What would you do to fix this pathetic offense right now?
Sit back and wait (the Joe Girardi approach)?
Shakeup the lineup?
Fire Kevin Long?
Have the team stop taking batting practice for a few days?
Have a Native American shaman bless their bats?
For now, let's look the numbers:
From Opening day through June 8th the Yankees were 34-23, a game ahead of the Red Sox for first in the division and as a team hit .277/.356/.482 with 92 HR - 1.61 homers per game. In the 13 games since they're 4-9, fallen to five games out in the division and have hit a measly .240/.326/.394 and have hit just 13 homers - one per game.
Besides the lack of overall hitting and power they've all become invisible in clutch situations. Prior to the Boston debacle they hit .266 with RISP. Since then they've hit just .238, take out the 15-0 beating of the Mets and it drops to an even more pathetic .194 (Thanks to Pete Abe for the numbers with RISP.).
As I pointed out in yesterday's Yanks-Braves series preview the main culprits have been Jorge Jorge Posada, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Nick Swisher, and Alex Rodriguez. You could also add Mark Teixeira to that list, he's also be under performing since the trip to Fenway. Here's
Melky: .225/.319/.375
Damon: .186/.271/.372
Swisher: .167/.286/.262
A-Rod: .103/.255/.231
Posada: .194/.293/.306
Teixeira: .265/.368/.469, but since his 4-hit day on June 10th he's hitting .214/.313/.333
Derek Jeter is hitting over .300 during this stretch but he's also hit into four double plays and has come up short in a few very big spots lately, so you can throw some blame his way too.
You can't bench everyone, and to be honest I'm not sure what they should do. I'd probably shake up the lineup a bit, move A-Rod down, make sure you get Brett Gardner in the lineup, and I know some people don't want to hear it, but I'd start Cervelli a little more often. At this point he's even better than Posada offensively. Besides that like I said, I'm not sure, but that's why I asked you. So, what would you do if you were Joe Girardi?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
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22 Comments:
quit
Who should quit? The fans or Girardi?
Michael Kay is goin off on them right now, he said at this point the Yankees should pull their line up out of their hat.
if i was girardi, i would sit by the old yankee stadium, and wait for the wrecking ball to hit em'. but............ this all doesn't fall on girardi's lap though. i mean where's the management? who's in control of this team? where's the boss when u need em?
I'm more worried about the pitching than the offense. The offense has been slumping these last few series but the pitching is the problem.
theres really not much he can do.. he has to get Gardner in there, Swisher is not good enough to be a starter, and he is bad in the OF. Damon, Matsui and Posada are all DH's, which puts Girardi in a tough spot. As bad as Damon is in LF, we have to keep playing him there so Posada and Matsui can DH.. Put Cervelli in at catcher for at least 40% of the games, maybe more.. after this year we really have to let Matsui and Damon go, Damon is still a great offensive player but we need the DH spot for Posada or whoever needs a half a day off.
most importantly We need Arod to be Arod, if he continues to stink up the joint, were done.
The pitching has been fine. As a staff they have a 3.89 ERA since June 9th, which is pretty damn good. And for the month of June it's 3.88. Even in May it was pretty good when they posted a 4.28 ERA.
It's the offense, and hitting with RISP, that's why they're losing. The mistakes on defense haven't helped either.
I would switch A-Rod and Teixeira. Even though Tex hasn't been killing the ball lately I feel like people are more fearful of pitching to him right now. That would give A-Rod some better pitches to hit and he wouldn't be walking as much. I'm thinking it could have the same affect on A0rod that is had on Tex when Alex cameback.
Good idea, Scotty. I think that could definitely help A-Rod.
I disagree with switching ARod and Tex. ARod just isn't hitting, not even the good pitches. He is missing fat pitches constantly.
I think ARod needs to be dropped in the order. You can't worry about his feelings.
You simply can't have a batter who isn't hitting at the top of the order.
Here's tonight's lineup:
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Cabrera RF
Gardner CF
Cervelli C
Chamberlain RHP
I'll post the game thread soon. By the way, Veras was traded to Cleveland for cash considerations.
Just turned on Kay and he was saying the same thing I said. Not that Kay is the definitive answer on the subject. Nor is there a definitive answer. We simply need ARod to hit.
I am just seriously worried that there is something wrong with ARod. The hip is definitely bothering him. If you go back and watch the game where Castillo drops the ball, the Yanks all jump on ARod and he grabs at his hip a bit.
Lets face it, the guy came back early from a big injury and though he started out ok, his swing has looked very slow of late. He may need a stint on the 15 day DL.
i was the first post...
and by quit i meant girardi should.
trade a-rod to the dodgers for donny baseball
Another thing about A-Rod is this could be his first year off the roids. We truly don't know. The only thing we can assume at this point is that he's not stupid enough to still be using now.
His bat looks very slow.
fire long he friggin BLOWS
I honestly believe that if the hitting woes continue into the All-Star break, Kevin Long should be fired. That would be the best way to shake things up and send a message.
Greg, I noticed you sort of gave Jeter a pass in this post. Is it just me or has he completely lost his patience at the plate? I know he's still over .300, but it seems to me like he is swinging on every garbage pitch that comes his way. He's also probably the worst double play threat in the lineup right now.
I don't have the numbers in front of me, but as far as I can tell, Derek is the one stranding the most runners and killing rallies.
A-Rod could well be suffering from cold turkey after coming off the roids. If his hip hasn't fully healed, he shouldn't be playing. Right now, we would be better off with Pena or Ransom playing than him. Two or three of the pitches he missed off Tommy Hanson last night would have disappeared out of the stadium if he had been right. How long can you carry a No. 4 hitter who neither gets on base nor drives in any runs?
whatever they do, dont fire kevin long. its not the mechanics of their hitting, its a mental problem. look at the yankees right now. they're swinging very early in the count. they're desperate for a hit. and when they fall behind they dont believe they can come back. here is the lineup that i would recommend:
Gardner, CF
Jeter, SS
Texiera, 1B
A-Rod, 3B
Cano, 2B
Cabrera,LF
Matsui, DH
Posada, C
Swisher, RF
this is what is should be
1 jeter
2 gardner
3 tex
4 cano
5 posada
6 arod
7 swisher
8 damon
9 cabrera
but i say they should trade for matt holliday because even if arod picks up, hes not going to b the same arod as 07 or 08
Colin, he's been one of the few who do get hits. The only problem is he's also banged into four dps and hasn't come through with a hit in a few big spots recently. So you're right, he probably should have been included.
Don't forget that Jeter's ankle is still screwed up. Did you see him trying to slow down coming into third the other night. He actually hopped in on one foot.
Jeter (and Tex) are the least of our problems.
Without ARod hitting well, Tex is suffering too because he has no protection.
First of all, move A-Rod in the lineup. He's killing the heart of the order. Tex is getting nothing to hit, and then A-Rod is making it easy for the opposing pitcher to get out of situations.
Next, give Posada a few days off. He's awful right now, both hitting and calling games.
And finally, get the hell rid of Kevin Long. This guy is terrible. His supposed claim to fame was how much A-Rod liked him and how good he was for Alex. Well, now he's not even doing anything for Alex. Heck, even Cano, in my opinion, isn't maintaining the level of performance he's capable of.
That's not even to mention how awful the Yankees are as situational hitters, on top of seeming to never be able to adjust to the way a pitcher is getting them out. A pitcher will get them out the same way for 5 or 6 innings sometimes, often 3 or 4 times through the order and they'll make NO adjustments whatsoever. That's also a big part of being a hitting coach. Observing how your hitters are being gotten out, and help them make adjustments.
Jeter, for example, has been getting pitched in on the hands a LOT. You need to get to Jeter, and work with him on either backing off the plate or getting him to understand he's got to lay off those inside pitches (many of which are off the plate) and be patient for something out over the plate. Jeter has seemed to ground out or ground into DPs a lot lately on the first or second pitch of an at bat.
But anyway, Long is just not cutting it as a guy who's working with these players DURING a game. He might be a decent "mechanics" guy, but there's so much more to hitting than having proper mechanics. Analysis of the opposing pitcher, understanding the situational approach to the game, and adjusting mid-game and sometimes mid-at-bat. Long doesn't appear to me to have any clue whatsoever about doing those very critical things.
And while we're at it, Girardi can go to. Seriously, I could manage this team better than he can. I really didn't think he would be like this... at all.
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