Cardinals 8
Yankees 1
ST. LOUIS – Wanting to protect the slumping Gary Sheffield, Joe Torre batted Alex Rodriguez cleanup for the second straight game and dropped the ice-cold Hideki Matsui to fifth last night against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
“A-Rod is a hot hitter and I wanted him behind Sheffield,” Torre said when asked about Matsui hitting fifth for the third time this season. “That’s the basis for that.”
Since the Yankees left home May 31, Sheffield’s wood has been dead. Going into last night’s tilt against Staten Island’s Jason Marquis, Sheffield was 4-for-27 (.148) in nine games and watched his average fall from .326 to .303.
“I am lost,” Sheffield admitted.
In a world of high-tech video and all sorts of hitting aids, Sheffield believes there is only one way to emerge. Others can burn their eyes out with video and work in the cage on their mechanics.
“I am going to swing my way out of it,” Sheffield said. “Instead of waiting for the perfect pitch, which I am not getting, I am going to swing.”
That could be dangerous and lead to further trouble, but the way Sheffield sees it, pitchers are staying away from the inner half against him with regularity because that’s his wheelhouse.
“They are not coming in as much, so you are thinking the next pitch will be in a certain zone,” Sheffield said.
While many hitters try to rationalize why they go cold, Sheffield doesn’t bother getting too philosophical.
Asked if sitting out the May 31 game in Kansas City as part of Torre’s plan to rest the 36-year-old periodically led to the slump, Sheffield shrugged.
“It didn’t bother me at all,” Sheffield said. “You go through spurts where you are getting hits when have no idea how you are doing it, and not getting hits when you should.”
Until breaking out for 12 runs and 16 hits Wednesday night in Milwaukee, the entire Yankee lineup was frigid. Inside the Yankee clubhouse last night, it was hoped Wednesday night’s hitting shower carried over and wasn’t just a one-night stand.
Rodriguez was coming off a 4-for-4 game that included career homers 399 and 400.
“The middle of the lineup has to step up,” A-Rod said late Wednesday night. “We know that. We have to get going.”
And that means Matsui. He was 9-for-29 (.310) on the trip but only had three hits in the previous 15 (.200) at-bats.
Matsui was among the Yankees who took extra hitting yesterday under a broiling sun as he tried to rediscover the stroke that got him off to a strong start but has been missing for too long.
“He has to just relax and get the (bat) head out,” Torre said of Matsui, who has one homer since April 9 and has four for the season. “If he gets a couple of hits or hits some balls on the button he may find the comfort zone.”
Hitters react differently to a slump. The deeper it goes causes some to fire batting helmets and go Paul O’Neill on a water cooler.
There was a time when Sheffield was right with O’Neill when it came to showing his frustration, but he has gotten over it.
“When you get hits and you don’t know how and not get hits when you should, that’s why I don’t throw helmets and do the things I used to like,” Sheffield said.
“When it’s all said and done, I know where I will be.”
Simply offensive
The Yankees’ 17-1 loss to the Red Sox on May 28 not only was the beginning of a 2-9 stretch, but the start of a batting slump that afflicted Gary Sheffield, among others. Here’s a look at the Yankees who have struggled the most in the past 11 games before last night:
Player AB H HR RBI AVG.
Tino Martinez 26 3 0 2 .115
Tony Womack 32 5 0 0 .156
Jorge Posada 31 6 0 0 .194
Derek Jeter 33 7 2 4 .212
Gary Sheffield 32 7 2 3 .219
Robinson Cano 35 8 2 6 .229