Monday MLB: New York Yankees (29-21) at Cleveland Indians (22-30)
How hot has Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira been?
The $180 million man was pretty bad in April, but he always has struggled in that month. Thus it’s hard to know whether his recent tear is just because the calendar turned to May or because Alex Rodriguez returned to the lineup and is hitting behind him.
Whatever the reason, the Yanks are starting to see a return on their investment as Teixeira hit big-league-leading 13 homers in May and knocked in 34 runs. He had a double, home run and four RBIs on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games. He has multiple hits in eight of his last 10 games and 12 of his last 18 contests.
“I hope he has June the same,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s been great. He’s been a big force for us and it’s great to see him performing at a high level.”
Teixeira is batting .400 (22 for 55) with eight homers and 20 RBIs during his 13-game streak. His 13 home runs in May equal a career high for home runs in a month and were the most by a Yankee since Rodriguez hit 14 in April 2007. Twenty-eight of his 50 hits (56 percent) have gone for extra bases.
New York played its 17th straight errorless game Sunday, tying the major league record set by Boston in June 2006. But the Yankees lost for only the fourth time in 18 games. They need a win today to avoid a disappointing split with the worst team in the AL Central, and New York is a big -172 money line favorite on WagerWeb.com.
The Tribe for sure won’t have Grady Sizemore today, as the team’s best player was put on the DL.
Catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez is day-to-day, meaning the Cleveland lineup could be totally punchless tonight.
Cleveland starts Jeremy Sowers (1-2, 7.71) tonight. The left-hander is 1-1 with a 6.60 ERA in three career starts against the Yankees.
Joba Chamberlain (2-1, 3.97) goes for the Yanks. Chamberlain is 2-0 with a 2.86 ERA in five road starts this year.
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