It happened. The Houston Asteriks finally had to show their faces at Yankee Stadium. Despite the Stadium being nowhere near capacity, the jeers were astounding. None more so than that little $#!% Jose Altuve. The Bronx Cheer towards Altuve was music to our ears. Do you know what the best part of the jeers were? Not the hilarious signs. Not the vicious chants. Not even the savage, absolute savage taunts. The best part was that it clearly, clearly, hurt Jose Altuve. The first game especially, Altuve swung at nearly every pitch. He wanted to get out of that batters box so badly. Since these are New York fans, they could tell how much they were getting to him. Like a shark in water, they smelled blood and went in for the kill. Do you think Altuve cried in the locker room after the game? We’ll never know but I’ll always assume he did. Dusty Baker made it even better by complaining!
To paraphrase, Dusty Baker said the fans were too mean to Altuve and the Asteriks. Music to our ears again. That statement certainly backfired as the Bronx Cheers became even more vicious and mean. Anytime I am feeling down, I’m going to watch those Altuve at bats (except for the last one) and revel in his misery. It doesn’t give back the World Series that were stolen from us but it certainly feels great seeing how badly Yankees fans can hurt Altuve and the Asteriks.
Next up we can talk about games two and three of the Tampa Bay Rays series, two games that couldn’t be more different.
First and foremost, at what point does MLB force the Rays out of that trash pit of a stadium? Those catwalks that interfere with play are an embarrassment. Either build a real stadium or move to a different city. Enough is enough.
Now that the rant is over. Let’s talk about Gerrit Cole. The man is electric. Watching him pitch against the Rays was a pleasure. The way this man pitches elates this baseball nerd. Cole can throw a 98 mph four seamer up high, throw an 83 mph change up low, then drop a fall off the plate slider all in the same at bat. Watching him set up hitters with the fastball to then throw them off balance with a 10 – 15 mph slower change up is pure joy. It’s not often a guy has electric stuff and the mental acuity to know how to use it. We’re watching something special. Every Gerrit Cole start is must see TV.
Gerrit Cole’s buddy isn’t faring as well. Jameson Taillon has struggled thus far into the season. He’s been getting a pass for two reasons. First, he’s Gerrit Cole’s buddy. Cole vouched for him and with the way Cole is pitching, Yankees fans are going to give Taillon a pass. My advice to Jameson, buy Cole a couple of drinks, maybe have his wife and kid over for dinner. Heck why not even offer to babysit so Gerrit and the missus can have a nice evening out. You owe him dude, you owe him.
The second reason Taillon’s getting a pass is that he shows flashes of brilliance. You see it. You’ll see him strike out the side like he did tonight. His fastball doesn’t have the same velocity as Cole but it’s still effective because it has some nice movement. Mix that with his curveball and you see him fooling hitters.
The problem with Taillon is that he isn’t consistent and doesn’t give the Yankees many innings. At what point do we start questioning if Taillon is a starter? Maybe he is better suited for the bullpen. He still has some slack on his leash but if there isn’t improvement soon, I say move him to the bullpen sooner than later before the pressure of New York starts to crack this guy.