Yankee Bats Coming Alive, Or Are They?
After last nights 6-2 victory over the Red Sox the feeling in New York and elsewhere is that Yankee bats, specifically Cano, Abreu, and Damon, are coming alive.
Just as notable as the fact that the Yankees are scoring again are the specifics of who is helping them score: everybody. This is not a duet of Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada, as it sometimes was earlier this month. Alex Rodriguez is back to his April escapades, and the once-struggling Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, Robinson Cano and Johnny Damon have all picked up their performance.
What everyone seems to be ignoring is that their 6 hit, 9 run barrage came against Tim Wakefield.
The knuckle ball is a peculiar pitch. When dipping and diving it’s almost impossible to hit, no matter how well you’re hitting. When it flattens out, which is what it did last night, anyone can hit it. With success against a knuckle ball pitcher depending more on the quality of the pitch than the skill of the hitter improvement can be an illusion.
The Yankees were given 8 walks to go along with their 9 hits. It’s also interesting to note that all 9 Yankee hits were against Tim Wakefield. During innings 6, 7, and 8 against 3 boston relievers Yankee hitters were hitless.
Which is not to say Yankee bats aren’t coming around. They have too much talent to be kept down. But taking 2 games as evidence of improvement when one was against flat pitches at 70 miles per hour might be jumping the gun. It’ll be interesting to see Cano, Abreu, and Damon face quality pitching, and no, tonight’s contest against Boston’s 5th starter isn’t that game.
(Post game edit: Against Boston’s number 5 starter, despite receiving 8 walks, New York scored 2 runs, one by a wild pitch, and managed only 4 hits. Cano, Abreu, and Damon went 1 for 11.)
