BOSTON – Ugly.
That was all you could say about the games of death that took place at the old ball yard in The Hub.
Perhaps the only thing positive you could have take out of it was that the Yankees scored 11 runs on Saturday.
The only problem is that they gave up 16.
Up, down and all around, the Red Sox showed that they were a better team than the constructed version of the Yankees that at least as of this moment is undergoing its own identity crisis.
In simpler terms, it was an ass kicking.
All you needed you know how bad it was came in the fifth inning after Jacoby Ellsbury stole home when Andy Pettitte appeared to have a lapse in concentration. He would add insult to the Yankees by taking a curtain call from the crowd in the middle of Pettitte’s bases loaded at bat to J.D Drew.
It was a complete sign of disrespect, but it proved to be a symbolic of what the series and two organizations represent.
While they may respect the Yankees, no longer is there is any fear or belief they will lose to them. They stare and hit back harder, do things smarter and overall have been a much better and more efficient run team than the team that plays in the Bronx.
The Red Sox showed that they could win any which way.
Comeback against Mariano Rivera trailing by two runs in the 9th?
Okay.
Comeback from 6-0 down against the Yankees hired gun (AJ Burnett) and then comeback again late to win a slugfest?
Okay.
Shutdown the Yankees with a pitcher spot starting, sitting most of our main relievers and using minor league call-ups?
Okay.
Take your pick and choose whatever game you want and Boston did not mind. At the same time, you began to see distinct differences between the team that plays on Yawkey Way and the team that plays on 161st and River Avenue.
Of course, when you are using considerably more resources then that of your opponent the results should not look like what is playing out on the field. For the most part, the Yankees for what they are spending are not getting their money’s worth even without Alex Rodriguez currently in the lineup or the field.
The Red Sox, who spend a lot of money themselves, seem to have it allocated in such a way that allows them to be younger, stronger and more flexible in positions as opposed to old, slow, slowly eroding and inflexible.
Most of it comes from the fact that their young players, drafted and developed have made a far greater impact than the Yankees have. When you look out and see Ellsbury staffing center, Pedroia at second base, and Kevin Youkilis at first, a core has been able to move away from the old days of the “Manny Being Manny” sideshow. Despite his greatness as an offensive player, his absence (while making them a little vanilla in terms of drama and intrigue) has been able to change the look of the team while still being productive.
Then you look at their pitching staff with Jon Lester and other mates Manny Delcarmen, Michael Bowden, Jon Papelbon and others in the minors that are soon to follow. What you then realize is that for the amount of production they are getting from these players, they are not paying the market rate these players would get as potential free agents.
Consider this, for a good as Mark Teixeira is as a player, Youkilis is a better value for his salary than Teixeira will ever be at his.
Because the Yankees have not been able to develop these type of position players and pitchers, they are then forced to spend gobbles of money to import players from other teams. It is all a risk in the hope that they can replicate their production in pinstripes despite the fact that their best statistical output happens in the years prior to the age range of 28 to 30.
Unfortunately, for the team with the interlocking NY, there have been far more misses than hits and that is not good at the prices they are paying.
The Red Sox are not reliant on one specific player to be their main cog. Meanwhile, the Yankees are counting the days until Rodriguez returns, apparently because they feel as if the world is going to end without his bat in the lineup.
If you have enough very good players, then you do not have this problem. On paper, you would think the offense is good enough to get by with the talent that is out there.
Unfortunately, the games are not played on paper.
Ask yourself this question, in which of the following areas do the Yankees have a no doubt edge over the Red Sox:
Offense – Defense – Starting Pitching – Bullpen – Manager – Minor League System - Front Office
Think about that question and then attempt to answer it. You will find that it is not as easy as you may think. Even at optimal best, any advantage the Yankees may have over the Red Sox is minimal at best. For all the stars the team has, they are no more efficient at scoring runs than Boston. Even with their bully nature of scoring runs, their strange inability to situational hit and convert in red zone opportunities (also known as hitting with runners in scoring position) close the advantage they would otherwise have.
Boston’s defense is so much better than the Yankees and it is not even close. The rotation slightly favors New York, but this assumes CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett pitch to their potential considering their adjustment to the Bronx (in Sabathia’s case, the AL East) and Joba Chamberlain continues his development into an effective starter. No Red Sox pitcher (unless you are believing Brad Penny is going to pitch more than 150 innings) needs to adjust and though they may suffer a drop off from Jon Lester (due to innings pitched last year), that can be picked up with a bounce back/healthy year from Josh Beckett.
The Yankees can only dream of having the Red Sox bullpen as long as they chose not to have Chamberlain down there to lock up the eighth inning. Since they will not, and with Brian Bruney’s injury, there is a severe problem down there, where no other pitcher has been reasonably effective for any consistent period. Meanwhile, Boston comes at least five men deep and more in reserve when needed.
Francona gets the edge over Girardi. The front office is advantage Boston and the minor league system is currently not competitive.
We have a long way to go before the season is over. No matter what happens though, structurally Boston is geared up for the short term and the long term.
The Yankees are just trying to get, well, somewhere.
We think.
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