The Yankees are now only 4.5 games ahead of the Orioles after dropping 12 of the last 18. There has been some talk that the injuries are finally slowing the Yankees down, especially with A-Rod being out of the lineup. A-Rod’s stats are not the only ones that are stagnant right now, and because of the lack of offense this mid-summer slump could be deeper than it appears on the surface.
The Yankee M.O. of staging late game comebacks with ninth inning bats statistically has not changed much. According to the NY Post with A-Rod in the lineup the Yankees averaged 4.81 runs per game, while with him injured they are averaging 4.85. Pitching is also to blame as this seems like a team problem. Phil Hughes roller coaster season continues as he is on another low, failing to put batters away, or go deep into games, but CC and Kuroda are pitching well.
Curtis Granderson’s slump is a big part of the overall picture. Last night a ninth inning rally was abruptly ended and another Yankee loss was confirmed to the Tigers when Granderson popped out making him 2 for 20 with six strikeouts over the last week.
“I am just not putting the ball in play the way I want to”, Granderson told the NY Post. “I am still getting pitches to hit. It doesn’t make a difference if you are hitting first, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth, when you are not hitting you are not hitting. I am getting balls around the middle of the plate and not being able to do what I want to.”
The sky is not falling yet though. A 4.5 game lead is still substantial, and with CC and Kuroda starting the next two games things will turn around. Getting the slumps and losing streaks out of the way in August may just be a prelude to turning it on in October and making a run at another championship. If the Orioles end up in first place, then we can all start worrying!
