Palladino: With Castro And Bird, Yankees Should Be OK During Sanchez Ban
By Ernie Palladino
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Losing Gary Sanchez for four games is going to hurt.
But there's a big difference between a needle prick and an MMA kick to the solar plexus. One stings for a little while. The other can crumble championship dreams.
Saying goodbye to the team's hottest player won't be easy or pleasant. But because of the weekend's returns of Starlin Castro and Greg Bird to the lineup, the temporary loss of the Yankees' star catcher should pass in a far less painful manner than originally anticipated. And whenever Sanchez does have to serve his suspension, those missed days certainly shouldn't bring the chase of Boston to a grinding halt.
Unless Joe Torre and his crew of league discipliners have lost their minds, Sanchez is definitely headed for a four-game, unpaid vacation. The tape of Thursday's donnybrook in Motown clearly shows Sanchez getting a punch in on Nick Castellanos, who had accompanied Tigers teammate Miguel Cabrera on the ground as the slugger occupied himself with matters concerning the day's starting catcher, Austin Romine. Nobody gets off a sucker punch free of charge, and Sanchez won't, either.
Romine got two games for his part, so manager Joe Girardi's major concern now remains lining up a catcher if the two suspensions overlap. That's still up in the air. But at least he won't have to worry where Sanchez's missing offense will come from.
Castro had contributed a solid .307 average with 45 RBIs when his hamstring stretched yet again on July 21. But he returned to the team Friday, and immediately went to work against the Mariners over the weekend, driving in two runs in the 6-3 win on Saturday and going 4-for-4 with an RBI in the 10-1 victory on Sunday.
Assuming Castro keeps this up, the Yanks will have yet another run producer in the middle of the lineup.
Bird's re-emergence from the ankle problems that sent him to the surgeon's table after just 19 games could have an even greater impact. Hitting sixth Saturday, the left-handed slugger went 1-for-2 with a run scored. While pinch-hitting for Castro late on Sunday, Bird smacked a two-run single.
Girardi couldn't help but be impressed by what he saw, and is eternally hopeful that Bird will return to the form that saw him hit 11 homers in 46 games in 2015 as Mark Teixeira's injury replacement.
Better yet, what if he finds the stroke that sent eight balls over the wall in 23 spring training games this year?
That would be ideal. Girardi could then move him up in the order, possibly into the absent Sanchez's No. 3 spot behind the slumping Aaron Judge. That could actually kick-start Judge to a big finish.
The best scenario is that Sanchez never leaves, of course. It's always hard to replace a player in the midst of a hot streak, especially one that has seen him hit 11 homers, drive in 23 runs, and hit .299 in August.
Anyone with eyes who tuned in last Thursday knows that's not going to happen.
The picture might not have been so optimistic had Castro and Bird remained out. The whole race might have come crashing down, since every game from here on in means something. Imagine if the Yanks had a situation like the one Terry Collins is looking at right now, having lost both Michael Conforto and Yoenis Cespedes for the season on consecutive days.
But the Yankees' season, unlike the empty carcass the Mets' season became long ago, is very much alive. They trail the suddenly struggling Red Sox by just 2 1/2 games. At the very least, they're in a comfortable lead for the wild card.
Castro's and Bird's return will make Sanchez' absence all the easier to take.
The Yanks may even thrive.
Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
