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June 14, 2005
Not Pretty
From The Star-Ledger today-
Torre's teams have always had dominant starting pitching, and this one does not. The Yankees' team ERA in the first six innings of games this year is 4.96, which ranks 24th in major-league baseball. Teams are hitting .297 against Yankee starting pitching -- only Cincinnati is worse.
Torre's teams have always been comeback teams, able to batter opposing bullpens. Over the past five years, opponents converted just 57.9 percent of their save chances against the Yankees. This year, Yankees opponents have nailed down 14-of-19 (73.7 percent) save opportunities, and it's no coincidence. The Yankees' .227 team batting average after the sixth inning ranks 29th in baseball.
Torre's teams have always found ways to get runs home. This one does not. With runners in scoring position and two outs, they're hitting .212, better than only three teams.
Torre's teams haven't always been great defensive teams, but they've rarely been disastrous ones. This year's is. The folks at Baseball Prospectus use a formula called Defensive Efficiency Rating, which evaluates how good a team is at recording outs on balls in play. The Yankees rank 30th in baseball. While five teams have made more errors, none has made fewer plays.
So, basically, if the 2005 Yankees were a dog, we should shave its behind and teach it to walk backwards, I guess........
Posted by Steve Lombardi at June 14, 2005 12:11 PM