Tuesday MLB: N.Y. Yankees (38-31) at Atlanta Braves (33-36)
The New York Yankees looked like the best team in baseball there for a while, but the Bronx Bombers have slowed down considerably lately, mainly because Alex Rodriguez also has.
The Yankees have lost eight of their last 12 games heading into a three-game series with the Atlanta Braves starting tonight. Rodriguez has just a .288 slugging percentage in June. He has one home run in 18 games away from Yankee Stadium. Manager Joe Girardi recently gave A-Rod a day off, which is rare, and says he will continue to give Rodriguez one day off per week at least until the All-Star break.
After peaking at 34-23 on June 8, the Yankees were swept in Boston and took two of three from the Mets.
In each of their next two series, against Washington and Florida, they won the first game and dropped the last two.
The offense has sputtered, averaging 4.33 runs a game in that stretch, and just 3.36 if you take away a 15-0 rout of the Mets on June 14. Melky Cabrera hasn’t been the same since getting injured, hitting just .194.
Atlanta has struggled to score all season, and the Braves could be without second baseman Kelly Johnson for a game or two. He was forced to leave Monday’s game when he experienced cramping in both legs while running to third base on Chipper Jones’ fifth-inning double. The Braves announced his status as day-to-day. Johnson is slumping big time, hitting .148 with a .232 on-base percentage and .197 slugging percentage through the first 17 games that he’s played this month.
The Yanks will go with struggling starter Chien-Ming Wang tonight. Wang (0-5, 12.30 ERA) has failed to last past the fourth inning in four of his first five starts. New York is a slight +100 money line underdog on WagerWeb.com.
In a very unique stat, Tuesday will mark the seventh straight game New York will see a pitcher it has never faced in Braves top prospect Tommy Hanson (2-0, 4.08). Since surrendering three two-run homers against the Brewers during his June 5 big-league debut, Hanson has won his two subsequent outings.
This will also be the first game in Atlanta for Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira since he was traded by the Braves to the Los Angeles Angels last July.
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