They were 18 innings in May, just 18 innings in May.
That’s the Yankees’ story, and they’re sticking to it.
“We have to keep it in perspective,” Alex Rodriguez said after the Yankees’ second straight loss to Tampa Bay dropped the club five games behind the front-running (accent on the running) Rays. “We’re on pace for another really good season, and we’re going to do that.
“This is not the time to panic.”
Look, there are 121 games to go. And look, the Yankees have the second-best record in the AL and third-best in the majors at 25-16, even after dropping three straight, four of their last five and eight of their last 12. And look, still, the Yankees were 6½ back last May 12, and things worked out reasonably well.
Nevertheless, the manner in which the Yankees were defeated in two straight within 24 hours on their own field is disconcerting. On Wednesday, they were embarrassed by the Rays’ speed, yielding six stolen bases while looking as if they were using a string and two tin cans in an I-Phone world. Last night, they were beaten by the long ball, surrendering four home runs.
Both nights, they were outpitched badly. First, it was A.J. Burnett. Last night, and more painfully, it was Andy Pettitte, who had entered the game 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA while allowing one homer in 45 1/3 innings, but who left it after allowing seven runs and nine hits including three homers in five innings of work.
When the Yankees can’t count on Pettitte in a big game … oh, that’s right, it wasn’t such a big game. It was just anther game in May.
“We’re on pace to win 100 games, so let’s not go jumping off any bridges,” said Nick Swisher, whose team actually is on pace to win 98, but let’s not quibble with the math.
Listen, of course this is a big-picture sport. Of course these 18 innings represent nothing more than a screen grab of a long-running video. But the images from the last two nights, of the Rays making all the plays while building leads of eight and four runs before insufficient rallies in the bottom of the ninth on both nights made the scores respectable, will linger.
Brian Cashman, the Yankee general manager, is paid to keep matters in perspective even if he came through the organization long ago working for an owner who never heard of the word. Cashman recognizes the big picture takes six months to develop.
And though the general manager understands and respects the enemy, he’s not about to sell his team short, either, especially because his team is playing short, without the injured Jorge Posada, Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson.
“They are a great team, and we think we are,” Cashman said of the Rays before the game. “We have our hands full. We’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game every night, healthy or not. The team knows how to play.
“We have some great players here. We have a terrific championship-caliber team capable of fighting through the whole thing.”
The Yankees were representative last night. They kept the Rays from stealing a single base. Derek Jeter cracked three hits and avoided striking out for the first time in nine games. David Robertson crackled in two innings of spotless relief. No one got hurt.
Starting pitching carried the Yankees to their 27th World Series championship last autumn and starting pitching carried the Yankees to a 21-8 record out of the gate this spring. But the Yankees don’t appear to have an edge in the rotation over Tampa Bay, thus nullifying their greatest asset.
Actually, the Yankees’ greatest asset and greatest edge over the Rays is the checkbook, which they will open to shop for reinforcements while Tampa Bay’s ownership necessarily counts pennies.
Oh, there is one other edge. The Yankees play the Mets three times this weekend.
Just keeping it all in perspective.