Teix Staying Steady And Solid In The Middle Of The Order

Did you know that Mark Teixeira has a 10-game hitting streak?  I had no idea.  I thought he had been pretty consistent since coming back from his wrist stiffness, but I didn't think it had been 10-game hitting streak consistent.  After being the only offensive presence in yesterday's loss with a solo HR, his 12th of the year, Teix is now 11-37 in his last 10 with at least 1 hit in every game.  The power has been there (2 2B, 2 HR), the patience has been there (5 BB), and the production has been there (6 R, 8 RBI).

For the season, Teix is hitting .250/.365/.473 with a 13.7% BB rate, good for a team-leading .368 wOBA.  For all the games he's missed with a variety of ailments, and for all the uncertainty that comes with his health day-to-day and week-to-week, there's no denying that Teix has been rock solid and unexpectedly consistent in the games he has played.  While new guys like Beltran and McCann go days without a hit and then have 1 big game to carry the team, Teix has been the constant, the steadying force in the middle of the lineup.  Getting on base, driving in runs, providing the consistent power presence this team needs.  It's been the most underrated and undercovered story of the 2014 Yankee campaign.

Inside Ellsbury's Hitting Streak

Jacoby Ellsbury went 1-4 last night, the 1 hit being the eventual game-winning one, and in the process extended his current hitting streak to 14 games.  To my knowledge, that's the longest hitting streak of the season for the Yankees and it's been a very reassuring stretch for Ellsbury after a lackluster month of May.  He's racked up 21 hits in 56 at-bats over the last 14 games (.375 BA), boosting his slash line back up to .286/.351/.406 from the season-low level of .258/.330/.379 before the start of the streak.  After looking like he had something wrong with his swing for all of last month, Ellsbury now looks like he's back to where he was at the start of the year and back to being the player the Yanks hoped they were getting.

Pretty Sure I Sneaky Woke Up Brian Roberts

One week ago today:

"It's hard to argue with the decision to play Solarte ... but why Roberts? He's hitting .200/.250/.267 against left-handed pitching, as a right-handed hitter, and only .222/.321/.292 overall. He isn't hitting from either side of the plate against pitchers throwing with either hand and he's proven to be below-average at second by most statistical defensive measures (obligatory SSS disclaimer). What has he done to earn more regular playing time against left-handed pitching or in general over Johnson?"

Since that post:

5 games played, 7-20, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB, season batting line up to .250/.327/.337

So yeah, the only explanation for this turnaround is that Brian Roberts is a regular AB4AR reader, saw my post about him and Kelly Johnson, saw me chirping him for playing like crap, and decided it was time to start playing.  What other possibility could there be?  No need to thank me, it's all part of the job.  I'm just glad I could do my part and glad that the AB4AR jinx worked in reverse for a change.

Keep Doing The Damn Thing, Boys

With all the negative storylines that have dominated the Yankee talk this year, it would be easy to think they were having a down season.  They traded away their best prospect and lost the pitcher for whom they traded him for the season due to injury.  They've had major injuries to their most important relief pitchers and their best starters.  They've gotten inconsistent performances and declining production from key spots in the middle of their lineup.  And they are too one-dimensional without their speedy starting left fielder and rely too much on the home run to score runs and win games.

And yet despite all of that negativity, the Yankees find themselves 23 games over .500 with an MLB-best 57-34 record.  They've won 5 of 6 since the All Star break, 10 of 14 since the start of July, 26 of 35 since the start of interleague play, and 34 of 47 since their last West Coast trip.  They've got a +80 run differential, which is 2nd best in baseball by 1 run, they lead everybody in team wOBA (.348) and wRC+ (115), and are top 3 in the AL in team ERA (3.72) and FIP (3.88).  They've built a 10-game division lead in what is widely considered to be the best division in Major League Baseball, and have already started shoveling dirt on their competition for the division title.

Despite all the negative press from the MSM and occasional nitpicking from the blogosphere, it turns out that the Yankees are actually a pretty damn good baseball team.  They're also in the middle of a stretch where they're playing damn good team baseball.  They're hitting for average and power, getting good work from their pitching staff, and playing solid defense.  Everybody on the 25-man roster is getting a chance to contribute and it seems like everybody is contributing something when their name is penciled into the lineup card or their number is called from the bullpen.  It's good times in Yankeeland right now.