The New York Yankees arrived at Sahlen Field on Tuesday and their general manager was in tow. Brian Cashman comes on a few road trips, but there was clearly extra meaning in his presence here.
Major League Baseball has itself a sticky situation and seems determined to do something abo…
After a day off, the Yankees hoped the opener of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays would serve as a sort of restart for a very uneven season. No way they expected to be 33-32 and nine games out of first place just 65 games into the schedule.
"Frustrating. Certainly didn't expect to be in this situation," Cashman said prior to the Yankees' 6-5 victory. "Fortunately, there's a lot of season left, so there's a chance to fix it, and it's on me to fix it."
"I think the urgency absolutely exists," manager Aaron Boone said. "Even though 'Cash' doesn't go on all trips, it's very typical in the Northeast. And playing in the division there's always a good chance he's here. It's always good to have him here, and us as an organization we're trying to unlock our team a little bit. We're diving into everything possible to make that happen."
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While Yankees fans might not like to hear it, Cashman staunchly backed his embattled manager.
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"I think losing invites the scrutiny on us all," Cashman said. "And my best answer is that we're in this together. We made this bed, and we're going to sleep in it. And we're going to make sure that we find a way to fix this together."
Cashman made it ultra clear that he's losing his patience at his club's spotty offense and its shoddy baserunning, which has run into more outs than any team in the American League.
The latest slump, which saw the Yankees hit town just 5-13 in their last 18 games, has baffled the front office.
"There's been some sleepless nights with that, there really have," Cashman admitted. "I've been here before, but when you're in it, it's really difficult to deal with .. This (slump) has gone on long enough and far too long.
"We have really good coaches who know what they're doing. We have a really good manager who knows what he's doing ... We're in this together and I'm trying to figure this thing out. If I can find a way to get some opportunities to present themselves, I'll take it to ownership. But we have what it takes in this clubhouse already. That's the real question I want an answer for why we are where we are today."
If you have tickets for Thursday night's Blue Jays-Yankees game in Sahlen Field, you're going to get an added bonus.
Cashman said he hoped the next time he met with the media that the talk would be about his club's improvements. But he's like every other Yankee watcher: He has no idea when – or if – the turnaround is coming.
"We don't intend to be here in the future doing the same conversation," Cashman said. "Talk is cheap. No one cares about all the hard work, the good intentions. All they care about are the results. The results have failed so far. Right now we have not been a relevant powerhouse in the American League. We've been everything but."
The Yankees had plenty of creature comforts of home in Buffalo. The stands were filled with fans in black and white gear, notably the No. 99 of right fielder Aaron Judge. There were several "Let's Go Yankees" cheers and the place erupted with cheers for home runs by Gary Sanchez, Chris Gittens and Brett Gardner.
Gittens, who was 0 for 14 in his MLB career, got his first hit and his first homer with one swing in the top of the fourth. The ball landed on the grass berm near the I-190 ramp, where a fan outside the ballpark hopped the ramp to retrieve the ball.
Guerrero is 7 for 11 and has homered in all three games of the Blue Jays' series in Boston.
Sanchez's solo shot leading off the second soared over the left-field screen, across Oak Street and hopped into the parking lot off Seneca Street.
That's the kind of offense Yankees fans have become accustomed to seeing. It hasn't been on display nearly enough this season.
"I'm certainly feeling the pressure. It's been a hard year," Boone admitted. "We got off to a very difficult start the first couple of weeks, then righted the ship for a week. This last couple of weeks has been tough. I wear that, I feel that.
"You're invested in this job, you care about what's going on, how the team performs, the guys in that room and the staff. You're not human if you don't feel that."
