The Teixeira-Rodriguez effect was definately on full display in the Yankees afore mentioned dramatic 11th inning win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. After a Teixeira walk, A-Rod slammed an 0-1 pitch into the New York evening, giving the Yankees a two-run victory, and fully demonstrating the potency of their new offensive makeup. As Joe Girardi commented, when questioned as to why he left a struggling Teixeira in the important three hole of his lineup, "Mark's a great hitter and you can't keep a guy that's a great hitter down forever," Girardi said."Alex is a beast behind him. You have to make a pick, which one you want to get."
And while it was A-Rod's cinematic home run that stole most of the headlines on Saturday, Mark Teixeira provided the majority of production that led to the Yankee victory. His outstanding 4-for-4 night with a double, a home run, and four RBIs were absolutely crucial to the 6-4 win. It was that output that undoubtedly led Twins hurler Craig Breslow to pitch around Teixeira and to instead deal with the struggling Rodriguez, a move that would prove to be his, and his team's, downfall on that day. As Girardi stated, with these two great sluggers you essentially pick your poison and hope for the best. In this case, the decision to go after the slumping Rodriguez proved fatal for Minnesota, as it will for many teams over the course of the season as the Yankees make a run towards the playoffs.
It was inevitable that Teixeira would start to hit. But any great hitter, when not protected properly in the lineup, will prove less efffective to some degree. And with the rash of injuries that has nearly cripple the Yankees' lineup this factor is more than likely the explanation for Teixeira's slow start. But with Mark, and now Alex Rodriguez, hitting behind Derek Jeter and the unconsciously hot Johnny Damon, the Yankees' ability to produce runs has yet to be fully realized or demonstrated. That means bad news for the rest of the AL East, unless Manny Ramirez returns from his 50-game suspension with a Red Sox jersey on.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
This has been a scary weekend for the rest of the AL East, specifically for Boston and Tampa. It's amazing how quickly off-the-field headlines vanish when the player returns and actually, y'know, does something.
2 - Tony
Teixera another two home runs tonight in another Yankee victory. They are looking strong.