A look at the situation

Since the injuries to Johnson, Posada, Granderson and Aceves the Yankees seem hard pressed to get production from key spots on the team. Now some may say that Johnson was not hitting anyway and his presence would not have made a difference, but when we look at it from the perspective of baseball he was bound to turn his struggles around and become the hitter the team hoped for when he was signed. As for the loss of Granderson, there is a significant loss of continuity that has been sorely missed for the last two weeks with him out of the lineup, Gardner has been a breath of fresh air with his surprising hitting, but two is always better than one. The absence of regular players has played a part in a tumultuous week where the Yankees have not been able to get key hits when needed. Every hitter has it in their minds to try and do to much with runners in scoring position and abandoning the true objective, which is to just get a hit and keep the wheels turning. Without runs the pressure is put on the pitching staff to hold off the opponents for as long as they can until the team can manage to score, but that is way too much to put on a starting pitcher who is not likely to throw continuous shutout ball star after start, not to mention how much stress the bullpen is under if the starter does not do just that. The injuries are taking their effect and things may look bleak to fans who are fast to throw the Yankees under the bus, but no one should lose hope as things are bound to turn around for better, it is baseball after all.

For those who are wondering why Jeter is struggling, look no further than the positioning of his hands. in the past when Jeter's hands are up in his batting stance, he hits the ball with more sting and drive, but when his hands come down, he will hit everything weakly and have no ability to turn on anything on the inside part of the plate. I do not know if Kevin Long has noticed this or not but he should do so in a timely manner before this slump becomes far too prolonged.

Hughes

Tonight was another brilliant start for Phil Hughes as he moved to 5-0 on the young season. though some were skeptical of how he would perform, he has exceeded all expectations and looks more like he is the ace of the staff, not the 5th starter. Hughes has certainly held his own with tough American league lineups which feature some of the best hitters in all of baseball. Most impressively taking a first place Oakland Athletics team to the 8th inning, 6 outs away from a no hitter. His time in the bullpen in 2009 has paid great dividends in building his confidence on the mound and the trust he has in his pitches followed right along. With consistency like this, it is sure to make some wonder why the Yankees are still letting him pitch behind Vasquez but he has completely blown the Yankees away with how well he is doing that it probably caught the organization off guard. Young pitcher who actually do well in the majors now days are watched very closely in order to ensure that they do not get worn out or suffer setbacks to the same equivalence of Mark Prior in his rookie season with the Cubs. Though it would be best to let him alone, the Yankees are bound to still look after Phil Hughes intently so that nothing happens to debilitate his great start to the year. Perhaps it is true that Hughes is indeed the future ace of the pitching staff, with a 5-0 record and an ERA of 1.38 he looks willing to take that role on a lot sooner than later.