortgaging our future...again.
As far as I'm concerned, the last few games have proved my point that what we need is not another big bat, but better defense. Yesterday, A-Rod had an error and Posada had an error and a passed ball. The day before, Cano had an error that basically gave away two runs.
Then there are the misplays that are not scored as errors, as when Cabrera and Damon collided in center left yesterday, giving Swisher an inside-the-park homerun. (Many were reminded of the collision between Bubba and Sheff last year that ended the Yankees season.)
Better defense, and we win those games, not lose them. Defense counts more than the Yankees seem to realize. A bunch of DH-type players may be able to slug their way to victory in the regular season, but in the postseason, where the pitching tends to be very good, you need more than sluggers. You need speed and defense and contact hitters as well as power hitters. In short, you need a balanced, well-rounded game.
Defense is the big hole for the Yanks now, and it's probably also the easiest thing to fix. Put Bubba in RF instead of Bernie. DH Giambi as much as possible, and play Andy at 1B. Keep Kevin Thompson sharp by letting him play OF to rest Damon often.
And most of all, don't panic.
