DENVER — The New York Yankees and Houston Astros combined to make a post-All-Star break homestand for the Colorado Rockies. While the two teams were in the Mile High City, these are some of the things I heard.
Two of the heavyweights in the American League, the New York Yankees and Houston Astros could neither take a series from the National League West bottom-dwelling Colorado Rockies, with Colorado taking two of three games from New York and splitting the two-game set with the Astros.
However, in both the wins and losses, there were some telling comments about what is to come for the Astros and Yankees.
New York Yankees: Giancarlo Stanton still rounding into form
After missing half of April and all of May with a hamstring injury, there's no question that Giancarlo Stanton is still trying to find his form at the plate after his injury. He looked solid against the Rockies, continuing his love of hitting at Coors Field with a pair of home runs during a 3-for-11 performance during the series.
However, even with the fireworks in Denver, Stanton has sputtered since returning to the lineup, slashing .170/.273/.396 over his last 106 at-bats. Still, Stanton believes there are signs in there that give some hope.
"I'm definitely trending," Stanton said. "You have to prove that you're all the way going, and that takes weeks on end of producing. There's not much talking for that. You have to go prove it."
The Yankees and Stanton are both hoping that happens soon as time for making an impact on the 2023 season could be running out if New York can't figure out its collective problems at the plate.
Aaron Boone still waiting for the "fun" from the Yankees lineup
While dropping two of three in Denver, a trend of not being able to put together a string of offense continued for New York, something that has plagued the Yankees all season (especially without Aaron Judge in the lineup) and continues to rear its ugly head after the All-Star break.
Since the Midsummer Classic in Seattle, New York is collectively slashing .210/.298/.317. That won't win you many games, even with a roster that includes Stanton, D.J. LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres among other notable names. Manager Aaron Boone realizes this and you could sense his frustration starting to build as what was hoped to be a clean start with a new hitting coach after the All-Star break hasn't materialized yet.
"We show up every day to shake hands at the end of the night, right?" Boone asked when his stagnant offense was brought up after a 7-2 loss to the Rockies to open the series. "We're capable. They're grinding and a lot of these guys are going to get hot together. That's when the fun happens."
Losers of five of six since the All-Star break, the Yankees need something fun to happen for its offense soon.
Chas McCormick thinks Houston Astros have "character" to keep momentum going
The reigning American League Player of the Week, Chas McCormick, went 7-for-11 with three home runs as the Astros opened the second half of their season in Anaheim against the Angels. His hot hitting continued in Colorado, going 3-for-7 with a home run in the two-game set in Denver.
Entering Thursday 4.5 games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West but in possession of the final AL Wild Card, McCormick believes the Astros have weathered injuries to Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez (among others) and are ready to make their run toward another postseason appearance and defending their World Series crown.
"We're missing some firepower, but we have a lot of guys that can step up. It's kinda like the next man up mentality," McCormick told me. "I played with a lot of these guys in the minor leagues. It's cool to see a lot of these guys, a lot of new guys, be on this team. And that tells us about our character. It's how our organization runs. I've been in the playoffs these past two years. And you can just tell when stuff hits the fan, we don't give up or throw in the towel or be upset about anything. We're a good team, even if we're missing a couple of guys."
Houston will likely add to its roster at the upcoming MLB trade deadline, and Altuve and Alvarez should be back soon as well. That talent, and the belief and experience that's in the locker room, will likely make the Astros a very dangerous club when the postseason arrives.
