With seven of the eight postseason spots more or less clinched, our September storylines will be focused on how the contenders will look come October. Rotations will be aligned, the right amount of rest will be debated and lineups will be permutated in search of an optimal order.
The potential contributions of September callups will also provide plenty of fodder, especially after young Jesus Montero staged his coming-out party for the New York Yankees during Monday's 11-10 win over the Baltimore Orioles. After two big blasts at Yankee Stadium ? his first in the majors ? this Tuesday morning has the citizens of Yankees Universe wondering what that already-scary lineup could look like if Montero's power keeps blooming in the DH spot during the team's push for another World Series title.
Here's what some of them are writing:
Bill Madden, NY Daily News: "About all you can say now about�Jorge Posada is 'Goodbye Mr. Chips ...�The ironic part of the kid's day was that, after he hit his first home run in the big leagues, a solo shot into the right-center field seats just in front of the bleachers that broke the 8-8 tie in the fifth inning, it was none other than Posada, whose part-time DH job Montero is in the process of taking, leading the urgings for him to come out of the dugout for the first of his two curtain calls."
Matt Imbrogno, The Yankee Analysts: "We've all heard tales of Jesus Montero's ridiculous opposite field power and that's what was on display yesterday with those two home runs ... �Before Montero even had a chance to struggle and make us doubt him and his abilities, he showed us exactly what we wanted to see. There are going to be times when Montero struggles in the next few days, weeks, or months but no matter what happens then, we'll always look back to yesterday's game and remember 'He�can do it, so it's likely that he�will do it in the future.'"
IronHorse, Yanksfan vs. Soxfan: "Little can be judged from two at-bats in isolation and the odds are probably just as good that�Montero goes 0 for his next 10 as they are that he continues yesterday's display of power, but suffice it to say that as someone who has watched all but a handful of Yankee games each of the past several seasons, I don't believe I have seen in recent years anyone on this team other than A-Rod hit to the opposite field with that much power."
Mark Viera, NY Times: "Complicating all the projections about Montero, of course, is that he does not have a clear-cut position to play, with many in baseball somewhat skeptical of his abilities as a catcher. For the moment, he is a designated hitter, and on Monday that was certainly good enough to get everyone's attention."
Lisa Swan, Subway Squawkers: "When Montero hit his first home run, I expected something maybe show-tunes related from Sterling. Something memorable. Instead, we got 'Jesus is loose.' What? He had all weekend to come up with something catchy, and we got a cheesy knockoff from 'The Goose Is Loose?' ...�Back to the drawing board, John!"
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