Between them, they stranded seven runners Friday night and, along with some help from their friends, went 0-for-3 with the bases loaded, most notably in the ninth inning, when the game was ripe to be taken back from the Mets bullpen.

For some reason, they couldn't even hit a great closer. It's like one of those mysteries.

In the postgame, Matthews asked Girardi why Jeter was swinging at the first pitch so often. Girardi said that since 1996, Jeter has done very well when swinging at the first pitch:

.384/.398/.571/.969

Slumps happen.

I think that number only counts when he puts the first pitch in play. To be fair, you need to add in everything that happens after he swings and misses at the first pitch.

I think that number only counts when he puts the first pitch in play. To be fair, you need to add in everything that happens after he swings and misses at the first pitch.

Right. League average in 2010 on the first pitch is 345/351/557 (908). Jeter is better than average, but not better than average by a lot. Given that over his career, Jeter's been better than average, it doesn't look like Jeter has any particular skill to hit well on the first pitch. Though it also doesn't look like he's particularly poor at it, relative to league.

So, really, Rich's point pretty much stands. Jeter swings at the first pitch plenty and there's no reason to think that's a problem.

Slumps happen, and overall the team OPS+ is only down from 122 to 118. But that number's being propped up mainly by big improvements by Cano (129-176) and Swisher (129-142). Centerfield (Melky 99 / Granderson 103) and leftfield (Damon 126 / Gardner 123) are a wash, and the DH probably is, too, though that's harder to calculate with so many of them to compare.

OTOH look at these drops from 2009 to 2010:

A-Rod 147 - 125

Jeter 132 - 105

Catcher (Posada - Cervelli) 133 - 102

and the Big Loogy, Teixeira, 149 - 101. I don't know what's wrong with him, but most of the time he looks absolutely helpless against any sort of an off-speed or breaking ball. It might help if he'd stop trying to pull every pitch, but OTOH up through last year that approach has always worked for him. But Granderson looks even worse, and if Cashman thought that his 2008 and 2009 stats were a temporary fluke that would correct itself, there's little evidence that he guessed right on that.

That's a pretty damn big drop in productivity in the heart of your lineup, and what makes it even more noticeable is the sort of marginal benchwarmers (Pena, Russo, Huffman, etc.) who've had to fill in when A-Rod, Thames and Nick got injured. The bottom line is that while last year's lineup was maybe the most hole-free lineup in ML history (only Melky's 99 was below 126, a truly astonishing statistic), this year's lineup looks like Swiss cheese whenever A-Rod and Jeter are slumping.

Yup…definitely more Snooky Lanson than Elvis Presley.

Oh, my...a chance to tell my Snooky Lanson story!

I grew up in Michigan, where the state capital is Lansing. Once, in college, a cute girl came up to me and asked me if I knew my way around Lansing. I replied, "I haven't talked to Snooky in years." She gave me a funny look and wandered off, and I never saw her again.

Much later, a buddy told me that the girl was interested in me (God only knows why) and was upset I blew her off.

Moral: You can either be a wiseacre or get laid. Not both.

As long as all those guys are standing on the field, with all their limbs and ligaments attached, and non suddnely grew 3+ years older, they are fine.

They're about to do their mid season bullpen shuffle anyway (Time to stop sucking or getting a slip Mr Park). though in reality their pen really hasn't blown THAT many games for them, partly luck though since most of their blow up happen to coicide with the days WOE showed up.

Oh, my...a chance to tell my Snooky Lanson story!

I grew up in Michigan, where the state capital is Lansing. Once, in college, a cute girl came up to me and asked me if I knew my way around Lansing. I replied, "I haven't talked to Snooky in years." She gave me a funny look and wandered off, and I never saw her again.

I don't get it. Googled Snooky Lanson and still don't get it.

Looks like you're not getting laid by Swoboda either, RMc.

Lanson, Lansing. Skip it.

well if the yankees want to get hitting again all they have to do is invite the astros back

<bitter astros fan>

a cute girl came up to me and asked me if I knew my way around Lansing

I really thought this story was going to have a joiful ending.

Cameroon's uniforms are the greatest in soccer history. That is all.

Since the Yankees are tied for the best record in baseball, would anybody mind if their fans did not hit full, pants-pissing panic mode for another couple of weeks?

Thank you for your consideration.

Cameroon's uniforms are the greatest in soccer history. That is all.

Also, their team nickname is the Indomitable Lions. That's pretty awesome.

(Their defense...not so awesome.)

At some point, Jeter and A-Rod will experience age-related decline. That doesn't mean it's here now, but it could be.

Teixiera is a notoriously slow starter. I expect he will be tearing the cover off the ball within a couple of weeks.

Whatever happened to the Yankees’ vaunted “approach” at the plate, the patience and selectivity that worked opposing pitchers to exhaustion and drove Joe West to distraction?

They are second in baseball in walks, so....nothing happened to that approach.

The World Series games between the Braves and Yanks are going to be some long ass games.

Teixiera is a notoriously slow starter. I expect he will be tearing the cover off the ball within a couple of weeks.

Well, I certainly hope so, he's been painful to watch. However, almost to the All-Star Break doesn't really qualify for a "start" anymore.

He's had a bad 1st half, regardless of what happens in the next 2 weeks.

I would be reluctant to conclude, on the evidence presented here, that one "can either be a wiseacre or get laid. Not both."

Since the Yankees are tied for the best record in baseball, would anybody mind if their fans did not hit full, pants-pissing panic mode for another couple of weeks?

As old as you are, Srul, surely you've heard of Jake Ruppert's description of a perfect afternoon, which was whenever "the Yankees score eight runs in the first inning, and then slowly pull away." That's pretty much been the standard around the Bronx since the days of Babe Ruth, and it'll probably remain the standard after everyone here is long gone. I'd think you'd be used to it by now.