The (NEW) York Yankees
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by DRotch19
The New York Yankees have started their post all-star break off in HUGE fashion. They stole 3 of 4 from Tampa, then they took 3 of 4 from Toronto, followed by another 3 of 4 from Tampa Bay. Let's face it everyone, they are facing bad teams right now, with two recent losses to the Baltimore Orioles. But still, something they haven't done this year yet; destroy the teams that they should destroy. After scoring a season high 17 runs on saturday night, they stepped it up one more notch, plating a season high 21 runs, going hand-in-hand with a season high 25 hits in the series finale with the Devil Rays.
Although the Yankees pitching has remained mediocre, this could be all the Bronx Bombers need if they keep slugging at this *New* York Yankees pace. The hot-hitting has seemed to flow from top to bottom in the Yankees batting order, seeming to still skip over left-hander Johnny Damon. The Yankees batting order has been as hot as any in the majors. July has been good to the Bombers. Take a look at 1-9 of the Yankee order.
Melky Cabrera has seemed to fit in the leadoff spot while Damon is struggling, hitting .368 over July, chasing his average up 24 points to a respectable .283.
Derek Jeter has put up his lowest monthly average of the year, .318 as his average is still a highly ranked .332
Bobby Abreu is scorching the ball this month, with his average at .370 for July. He's hit 4 homeruns, and added 6 doubles and 22 rbi this month. His season average has climbed to .273
Alex Rodriguez has slowed down this month. Although his average has suffered a minor setback, his walk total is still up, and he has plated 20 more runs. He adds to his league leading totals in both homeruns and rbi. He has 34 homeruns, and 99 RBIs. His career homerun total is at 498, 2 away from the magic 500.
Hideki Matsui has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. Hitting at a clip of .349, he has added 9 homeruns and 17 rbi, while having his OBP over .400 for July. He had a career-high 5 hits in a 21-4 blowout of the Devil Rays.
Jorge Posada has kept his season average by hitting the same, .333, in the month of July. Although his rbi total is down for the month, his incredible OBP of .459 has been tops of the Yankees.
Robinson Cano. This kid is finally remembering the season he had last year. Hitting at a .377 pace for July, Cano has found his power-swing, hitting 5 homeruns with 17 rbi, and also raising his season average to .291. Cano is also a smooth-handed potential gold glove winner.
Andy Phillips may have secured his spot in the Yankee lineup. It seems Andy is coming up with clutch whenever the Yankees need one, adding 13 rbi. Hitting .348 this month, his season average stands at .306. He also plays a gold-glove first base.
Shelley Duncan. The newcomer to the Yankees lineup has seemed to lift the team's spirits a little bit. Whether it be his smiling face, or his ridiculous high-fives, or just his high spirit, the Yankees seem to feed off of it. (He also has 3 homeruns in 3 games, plating 7 runners in the process.) Shelly was recently sent back to the minors, as Melky and Damon find themselves playing side by side more often.
As noticed, the Yankees have put their quarters in, and have boarded the ride, hopefully taking them all the way to the finish of the season. If Johnny Damon can step it up, he could really help out in the lead off spot. He can hit, run, and even flash the leather (just ask Devil Rays 3B Akinori Iwamura). If he can get his OBP up and start scoring some runs, he could be a very big help at the leadoff spot. But if not, aforementioned Melky Cabrera has seemingly seized the role as well.
If the Yankees pitching could follow in the footsteps of their hitting, the Yankees could make a serious push into the playoffs. They are 8 games behind the Redsox in the East, and remain 5 games back in the wildcard.
With about 58 games left, anything can happen.
