Yankees’ Anthony Rizzo hits rock bottom with brutal five-strikeout night vs. Orioles
BALTIMORE — Anthony Rizzo could have traded his bat for a shovel as he dug what appears to be a personal rock bottom.
After the first five-strikeout game in his excellent 13-year career, the slumping Yankees first baseman acknowledged the rarity and sought any silver lining.
“Hope that’s the turning point,” Rizzo said after a dispiriting, 9-3 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards on Sunday when his five punchouts were part of a season-high 18 for the Yankees.
Rizzo had appeared to turn a corner last weekend when he went 4-for-4 with a drought-ending home run against the Royals.
He credited Taylor Swift, who sings his new walk-up song, and could smile believing the skid was over.
But in the five games since, the 33-year-old has gone 2-for-21 with eight strikeouts.
Last weekend’s breakthrough was a mirage, and he continues to seek a swing he has lost.
Rizzo said confidence is not an issue and accepted that his mechanics could be out of whack.
“At some point, I would say it is mechanically [based],” said Rizzo, whose production has vanished since May ended. “I’m just not putting myself in the best position to swing my best swing.
“It’s frustrating because there’s pitches I’m just swinging at or taking. I walk back saying I don’t understand how I’m missing that pitch.”
He has missed too many after the first two months of the season ended.
He finished May with an .880 OPS that rivaled the very best seasons for the three-time All-Star.
After his latest disappointing night, his OPS is down to .710, which would be the worst of his career outside of his 49-game debut in 2011.
Not every at-bat Sunday was disastrous, but none ended well.
He battled Baltimore’s Dean Kremer for nine pitches before striking out on a cutter in the second inning.
Kremer struck him out once more in the third before Rizzo’s unhappiest at-bat came in the fifth.
He was punched out looking on a pitch that appeared to be a strike, though the pitch that gave Rizzo his second strike appeared outside of the zone.
Rizzo stood at the plate for several moments arguing with umpire Phil Cuzzi before retreating to the dugout.
Hard-throwing, talented arms in Shintaro Fujinami and Yennier Cano sat Rizzo down in the seventh and ninth, respectively.
“I’m not playing well,” Rizzo said. “It’s really frustrating on a personal level. Just being a teammate, you want to do everything you can to help this team win.”
Because Rizzo and the ensemble around Judge have failed to hit too often, there is plenty of wonder about what the Yankees will do at the trade deadline.
“I think we have the guys [we need] in here,” Rizzo said. “When I start hitting again a little bit … just a little bit.”
A little bit of progress would be welcome to his club, but it is difficult to imagine the production sinking any lower than this nadir.
