After a tough 12-4 loss on Sunday, the Yankees finished of a 4-3 week that featured both very good and very bad baseball. With the division still hotly contested and an important west coast swing upon them, the team must look to gain ground and get themselves in good position by the All Star break.
The Good - Brian McCann had a stellar week going 10-26 (.385) and spraying the baseball all over the park. Since May 25 McCann is hitting a blistering 25 for 71 (.352) which is the best for on the club over that span. Combine that with his over .350 average with runners in scoring position and it is safe to say, all systems are go for 31 year old catcher.
- Beltran also out together a strong week, hitting .333 and slugging 3 homers (two in one game). Over the past month his once putrid batting average has started to creep back up into respectability, earning him more at bats and playing time he was not seeing for most of early season. It's a nice turnaround for a bedeviled aging outfielder whom many thought was no longer viable in any way, shape, or form.
- Alex Rodriguez reached the coveted and exclusive 3000 hit club with a first pitch homer off of Justin Verlander. Not only did he become just the 29th member of the club, he also is one of only 3 players to hit a home-run to get there (the last being Jeter in 2011). Although the surrounding controversy around this achievement will forever be linked to Rodriguez and will most likely keep him from the Hall of Fame, you can;t help but be amazed at what he has done this year.
The Bad - It's been a hard luck year to be a Yankee outfielder as Mason Williams became the latest victim to go on the disabled list. His injury is not quite as sever as the others, but the revolving door will continue to move as Ramon Flores will assume the duty once more.
Nathan Eovaldi put up the shortest outing for any Yankee starter this season, lasting just 2/3 of an inning against his former club the Marlins. He surrendered 8 runs on 9 hits and looked helpless as to what to do on the mound. To top it off the opposing and winning pitcher in the drumming was David Phelps, the man whom the Yankees traded to acquire the hard throwing righthander, which could not hare sat well with Girardi or Bran Cashman. However Nathan did make up for it Saturday night with a much stronger showing against Detroit.
- Perhaps the Biggest surprise of the week was the poor showing from Masahiro Tanaka in the series finale Sunday afternoon. The Yankee ace lasted 5 innings giving up 10 hits and 7 runs (5 earned). His unfamiliar lack of plate command and pitch conviction was surely a shock for both the fans and the team alike. These kinds of games are bound to happen to best of pitcher in any season so hopefully this is just one of those anomalies. Anything similar to this in his next start could be a cause for alarm.
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