With rouge hose fans it has always been a game of "Follow The Leader" , well their leader is silenced 'round these parts, these days. As far as the Yanks go, myself I look at them as whenever you lose 3 of your starting 5 you are gonna be in for tough times for awhile until you either get one 2 or all three of those starters back, trade for some help or promote from within.
You do make a valid point that their 'leader' isn't around to lead them this year.
As for the Yankees, other teams have faced a similar fate. Injuries are part of the game. The Jays have been without Brandon Morrow for most of the season & he'll likely only be back in mid-to-late July. Dustin McGowan didn't get the job done as the 5th starter & he's back in the bullpen. R.A. Dickey has been average. Several minor leaguers have been brought up to help out the starting staff, such as Liam Hendricks & Marcus Stroman, among others. Stroman has looked very good in his only two starts.
The only consistent starter they've had this season is the ageless Mark Buehrle, who's been nothing short of magnificient. Drew Hutchison has struggled recently & J.A. Happ has been slightly better than average for the most part.
However, as i've mentionned, the pitchers that the Jays have called up to help out have done a great job so far. The Jays' success is certainly not because of their starting pitching. It's because they lead the league in hitting & homeruns, and the bullpen has settled down since the return of Casey Janssen, who missed a month due to injury. Jose Reyes is back in form, and Brett Lawrie has played like an all-star both as a third baseman and second baseman. The current MVP is first baseman/DH Edwin Encarnacion, who's tearing up the league in homeruns & RBIs. Colby Rasmus is about to return soon & his presence in the lineup will add to the already great power numbers.
That's the thing about the Yanikees. They can't hit. Their problems aren't at pitching, it's the hitting. The only hitter who's been consistent & very good all season long is Solarte, which has been a surprise to everyone including Girardi & Cashman. Ellsbury was good early, but he's been average for the most part. Jeter should have retired a year ago. He's been brutal both in the field and especially at the plate. Brett Gardner has been consistent, but he's got no power. Carlos Beltran has been a tremendous bust & i woudn't be surprised if he gets released. Brian McCann has been nearly as bad. He sucks! Suzuki, the singles hitter, has played sparingly for the most part. When you're stuck inserting the likes of Brian Roberts & Kelly Johnson into the lineup on a daily basis, you're in trouble! And least but not least, Mark Texeira. He's been equally brutal & unfortunately the Yankees are stuck with him, just like they were with A-Rod's massively gigantic contract. But at least A-Rod was productive & not injury-prone like Texeira. And before i forget, Alfonso Soriano. Absolutely brutal & should be equally ashamed he's still collecting a paycheque and not retired in the Dominican Republic. He's done.
Look guys, even if the Yankees starting staff consisted of Whitey Ford, Roger Clemens, Ron Guidry, Catfish Hunter & David Wells, they'd still suck nearly as bad. You need some hitting to win & some power. The Yankees have none of these. They mostly rely on a bunch of has-beens & mediocre players. The free agents they signed have been an extreme disappointment. They also never adequately replaced the greatest closer in the game. You can't win this way.
I'm sorry to break the news to you guys, but the Yankees have no chance at reaching the postseason & are even worse than the Red Sox & Tampa Rays on paper. I'd be shocked if they don't end up in last place by the end of the season.
