posted on May, 24 2005 @ 01:53 PM
Randy Johnson hasn't been a $57 million bust or gone from "Big Unit" to "Big Salad".
Yet, the season is 25 percent finished and the Yankees are waiting for Johnson to string together a necklace of his signature gems.
It's apparent the Yankees need Johnson to be more than the pitcher he has been so far, because the Yankees will go as far as their starting arms carry
them.
"Have I been successful up to this point?" asked Johnson, who is 4-3 with a 3.94 ERA in nine starts. "No. Not by my standards."
It's clear the Yankees are going to be inconsistent at the plate until an outfielder (
Pat Burrell?) with a bat is acquired before the July 31
trading deadline.
And the outfield may not be the first area addressed. While Joe Torre's bullpen has been very good lately, age is a major concern. That's why you are
going to hear about
Billy Wagner and
Danys Baez.
Sure,
Roger Clemens coming to The Bronx is a delicious thought. But as the Yankees open a three-game series against the Tigers tonight at
Yankee Stadium and the Red Sox visiting for the weekend, their rotation is the reason they have run off 12 wins in 14 games and gotten back into the
AL East race.
They trail the first-place Orioles by 41/2 games and the second-place Red Sox by 21/2.
In those 14 games, the starters are 12-1 with a 2.99 ERA. The lone loser was Johnson, who was beaten by the Mets, 7-1, Saturday.
New York Post