Heck, ARod already has stepped it up.

"Tuesday night exemplified how badly the Yankees need A-Rod, who went 0-for-4. He came to bat three times with men on base — twice with a runner in scoring position — and came up empty each time. Heck, he couldn’t even make a productive out with runners at second and third and no outs in the first, grounding out to third base."

ARod has been very productive prior to his broken wrist and in the 8 games since his return.

I don't see the big deal about the first inning ground out.  When a 2012 Yankee player fails to get a hit with RISP, it just means he's a 2012 Yankee.  Girardi and Long have kidnapped a puppy and threatened to kill that puppy if any Yankee hits a sac fly.  So before you criticize ARod's poor situational hitting, think of the puppy.


"The Yankees went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position in the 4-3 loss to the Red Sox, the lone hit coming off Jeter’s bat in the sixth. They left nine runners on base, a crime in a one-run loss to a last-place team that had seemingly stopped caring weeks ago."

It is incredible, and it has been that way all year. Long called them out a couple of weeks ago, but his message fell on deaf ears.

The 2012 Yankees:

• 17-22 in one-run games.
• .231 team BA with 2 outs and RISP.
• 5-9 vs. AL East rivals in pennant stretch.
• Worse record than the A's.

 

Maybe it's all statistical noise and they're about to win 5 straight one-run games, get a walkoff win, tear off an 11-2 winning streak in September.

There is no Yankee fan on Earth who has any reason to think this is going to happen.

This team will likely hang on and make it into the playoffs.  When the playoffs start, anything can happen.  What I'd expect, however, is more of the same: A listless team who swings for the fences and hopes the opposing pitcher throws the ball into their bat.