Schadenfreude 166 (A Continuing Series)

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

For four months, the Yankees had so many problems, you needed two hands – even a foot at times – to keep count.

More All-Stars on the disabled list than on the field. No righthanded power. Part-time players filling full-time roles. Even more injuries. CC Sabathia’s velocity. Andy Pettitte’s age. Phil Hughes' inconsistency. The list seemed endless.

The only name that never appeared there was Hiroki Kuroda.

It's there now.

Kuroda's latest clunker came in the form of a five-inning, seven-run thumping by the last-place Blue Jays ...

Ken Davidoff, Post:

This simply won't work.

You can't produce a game like this, a multi-platform meltdown, when you've given yourself such little room for error. Against an opponent deader than pagers or VCRs. ...

So the Yankees must produce better starting pitching, get more out of their old and tired players and benefit from some luck when they've already received their fair share. That must start pretty much immediately.

A run like that is a terrible bet. Everything you see, both on the field and in the statistical analysis, tells you the Yankees will be home for October. Go with your gut, and your brain, too.