MMMBop! Hanson stifles Yankee batters

Can't anyone here play this game? Or at least play it with some energy? When Chien-Ming Wang's pitching is perhaps the only highlight of yesterday's loss, that's a bad game. And when the Yankees struggle - again - against another rookie pitcher, it's depressing. And that wasn't even the worst part of the game.

No, the moment that infuriated me the most was what happened after Jorge Posada struck out for the fourth time. The ball got away from Atlanta catcher Brian McCann, but Posada didn't even walk, let alone run, towards first. Unacceptable. If a rookie did what Posada did, there would be a whole to-do over his lack of hustle. But Posada does it, and it's okay? Unreal.

Joe Girardi said after the game he was pleased with the Yankees' effort. Are you kidding me? This team has been batting like they all want to get the game over with for a hot date with Kate Hudson, and Joe's praising the effort? Good grief. My cat C.C. is more motivated, and she sleeps 20 hours a day!

At least Tommy Hanson is a highly touted player (he's even on Squawker Jon's fantasy team) and not a no-name. But still. The Yankees went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position last night. Between A-Rod striking out or feebly popping up, and either Derek Jeter or Robinson Cano seeming to hit into a double play at least once a game, their hitting is terrible.

As Squawker Jon noted, A-Rod's slugging stats are similar to Gary Sheffield's this year, with Sheff's batting average 60 points higher. The numbers, going into Tuesday's game:

Sheffield : 156 AB, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 33 R, .276 BA, .389 OBP, .487 SLG
Rodriguez: 136 AB, 9 HR, 28 RBI, 18 R, .213 BA, .371 OBP, .456 SLG

So the Mets, paying the major league minimum, are getting A-Rod-like production that costs the Yankees $26 million more. Oh great.

Fellow blogger J-Boogie of Baseball and the Boogie Down suggested that it's time for the Yankees to fire hitting coach Kevin Long. It's an interesting thought. And it's amazing to me that we're talking about whether Joe Girardi will lose his job, yet Long's job doesn't appear to be in jeopardy. Perhaps it should be.

I don't know if it's the advance scouting or Long or a combination of both, but the Yankees' approach against pitchers they don't know is terrible. How is it that other teams - like the Red Sox - are able to figure out these pitchers, and the Yankees aren't?

Check out this stat from the New York Times' Tyler Kepner:

In their last nine games, the Yankees faced eight starters they had never faced before. Those pitchers have a combined earned run average of 2.54, and only one allowed more than three earned runs against the Yankees.

The Bergen Record's Pete Caldera has even more depressing numbers. On June 9, the Yanks were in first place, and had won 19 of 25:

Since then, they've been swept (again) by the Sox. They've been shut out three times. They've lost 9 of 13, lost six games in the standings, and they've lost six games since June 13 to starters they'd never previously seen.

Time for the Yankees to start hitting - or for somebody's head to roll.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Cleanup debate: Gary Sheffield vs. A-Rod

Not long ago, I was criticizing Jerry Manuel for batting Gary Sheffield cleanup. But that was in the days before Fernando Tatis batted cleanup.

Now the Mets desperately need Sheffield to be able to play the field and return to the cleanup spot.

Believe it or not, with Sheffield batting fourth, the Mets and Yankees will have cleanup hitters with comparable stats:

Sheffield : 156 AB, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 33 R, .276 BA, .389 OBP, .487 SLG
Rodriguez: 136 AB, 9 HR, 28 RBI, 18 R, .213 BA, .371 OBP, .456 SLG

(number going into tonight's games)

A-Rod has more homers and RBI in fewer at bats, but Sheffield is doing better overall.

Sheffield's numbers won't mean anything if he can't play the field. It's hard to believe that the Mets' injury situation could get worse. But in this case, if you sign a 40-year-old DH, you have to be prepared for him to have trouble playing the field.

Before too long, A-Rod will likely snap out of his slump. Still, at least as of today, the Mets are paying Sheffield the major league minimum to get similar production to that of the highest-paid player in history.

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In the offseason, J.J. Putz was pleased to be traded from the Mariners, who lost 101 games last year, to the contending Mets.

After tonight's loss, the Mets are 35-34. Going into tonight's game, the Mariners are 35-34.

Fatigue, weakness and the Mets

Tonight was already a bad night before John Maine joined the crowd on the DL with fatigue and weakness in his shoulder. Maybe I should go on the DL - I'm getting fatigue and weakness from watching the Mets continuing to blow leads to the Phillies and fall in extra innings.

Tonight's loss wasn't quite as bad as Wednesday's. You couldn't expect any more out of Tim Redding than what the Mets got - seven good innings with three runs allowed. And I liked Jerry Manuel's handling of the bullpen much better tonight.

Yesterday, I criticized Manuel for bringing in Bobby Parnell to face the lefty heart of the Phillies order. Tonight, Parnell faced the righties, while lefty Ken Takahashi came in to face Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez. Though a lefty, Takahashi actually had bad numbers against lefty hitters. But he was a better choice to face them than Parnell, who had given up one homer and almost more the night before.

All right, so it turned out that Takahashi was not a better choice than Parnell. But at least the move made sense at the time. In hindsight, what should Manuel have done? Brian Stokes? .344 BA vs. lefties. Manuel did not want to use K-Rod in a tie game, though maybe he should have.

The real problem is that the Phillies have a great middle of the lineup - and the Mets do not.

With all the injuries and slumping players, there is nothing Manuel can do to salvage the lineup. But at least take Gary Sheffield out of the cleanup spot. Sheffield is two for his last 25, while number 5 hitter David Wright leads the NL in batting. Put Wright behind Carlos Beltran so at least the Mets have part of a strong lineup.

Sheffield batting fourth is made by the late-inning defensive switches. In both of the last two games, Sheffield came out for Jeremy Reed in a double switch, leaving the relief pitcher batting cleanup. In the late innings, having Wright hit behind Beltran is a lot better than having to pinch-hit whatever is left on the Mets' bench.

The Mets are criticized for not being tough enough, but if nothing else, the latest injury will give them a chance to show how tough they are. Suddenly, having Livan Hernandez and Tim Redding in the rotation does not seem so bad. It is not likely to last, but it could at least until Maine and/or Oliver Perez get back.

Speaking of Perez, my friend Roger and I wondered if he would be the secret replacement in the rotation for Maine. After all, it is not clear how badly Perez is hurt, or even if he is hurt. Perez has pitched well against the Yankees in the past, and might not do any worse than whatever sacrificial lamb is sent out to the Yankee bandbox mound.

Then again, the same reasoning was used for Perez' last start in Philly.

*

The Subway Series is here, and my main reaction is to pray for rain, so at least one game will be played when the Mets have more healthy players. At least Johan Santana is pitching one of the games, so I'll say the Yankees take two out of three. Then again, Santana gave up four homers in his last start at Citi Field, which does not bode well for his debut in the Bandbox that Trost built.

Squawker Lisa, the Mets may have lost the series to the Phillies, but they have beaten Philly four times this year and still lead the season series, 4-3. Slightly better than the Yankees vs. Boston. And Jonathan Papelbon still has only one blown save all year, courtesy of the Mets.