PHILADELPHIA – The Yankees return to AL baseball for the remainder of the regular season beginning with today’s double-header in Detroit. Maybe using the DH will upgrade their attack, because the first six games of the second half – their final six inter-league games of 2001 – worsened the concerns about their offense.
A 12th-inning onslaught, highlighted by Tino Martinez’ RBI single and Jorge Posada’s two-run homer, enabled the Yankees to beat the Phillies 4-1, but could not camouflage the continuing struggles of their lineup.
“We’re in a slump, no question,” Joe Torre said.
That the Yankees have not allowed the lineup letdown to overwhelm them is a credit to their grit. They have won three times in the second half, all in extra innings, which bodes well for their championship moxie still being strong. A bullpen that fashioned seven scoreless innings as the Yankees won in 13 innings Monday followed with five innings of zeroes yesterday.
Yet the pluck and the pen were nearly wasted because of an offense that has lacked punch, patience and panache. The Yanks have batted just .246 in six second-half games with 22 runs, seven of those in extra innings. The Yankees have collected just 10 extra-base hits since the break. That they needed a 13th-inning, bases-loaded balk to generate a tie-breaking run Monday exemplified their current plight.
Posada has two of what are only three second-half homers by the Yanks and, despite his passed-ball jag, is the only lineup member swinging well. Torre often says the Yankee offense follows the table-setting of Chuck Knoblauch and Jeter, and the production of Bernie Williams. Right now, that trio is mostly lifeless, which has pretty much been a season-long affliction with Knoblauch, who went 1-for-5 with a walk yesterday.
How much longer can the Yanks’ tolerate their leadoff hitter failing to provide any kind of ignition to the offense? They contemplated dealing Knoblauch to Seattle before the All-Star break and didn’t – in large part – because they worried he could come back to haunt them in the postseason. But Knoblauch is haunting them on a near-daily basis with too many strikeouts, too few walks and hits, and not enough energy from the top of the lineup.
David Justice is due back from the DL around Aug. 1 and – even if Knoblauch stays – he very well could be the odd-man out with Justice, Paul O’Neill and Shane Spencer getting the majority of corner outfield/DH at-bats. And, of course, the Yanks could still add a bat from elsewhere before the July 31 trade deadline. But as the A’s continue to spurt back into the wild-card race, the likelihood Jason Giambi will become available diminishes, and the Yankees are not overwhelmed by any other available player.
So it will probably be up to the current group to find big hits. It will be up to Jeter to play up to his MVP-like standards and not the inconsistent performer of 2001. Martinez will have to shorten the valleys and extend the peaks of his up-and-down campaign. Knoblauch needs to become a pesky player again or his career – not just his Yankee career – is at risk. O’Neill and Scott Brosius must make what will probably be their last months as Yankees memorable.
Yankee pitchers held Philadelphia to an astonishing three hits in 42 at-bats with men on base over the last two games, including 0-for-21 with runners in scoring position. Nevertheless, lack of clutch hitting also continued to pester the Yankees.
“It’s going to put a lot of stress on our bullpen if we wait until the 12th or 13th inning to score,” Torre said.
There already are ramifications. The Yankees played 25 innings between Monday and last night, then had to fly to Detroit to prepare for a minimum of 18 innings of day-night baseball today. At least the tired bodies were buoyed by the two wins. But with Adrian Hernandez and Ted Lilly the scheduled starters today and a depleted bullpen, the Yankees need their offense to become a factor again. They need Knoblauch and Jeter to stoke the engine, Williams to reawaken and a few members of the supporting cast to deliver impact.
Up to this point, the Yanks have played without AL rules in the second half, yet still have had too many DHs – Dead Hitters.