Second, yes, is my more general complaint that carrying 12 pitchers is silly, especially given how successful the Yankees starts have been at going deep into games (despite recent hiccups, they are still right near the top of league at 6.2 INN/start), and specifically because once again the 12th pitcher rots at the end of the pen waiting for a blowout to get some work (but only if other better pitchers don’t also need work). Gaudin has pitched only twice in August, only FOUR times in all of July. Do they really need a twelfth pitcher if that is what they get out of him?

You raise the very good point that rosters expand in only a few weeks. Perhaps the Yankees could try a radical strategy: try to get through the next three weeks with eleven pitcher, with the Scranton shuttle as the back up should they need an extra arm for a couple of days.

[16] That’s always sort of been my point too. For a manager who is seemingly so hellbent on *tricking* the other manager (and granted, that seemed to be a higher priority in 2008 than the subsequent two years) he should realize that there is now a book on Girardi (He won’t put on a play). He should realize that if he mixed it up every now and then he might *actually* trick someone with a butcher boy or something.

[13] I agree that if Posada is unable to go, that the Yanks may need a 3rd catcher. I think Chad Moeller would get the call. I would rather Mitre go than Gaudin, but since Mitre’s one of Girardi’s guys, he isn’t going anywhere. Gaudin’s probably gone when Pettitte returns anyway.

they’ve still got a few weeks until rosters expand.
with montero’s bat heating up, there has been some desire around yankeeland to see him called up but that would require some roster maneuvering.

lineup wise if kearns can hit lhp more in line with his career splits as opposed to his reverse splits of this year, having him in the mix is going to be very useful given granderson’s obvious struggles against lhp and gardner’s somewhat struggles (and probably wearing down a bit).
but frankie with 212 abs with po with 260 abs is just a huge problem.

Now, ideally, the third catcher would come at the expense of, say, Gaudin, and the team would do something really whacky like carry only eleven pitchers. And the Chess Master would have to be willing to employ his three catchers more or less regularly, i.e. pinch hit.

Seriously, though, it is easy to second guess managerial moves, and even easier to second guess moves NOT made. I imagine that a squeeze bunt is not all that easy, and made more difficult if everyone expects it. I’m not sure that the Yankees would be much better off in the stands if they incorporated the play more frequently…at all…into the gameplan. We don’t if it would have worked last night or, if it had worked, the team would have won.

All this being said, it IS irritating to me that the team seems not to “do plays” as MattPat puts it. The team does have a few guys who can flat out run, and now several who either can’t hit or are slumping badly. And yes, there ARE times when it pays off to play for one run. If the squeeze play was not employed in the exact scenario that came up last night…and of course it was not…then I can’t imagine when it will be used this season. So instead, we will get far too many futile ABs from Cervelli and Peña and Gardner and so on, all while Gardner or Peña or Grandy etc stand at 3B.

Very frustrating sometimes.

[7] The Hawk is vindicated! Also, Cervelli’s RISP average is the result of a freakish first two months in which he seemed to sneak a groundball through the infield every time he had men on base. He is reverting to the mean in an ugly way.

I realize that for most, having the best record in baseball obscures all of Girardi’s shortcomings as a manager, but I’d like to think Cashman is well aware of how poorly he managed all season. Then again, maybe not? I really hope Girardi is doing something extraordinary in that clubhouse, because otherwise it’s a shame that the Yankees have trusted their $200mn team to such a poor game strategist.

Given his seeming propensity for the big hit ( the best .250 hitter you’ll find!), maybe he should be used primarily as a PH.