Gardner Swinging A Mean Bat Again

(Courtesy of the AP)

Maybe that extra rest Joe has been giving Brett Gardner, when he's been perfectly healthy and when he maybe hasn't, is starting to pay off.  After being below average for the better part of the last 2 months, Gardner has turned it back on in the last week plus.  He's 12-38 in his last 10 games (.316 BA) with 7 XBH, 8 R, 4 BB, and 4 RBI.  7 of those 12 hits have gone for extra bases (6 2B, 1 3B) and Gardner has 2 hits in 4 of his last 5 games, so the pop is definitely back in his bat.  Throw in 1 HBP and that's 17 times on base for Brett in 10 games.  That's good leadoff hitting.

The Yankees' turnaround in late August was due primarily to the return of the power to the middle of their lineup.  With Cano hitting like he was and Alfonso Soriano leading the AL in home runs, it was easy to overlook Gardner's offensive inconsistency at the top.  Whether he was or still is hurt or not, Joe recognized that something was amiss with Gardner, got him a few extra days off, and it appears to have done the trick.  With Gardner raking again in the leadoff spot, some of the pressure comes off the middle of the lineup to keep up their pace, which has slowed in the last week, and the team becomes more dynamic and flexible offensively.