On Baseball: Like stadium, Yankees' time running out

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By Ben Goessling

NEW YORK — As hard as Joe Girardi tried Friday morning to emphasize that it was a new day for the New York Yankees, the palpable tension in the manager's voice betrayed the point.

And with Yankees teams of the past, there has been no reason for it. Especially on a day like the Fourth of July, when magic has happened at Yankee Stadium numerous times before.

With this collection of veterans setting their jaws after an embarrassing loss, why should this holiday - the final Fourth at the 85-year-old ballpark - or for that matter, this season, be any different?

That's the $207 million question in the Bronx, but as New York fell to the Boston Red Sox for the second time in less than 24 hours, the answer wasn't that hard to see: This group of Yankees simply might not have it this year.

Yes, the majors' most expensive collection of players rebounded for two straight wins and salvaged a split with its nemesis over the weekend, but in a division that appears fundamentally changed from previous years, it's going to take more than that for New York to land its 14th straight playoff berth.

It's going to take what Girardi was still searching for Friday after the Yankees had been shut out by Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester and something New York to this point hasn't been able to deliver: consistency.

"That's how you put streaks together. That's how you win series," Girardi said. "Offense, defense, pitching, everything."

The first-year Yankees manager tried his best to stoke some results Thursday night, calling his second team meeting in nine days. But for a variety of reasons - an aging lineup, a lack of depth and a laid-back attitude about their middling results - the Yankees haven't produced the kind of run that usually propels them into playoff position this time of year.

The Yankees are 47-42, the kind of team that doesn't do anything particularly poorly but also isn't doing anything particularly well.

New York ranks in the middle of the American League in just about every important pitching and hitting category, with a lineup dripping with name recognition that hasn't been able to pick up a pitching staff in transition. Lately, it has been even worse than that - it has been the reason the Yankees are losing.

They have scored 33 runs in their last eight games, but 18 of those came Wednesday against Texas, one of only three Yankees wins in that span.

The question is how much time do they have to turn it around? New York doesn't just have to deal with Boston this season; they were nine games behind division-leading Tampa Bay and trailed the Red Sox by four games in the wild card standings heading into Monday.

Left fielder Johnny Damon spoke about a lack of pride on Thursday night - one day before the 69-year anniversary of Lou Gehrig's famous retirement speech and the 25-year anniversary of Dave Righetti's no-hitter against the Red Sox - and in New York, that kind of approach isn't tolerated for long.

Both Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman fielded questions Friday morning about the Yankees abandoning their spare-no-expense trading strategy in July and actually pawning off some pieces. And when the team's decision to follow Joe Torre with Girardi raised questions last winter, it's worth asking how long the Steinbrenners will be patient with their new leader.

Perhaps that was in the back of Girardi's mind when he called the team meeting after the shutout loss to Lester. Or perhaps it was just frustration with a lineup that continues to underperform.

The results better come quickly, however. Otherwise, his first Yankees team could have the distinction of closing down baseball's most storied ballpark a month earlier than New Yorkers were expecting.

"I believe in our guys, and I think we can play better," Girardi said. "Sometimes everything is there, and the results may not be what you want them to be. But you've got to keep pressing on."