Team Overboard!

Well, we lost to the Mets. The season is over. Time to roll out the tarp, put the bats in the bag, and take a slow boat to the Caribbean.

At least that's how it feels to Yankee nation at the moment. This happened last year, too, when we dropped 2 of 3 to the Nationals in DC. In fact, it seems to happen every year. Most of the time it's an over-reaction, and I tend to think that's the case this time around, too. Nevertheless, it was another ugly series. The offense, baseball's best throughout April, took another series off, scoring 1, 3, and 4 runs, respectively. Oddly enough, only 4 of those 8 runs came before the eighth inning, and 0 of them came before the 6th. It's almost like the collective sense of urgency doesn't kick in until late in the game, when the idea of a loss becomes real. And most of the time, it's too late.

The Good:

1) Granderson is due back in about a week. We need his bat, and his glove, and his speed, and his keep-Randy-Winn-on-the-bench-iness.

2) Aside from last night, A-Rod's power seems to have emerged from under the April veil.

3) Vazquez has now looked pretty solid in two straight starts.

4) Robbie Cano is back in business, with a 7-game hitting streak.

The Bad:

1) CC has reverted back to his usual early season funkiness, struggling in his last few outings.

2) AJ, Hughes, and Andy have all had a taste of the cool-off, which was to be expected.

3) Jeter and Gardner are slumping, though El Capitan seems to be fighting his way to the surface.

The Ugly:

1) The Bullpen

2) Mark Teixeira

'Nuff said.

Tonight, the Empire State Building will be lit up in blue and orange. I encourage Mets fan to enjoy this moment. They caught us in the midst of an offensive slump, coming off three tough series in a row (Minnesota, Boston, Tampa), and did just enough to win. I'm not pleased, but I'm not upset. The Yankee schedule looks significantly nicer in the coming month. After a 3-game set in Minnesota, we take on Cleveland, Baltimore, Toronto, Baltimore, and Houston, in that order. If we can't right the ship over those 16 games, then maybe I'll start to worry.

Still, dropping 6 of 8 is no fun. After the much needed off-day, AJ will try to hoist the black mainsail and catch a fair Minneapolis wind off the upper Mississippi. Two of three wins in Twin-land would be an ideal way to set out on a three week trip through (what should be) calm waters.

It's Maritime Monday. Ship ahoy, and see if you can get the photo connection below.