Does a team that loses 10 games (and counting) to the Devil Rays deserve serious consideration as a championship hopeful? Perhaps, but The Bergen Record’s Bob Klapisch doesn’t need Bobby Bonilla to show him the Bronx.
With 26 games to go, the Yankees suffered what could’ve been their most serious setback of the summer: a 4-3 defeat that dropped them four games behind the Red Sox.
The usually upbeat Joe Torre called it a “a tough loss,” adding it was “disappointing, especially at this time of the year.” Then again, David Ortiz’s walk-off HR and the Sox’ 3-2 win over the Angels might’ve been a gift to the Yankees. Maybe it forces them to focus on the wild card now.
But that still doesn’t excuse Randy Johnson’s inability to outpitch Casey Fossum, or the sad admission from Derek Jeter that “No matter what the score, [the Devil Rays] probably feel they can beat us.”
The antidote, of course, is old-school dominance that was supposed to be Johnson’s calling card this year – not the watered-down 61/3 innings that saw 10 Devil Rays reach base. The Big Unit cryptically said, “You expect to win when you give up three runs,” but that was just further proof of his decline.
A year ago, Johnson would’ve been good enough to beat anyone – particularly a last-place team after holding a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Now he’s happy just to hang on, bringing the Yankees to a critical question: If it’s not Johnson, who can they really trust in October? Better question: Who’s their savior in September?
It’s asking a lot of Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon to carry the Yankees through these last four weeks, especially with six games remaining with Boston.