Keefe To The City Podcast

The Yankees passed their test against the Astros, winning two of three. They passed the test against the Nationals, winning two of three. Now they head to Tampa, a place they have rarely won in the Aaron Boone era, needing to finally show the Rays they have had enough losing in this rivalry.

The Yankees had a chance to sweep the Astros, but didn't. They still won the series, which I would have signed up for prior to the start of the three games. The Yankees have won 10 of their last 14 games, and while they have played mostly bad teams during that time, these last three games have made me think they have put the awful 25 games to open the season behind them.

The Yankees had their biggest win of the season on Tuesday night at the Stadium, beating the hated Astros 7-3. After getting back to .500 on Sunday after wasting April, maybe the Yankees have finally turned their season around.

It's now been a month of the Yankees saying they're going to break out and hit. When exactly will that be? In May? June? By the All-Star break? When they're eventally buried in the standings? The season is 25 games in and 15 percent complete and the Yankees are still searching for offense.

Aaron Boone keeps saying "it's early." But it's apparently not early for Gary Sanchez. The Yankees catcher has been benched even though he has far from the worst numbers on the team.Boone said Sanchez would be the starting catcher and catch Gerrit Cole, he is now benched and has caught Cole one. Boone said Clint Frazier would be the everyday left fielder and then benched him after seven games. Boone said Aaron Hicks would be benched for two games for "mechanical adjustments" and his benching lasted seven innings. Meanwhile, Rougned Odor continues to be forced into the lineup, sometimes batting cleanup, and Boone's moves a three-time Gold Glove-winning second baseman off his position to accomdate Odor, who the Rangers are paying $27 million to not play for them.If you're not one of Boone's favorites, you will become a scapegoat of his.

The Yankees keep saying the offense is going to break out. When is that going to be? The season is now 14 percent over. It's no longer "early" and this isn't a small sample size.

The Yankees had a chance to sweep the Indians, but Aaron Boone decided to give one-third of the everyday lineup the day off and Jameson Taillon couldn't protect a three-run lead. The Yankees still have the same problems they had before going to Cleveland.

The Yankees beat the Indians 5-3 on Friday in Cleveland to win back-to-back games for the first time in nearly two weeks. It wasn't all great as the Yankees went down three runs in the first for the second straight night, but they finally showed the power everyone has been waiting for.

The Yankees won a game, beating the Indians 6-3 in Cleveland. They have now won two of three. Or they have lost six of eight depending on how you look at it. The Yankees desperately need a lengthy winning streak. Maybe this was the start of one?

The Yankees suck. They really do. They have lost six of seven and have scored 18 runs in those seven games. They are now 6-11 on the season, and don't look any closer to turning their season around.After the recap, former Yankees pitcher Brian Gordon joined me to talk about transitioning from the outfield to the mound after a decade in the minors, how Nolan Ryan helped him change positions, his first call-up the majors as a reliever with the Rangers, his unbelievable 2011 season in Triple-A, the June 15 opt-out that allowed him to be a Yankee, making his first career start in Yankee Stadium, playing in the KBO in Korea and what his post-playing career has been like.

The Yankees won a game. That's not a joke. They actually won. They did everything they could to blow a gifted bases-loaded, no-out rally in the eighth inning, but thanks to a wild pitch and the Braves walking in a run, they Yankees went on to win 3-1.After the recap, Dylan Short of Locked on Braves Podcast joined me to talk about the Braves being five outs from the World Series in 2020, their slow start to the season like the Yankees and the state of their offense and rotation.

The Yankees are the worst team in the American League. At 5-10, they have lost five straight games after getting swept by the Rays and are now 3-9 against the Rays and Blue Jays this season, their direct competition for the AL East. Things are bad and they might get worse this week.

The Yankees lost again and they lost to the Rays once again. The Yankees have lost four straight to fall to four games under .500, holding on to their spot as the worst team in the American League. The manager and the players keep saying they are going to turn it around and they keep failing to do so.

The Yankees lost to the Rays 8-2 on Friday night to fall three games under .500. In this 11-game stretch against the Rays, Blue Jays and Braves, the Yankees are 2-5 with still two games against the Rays and two against the Braves to go. If you think this is the Yankees bottoming out, you have no idea.After the recap, Kevin Weiss of Locked on Rays Podcast joined me to talk about the first Yankees-Rays series, the Rays' similar rotation questions, their lack of offense and their depleted bullpen.

The Yankees suck. They really do. Their manager is a happy-go-lucky idiot, their lineup can't hit and their starting pitching is as bad as was feared.After the recap, longtime friend, former American Idol winner and huge Yankees fan Nick Fradiani joined me to talk about how depressing it has been to watch the Yankees, what happened to the team that was so fun and exciting back in 2017 and if things will get better or worse for them.

The Yankees have one starting pitcher. OK, one-and-a-half. The Yankees' decision to let Masahiro Tanaka walk and not sign any free-agent starting pitchers other than Corey Kluber, who had barely pitched over the last two seasons, and trade for Jameson Taillon, who had also barely pitched over the last two seasons, was questioned all offseason. We're seeing why. The offense has been abysmal, but the rotation is a problem that might not go away. After the recap, Rob Wong of Blue Jays Baseball and Jays Talk on Sportsnet 590 The Fan joined me to talk about the Blue Jays' start to the season, George Springer getting hurt while already hurt, Randal Grichuk owning the Yankees, the Blue Jays' impressive bullpen and his expectations for the Blue Jays in 2021.

Gerrit Cole pitched another gem (6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) and it wasn't because Kyle Higashioka caught him. Cole is arguably the best pitcher in the world and it isn't because of who's behind the plate, the way it wasn't when he was in Pittsburgh or Houston. On Monday, his apparent personal catcher Kyle Higashioka was the entire offense and the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 3-1.After the recap, Tom Scibelli of Barstool Sports joined me to talk about why it's not early in the season for these Yankees, Aaron Boone's nonsensical lineup decisions, the ongoing personal catcher debate and who should get the call the next time a fifth starter is needed.

Yankees Podcast: Finally Beat the Rays

If the Yankees end up playing in the one-game playoff/wild-card game in October by one or two games, or end up missing the playoffs completely by one or two games, it will be because they decided to stand by Scumbag Domingo German and allow him to start two games for them this season.

The Yankees were embarrassed by the Rays yet again at Tropicana Field, losing 10-5. Despite having a two-run lead, the Yankees gave it away and then some after putting together another early-season disappointment.After the recap, Rays radio pregame and postgame host Neil Solondz joined me to talk about the ALDS against the Yankees, the World Series loss, the changes on the 2021 Rays roster and expectations for the Rays this season.