Aaron Judge's playoff availability remains a MYSTERY | 'Go Get 'Em'

Chris McMonigle (0:02)

This is the Go Get'em Podcast. Big Mac, McMonigle, Go Get'em, buddy. Now, here's Chris McMonigle.

And Go Get'em we shall. Welcome to the Go Get'em Podcast. Chris McMonigle here. And we're coming to you off of, I guess, what felt like going in, somewhat of a meaningful series, comes out feeling like kind of a meaningless series. But they do lose it two out of three to the Arizona Diamondbacks. They take game one off an implosion of offense in the first inning, scoring five in the first off of Edwin Rodriguez, and then get walked off in the Saturday game. We'll talk about walk offs because I find it interesting. And then today get beat up, and Brent Hedrick gives up the grand slam to Aronado. And the Yankees are now... And we'll get to Judge in a second, because we talked about the Judge injury. We haven't talked about the specifics that we found out Friday. But first, let's just comment on what a weird, like, next week this is going to be. And I would just say to you...

And you know how I... I wouldn't say lecture the fans.

One of the things I love to do, for whatever reason, and I can't help myself, is when I see overreaction and the negative, I tend to push back on it. Right? Sometimes I'm full well knowing what I'm doing. Sometimes I can't help myself. But just prepare yourself for the next week. And I've tried to tell you this before. These games against the Rays now are meaningless. They're meaningless. Don't try and tell yourself there's meaning to them. Don't try and tell yourself it's to show them we can beat them. That doesn't matter at all. As we saw at the Red Sox last year when the Yankees beat them, I know Toronto beat the Yankees and they couldn't beat them. Toronto just played better. I don't think there's a statement that needs to be made even while losing the division. And yeah, it's going to suck. Watching the Rays, assuming the Yankees don't sweep the Rays. Watching the Rays celebrate their division title, assuming they will, I think they will. They've already done the champagne celebration for clinching a playoff spot. I'm assuming another one is coming for the division title. So it's going to suck watching them do that at Yankee Stadium. And they've earned that. They've played better than the Yankees all year, including this last month or so where the Yankees have played well for the most part. And yet Tampa has just done a significantly better job of it. But what's about to come is a week of meaningless games, which is rare. Yankees typically don't play them because they're always battling for something. Last year, even down the stretch, those games were so imperative. The Blue Jays did not do what the Rays did. They struggled down the stretch of the season. And the Yankees made up six games in seven or eight days or something like that, and made it a race up until the final game of the season. That's not how this year has gone. Tampa Bay has done a better job than Toronto did. And these next seven games are relatively meaningless. The Yankees are the same amount ahead of Boston that the Tampa Bay Rays are ahead of us. We're not going to get caught by the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees, I don't think, probably have to win another game. And they're still going to be the top wild card team. So, like, they're locked in. See you next Tuesday. And that is not a euphemism. See you next Tuesday for the wild card. And everything that happens in between now and then is about getting ready for that series and pitching who he wants to pitch. And I mean Boone, obviously. Pitching when he wants to pitch them, giving guys days off, and clearly Brent Hedrick and Blackburn in particular. They've been able to do it pretty well down the stretch for Bednar. But Blackburn and Hedrick, who blew the game today, in particular, probably need some time off between now and Tuesday. I also don't know if you want to throw all of your bullpen arms at Tampa, because the goal is to win a championship. And if they're going to want to do that, it's going to have to go through Tampa. And while they're not unfamiliar with Blackburn and Hedrick, why show them those relievers? And I'll be honest with you, I bet you the Rays treat it the same way. Why the Rays, who don't need to win these games now, going to pitch their relievers? Like, I think these games are going to have zero juice to them. And both teams are going to be treating it as warmups to the postseason. So, don't be surprised if you don't see David Bednar with the lead in the ninth, or don't be surprised if you see guys who haven't pitched all year, like Clark Schmitt, pitch in high leverage situations. Don't be surprised if you see Garrett Cole come out of a game in the third inning. I mean, I don't know if that will definitely happen necessarily, but I'm just saying, don't be surprised at what you see, because these games are now meaningless. They're absolutely meaningless. I would not take any sort of real great pride out of beating Tampa Bay three or four or even sweeping. I mean, I guess sweeping, you'd leave the series with a hope if you win all three and they lose all three. But like, you know, even if they sweep, I mean, it's almost impossible to expect anything. So I mean, I guess it would have some juice, the fourth game of the series if the Yankees win the first three, I suppose. But again, there's no point of even discussing it. These games are pretty much going to be meaningless. And the Yankees are and should handle it as such. And Tampa Bay will handle it the same way. So it's a weird spot because what? And I said this when they played the Red Sox, three out of four, right? I said it when they played the Red Sox, three out of four, that I'm already jumping the bit. I'm already making the statement. This series against the Boston Red Sox will is and will be the most important series they play all year. And it turned out to be true because this series, it doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean a damn thing. The Yankees have lost the division. You tip your cap to the Rays. And like what Kam Schlittler had to say, you blame the Yankees for not being good enough to win this division. And they absolutely should have, even without Judge, even without Judge. This is now the definitive moment to say the division's over. And I mean, again, if they win the World Series, no one's going to care they didn't win the division. But right now, not good enough.