Yankees Breakdown: The Secret Stache Caught

Photo by Colin E. Braley/ Associated Press

In two losing series to Tampa Bay and Kansas City, the Yankees decided to part ways with the trendy rally mustache after a measly two wins in seven tries. Unlike many superstitions in baseball, New York's "touch of grey" mustaches lasted an irregular time period, spanning nearly thirty days in six different cities. Prior to last Monday's four game set in Tampa, the Yankees collected a total of 17 victories in 23 contests, but coincidentally, a streak which was born in Tampa last month, also dwindled at the hands of the Rays in Tropicana Field. Monday evening was a good old fashioned Bronx Bombers performance in a 11-5 shootout, but the latter three games were offensive slumbers, tallying five runs in 27 innings. In a series that should have been rightfully New York's to own, the Rays abruptly ended the rally mustache, and sent the Yankees packing en route to face a dangerous Royals squad out west in Kansas City. From there, Kansas City routed New York in a discouraging 12-1 loss Friday night, handing Michael Pineda his first loss on the season. In retaliation, CC Sabathia returned the favor Saturday, earning his second consecutive victory largely in credit to Chase Headley's three-run shot in the seventh. After nearly three months on the disabled list with setbacks due to quadriceps complications, Chris Capuano took the hill Sunday, but lasted only three innings in New York's first shutout loss of the season. 

As of this Monday, the Yankees' first place lead in the division has been trimmed to one game, and with a brief two-game set in Washington set for Tuesday evening against the red-hot Nationals, New York must manage to escape another slump with a west coast trip on the horizon. 

Here's a quick breakdown of the last seven days of ballgames:

Whitely Goes Down, Tanaka and Nova Coming Soon

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Chase Whitley left Thursday's contest in the second inning due to discomfort in his right pitching elbow, and it was later revealed that Whitley has been scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery after tests revealed structural damage in the arm. With Whitley's season now lost, New York is faced with a hole in its pitching staff, and while Capuano is hopefully here to stay, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi is in need of a dominant arm, as the burden is currently placed on youngsters Adam Warren and Nathan Eovaldi, and veteran CC Sabathia. In the first two months, Michael Pineda has been the constant on the mound, but it is fair to question how long his success can last, while also considering that the Yankees cannot afford or rely on winning at least one game in every five days. In light of the concerns, Masahiro Tanaka is scheduled to make a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this Thursday. Tanaka has not indicated any signs of regression in his right forearm, and if all goes well in Thursday's contest, there is a fair chance of Tanaka returning to the rotation next weekend out in Oakland. Ivan Nova is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week, as he has been sidelined for nearly a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April. With hopeful returns of Tanaka and Nova in the next couple of weeks, New York will be able to rebound from difficult outings from their inexperienced arms. 

Stephen Drew's Never Ending Slump

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All minds were in shock after Stephen Drew's revamped batting average in mid-April, but it was not difficult to expect signs of struggle soon after, as Drew now sits under the Mendoza Line with an average of .177 and an on-base percentage of .264. Joe Girardi has stapled Drew into the second base slot since Opening Day, and has ambiguously kept Drew around despite abysmal numbers. The reality is that New York's middle-infield options are scarce, and with the popular prospect Rob Refsnyder struggling mightily with the glove, Girardi has decided to keep Drew for his adequate defense, rather than his atrocious offense. Rookie Jose Pirela has seen the spotlight as a much needed bench man on base and in the field, and it is highly unlikely that there will be any looks of Refsnyder in the Bronx this season. For now, New York will have to stick with Drew for an every day role. 

Judge the Minor Leaguers

Many fans have wished for Brian Cashman and the Yankees' front office to consider calling up young prospects to replace the washed up rentals. Currently, the two frontrunners for promotions are outfielder Aaron Judge and top pitching prospect Luis Severino. Here are the numbers of a few farm-Yankees that are on the cusp of making the active roster within the next few seasons:

Rob Refsnyder- 2B (AAA):  .307 BA, 2 HR, 16 RBI, .371 OBP, 9 E

Aaron Judge- OF (AA): .314 BA, 6 HR, 21 RBI, .370 OBP, 11 BB

Luis Severino- SP (AA): 1-2, 3.86 ERA, 28 IP, 29 H, 34 SO, 12 ER

Bryan Mitchell- SP (AAA): 2-3, 3.68 ERA, 36.2 IP, 34 H, 33 SO, 15 ER