Monday Morning Food For Thought: Solarte Really Slowing Down

I knew this was going to happen eventually.  We all did.  I was hoping it wouldn't happen right after I suggested he be moved up into the 2-spot, but a month later that seems to be the case.  Yangervis Solarte is coming back to reality as a hitter.  After coming back from his late-May slump with 9 hits in his next 6 games, he has really fallen off in June and created another hole in the batting order.

Solarte went 0-3 with a walk and  R scored last night.  The run was his first in a week, but the 0-fer made him 0-18 in his last 5 games.  That dropped him down to a .178/.260/.244 slash line in June and a .274/.347/.420 line for the season.  Solarte has been trending downward every month since Opening Day, from .an 865 OPS in April to an .809 in May.  The acceleration of that downtrend so far this month has been a dramatic one though, and it's creating more lineup and roster juggling confusion for Joe.  He already doesn't know what he's going to get or who he's going to be without day to day in his infield.  Now he can't even rely on the one constant he's had for the first 2 months.

So what's the diagnosis now?  Is this just another rough patch for Solarte or is this the sign of natural statistical regression to the mean settling in and his true Major League talent level coming to surface?

Joe, Your Right-Handed Hitters. Woof!

Wild stuff from Joel Sherman this morning on just how inept the Yankee offense has been from the right side of the plate:

"The Yankees have played 29 games since then [May 22nd], and in that time their righties are hitting .185 with a .241 on-base percentage and a .224 slugging percentage. That is a period of 406 at-bats and zero homers."

It's actually 1 HR, from Mark Teixeira on June 4th, but you get the idea.  A .185/.241/.224 batting line in 400+ ABs is hilariously terrible.  It's beyond pathetic.  It's almost...

Talking about how bad the offensive output has been is starting to enter dead horse territory at this point, but it's one that will continue to be beaten as long as they continue to hit this poorly.  Let this serve as another reminder of how much this team needs A-Rod back.  If you still think they don't, you're only fooling yourself.

Who's Going For A New Contract Here?

Brett Gardner's Last 10 Games: 14-34, 5 2B, 1 HR, 5 R, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K

Robinson Cano's Last 10 Games: 4-33, 1 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 8 K

Real tough go for Robbie right now.  He's swinging a lot, missing a lot, and his batting average has fallen below Chris Stewart's.  No matter how much weight, if any, you put into batting average, that's not a good comparison.  At least he's matched Gardner in SB over the last 10 games (1 to 1).

Good work, Brett.  Keep it up.  The middle of the order will show up to help you eventually.  Maybe.

(Nice dome too, bro.  Courtesy of the AP)

Recent Offensive Struggles Shine A Light On The Need For Injured Bats

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It was bound to happen with the way the Yankees have played and the positive contributions the new guys have made this season, but it doesn't make the notion any less silly.  With Curtis Granderson having already returned (and get hurt again) and Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis possibly set to do the same soon, the idea among fans that the team would be "better off without those high-priced guys" has grown.  It's sure to grow even more when A-Rod gets ready to come back, as it always seems to do when he's coming off the DL.  This is obviously incredibly flawed logic, something the MSM likes to throw out there to stir up fake controversy and sell papers.  Almost as if in anticipation of that issue, the team's production recently has shown exactly why the Yankees are still very much in need of their injured stars' services.

Some Sunday Food For Thought: All Or Nothing

- Robinson Cano in the last 6 games: 12-23, 3 XBH, 3 R, 4 RBI

- Swish in his last 6: 7-22, 3 XBH, 5 R, 7 RBI

- A-Rod in his last 6: 2-19, 1 R, 0 RBI, 4 K

- Granderson in his last 6: 3-23, 3 XBH, 4 RBI, 7 RBI

This is why Mark Teixeira, who has played just 2 instructional league games and is almost assuredly not at 100% despite Joe saying he's done everything they wanted him to do, is being rushed back on Monday.  The middle of the order has been literally all or nothing, and A-Rod and C-Grand are leading the RISP Fail and LOB charge.  The Yankees can't score runs against shitty pitching and can't win games against shitty teams when they need to the most.  They have no choice, Teix has no choice.  I can't believe it's come to this.

No Time To Panic, Or The Perfect Time?

I don't think I'd rank it up there with Pulp Fiction or A Clockwork Orange on my list of all-time favorite movies, but gun to my head, I don't think there's any way I could come up with a top 10 and leave out Toy Story.  That movie is flat out awesome, and if you don't agree then you have less of a soul than even I.  Arguably the best scene in that movie is the scene shown above in which Woody and Buzz Lightyear, alone and exposed in the outside world for the first time, argue about how best to handle the situation.  Bizarre as it may seem, that scene lends itself well to explaining the predicament in which the Yankees currently find themselves, and whether or not it's time to panic.

In Case You Haven't Had Enough Slump Coverage...

There's these 2 shit-flavored tidbits to hold you over:

- The Yankees' team .332 OBP is their lowest since 1992

This point was talked about multiple times by the ESPN broadcast crew last night, and I think it's very telling to what's gone wrong with this offense lately and all season.  There aren't a lot of grinders in this lineup anymore; there aren't guys who work counts, foul balls off, take walks.  There's a lot of hackers and a lot more swings and misses.  Probably explains why the Yanks have hit so many home runs but likely won't finish with a single 100-RBI guy.

- The Yankees have had 6 hits or fewer in 5 straight games for the first time since 1990

I don't care who you are, what side of the plate you hit from, and how much good or bad BABIP luck you have, that's fucking awful.  Awful.  Mike Axisa pointed this out in his game recap on RAB this morning and I can't think him enough for contributing to my early morning depression.

To Slump Or Not To Slump...

(One of the few guys holding up his end with the stick lately.  Courtesy of The AP)

That is the question right now.  The offense has been maddeningly inconsistent of late, with the last 2 weeks of play being littered with too many men left on base, too many failures to capitalize with RISP, all-or-nothing production from the middle of the order, and a percentage of runs coming on HR that will only fuel the MSM talk about the Yankees "relying too much" on the longball.  In the past 2 weeks, the Yankees have gone 7-6, starting with an inspiring 3-1 series against the Rangers and ending with a 2-4 dud of a road trip to Chicago and Cleveland.  The pitching hasn't been all that steady either, but received a much needed shot in the arm with CC's return on Friday night.  I know the offense is dealing with its injury problems as well, but it just seems like these guys can't get on the same page and can't decide if they want to break out or slump.  It's frustrating.