It was May 29 at Yankee Stadium, prior to the New York Yankees’ meeting with the New York Mets, when I had a chance to speak with Vernon Wells. At the time of the interview, Wells was in the throes of an 0-for-17 slump that had his average falling like a lead ballon since he batted .300 for the month of April. Wells was considered finished when the Yankees -- desperate for outfield help and figuring they had nothing to lose -- acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels. As part of the deal, the Halos agreed to pay $28 million of the $42 million left on Wells' contract.
Once the calendar turned to May, Wells was playing down to expectations coming off two miserable seasons in southern California. He opened up about dealing with the period of time when a hitter’s offensive game turns to dust.
“There’s two different slumps from an offensive standpoint,” Wells said. “There’s slumps when you’re actually feel you’re swinging the bat well and don’t get any hits, and the one when you’re just feel like poop and don’t get any hits.
“I actually felt pretty good and hit some balls hard, but sometimes in this game the outcome is not what you exactly want. You still try to be consistent with your approach and go out and continue to battle. I think that’s the same way for the team as well. Things aren’t going to go your way at all times but you stay consistent. You don’t get down on yourself. You don’t get down on the situation and things will turn around.”
Unfortunately for Wells and the Yankees, things have not turned around. In fact, they’ve gotten worse. An 18-inning loss to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday left the Yankees victims of a three-game sweep and coping with a season that may have hit rock bottom. The final score of that game was 3-2, A’s. The Yankees scored both their runs in the first inning and were shut out for the final 17 while going 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranding 14 in a game that lasted an unbearable five hours and 35 minutes.
Brian Cashman’s cost-saving, scrap-heap pickups contributed to the Yankees’ surprising start that still has them eight games over .500 and three games out of first place in the competitive AL East, but like Wells, the injury replacements who played so well in the early going have reverted to their baseball-card statistics the past couple of seasons. Here are the ugly facts:
• Wells’ OPS in April was a hefty .910. It dropped to .615 in May and is down to a ghastly .211 in June as part of a 4-for-42 (.095) performance this month that’s lowered his average to .229. Think about it: That’s a 71-point drop since that wonderful April.
• Wells isn’t the only culprit. In fact, he’s far from it. Travis Hafner, a low-risk offseason pickup to provide lefty pop against right-handed hitters, batted .318 with six home runs and 17 RBIs. He’s 4-for-35 (.114) with two home runs in June and 16-for-102 (.157) the last month and a half.
• Kevin Youkilis, signed to a one-year deal in the winter to replace the rehabbing Alex Rodriguez at third base, came off the disabled list in May. In June he’s 5-for-37 (.135) with no RBIs.
• Thursday was proof negative of where the Yankees offense currently stands. The Frail Foursome of Mark Teixeira, Hafner, Youkilis and Wells went a combined 0-for-28 with 12 strikeouts while leaving 16 runners stranded.
"You don't want everybody to be going through it at once," Wells said after the game. "In theory, you'd like half your guys, if they're going to be struggling, that the other guys are still swinging the bat well. For the most part, it's been the whole group."
Teixeira, out of action until May 31 with a torn ligament in his wrist, is 8-for-46 (.147), although he has three home runs and 12 RBIs. The point is that Teixeira isn’t going anywhere. The replacements -- and you can throw Lyle Overbay (.214 this month) into the mix -- may soon be replaced. Curtis Granderson -- twice in his hard-luck season he’s had bones broken by a pitch -- will be back a bit after the All-Star break. So will (the Yankees hope) Derek Jeter, who was cleared on Thursday to resume baseball activities, and possibly A-Rod.
Until that time, Wells continues to fight through the ills of a slump and the winds of change. The New York Daily News reported that Thomas Neal, an outfielder, will be called up from Triple-A to DH against left-handers. The Yankees may need to find out once and for all if Overbay can play the outfield or perhaps also summon switch-hitter Zoilo Almonte from Scranton.
That would leave Wells in a platoon situation -- perhaps a lesser role once Granderson is back.
“You move on,” said Wells, summing up his situation. “That’s part of going through the learning process of this game. You remember what made you successful and not what made you struggle.”
Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC
Once the calendar turned to May, Wells was playing down to expectations coming off two miserable seasons in southern California. He opened up about dealing with the period of time when a hitter’s offensive game turns to dust.
“There’s two different slumps from an offensive standpoint,” Wells said. “There’s slumps when you’re actually feel you’re swinging the bat well and don’t get any hits, and the one when you’re just feel like poop and don’t get any hits.
“I actually felt pretty good and hit some balls hard, but sometimes in this game the outcome is not what you exactly want. You still try to be consistent with your approach and go out and continue to battle. I think that’s the same way for the team as well. Things aren’t going to go your way at all times but you stay consistent. You don’t get down on yourself. You don’t get down on the situation and things will turn around.”
Unfortunately for Wells and the Yankees, things have not turned around. In fact, they’ve gotten worse. An 18-inning loss to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday left the Yankees victims of a three-game sweep and coping with a season that may have hit rock bottom. The final score of that game was 3-2, A’s. The Yankees scored both their runs in the first inning and were shut out for the final 17 while going 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranding 14 in a game that lasted an unbearable five hours and 35 minutes.
Brian Cashman’s cost-saving, scrap-heap pickups contributed to the Yankees’ surprising start that still has them eight games over .500 and three games out of first place in the competitive AL East, but like Wells, the injury replacements who played so well in the early going have reverted to their baseball-card statistics the past couple of seasons. Here are the ugly facts:
• Wells’ OPS in April was a hefty .910. It dropped to .615 in May and is down to a ghastly .211 in June as part of a 4-for-42 (.095) performance this month that’s lowered his average to .229. Think about it: That’s a 71-point drop since that wonderful April.
• Wells isn’t the only culprit. In fact, he’s far from it. Travis Hafner, a low-risk offseason pickup to provide lefty pop against right-handed hitters, batted .318 with six home runs and 17 RBIs. He’s 4-for-35 (.114) with two home runs in June and 16-for-102 (.157) the last month and a half.
• Kevin Youkilis, signed to a one-year deal in the winter to replace the rehabbing Alex Rodriguez at third base, came off the disabled list in May. In June he’s 5-for-37 (.135) with no RBIs.
• Thursday was proof negative of where the Yankees offense currently stands. The Frail Foursome of Mark Teixeira, Hafner, Youkilis and Wells went a combined 0-for-28 with 12 strikeouts while leaving 16 runners stranded.
"You don't want everybody to be going through it at once," Wells said after the game. "In theory, you'd like half your guys, if they're going to be struggling, that the other guys are still swinging the bat well. For the most part, it's been the whole group."
Teixeira, out of action until May 31 with a torn ligament in his wrist, is 8-for-46 (.147), although he has three home runs and 12 RBIs. The point is that Teixeira isn’t going anywhere. The replacements -- and you can throw Lyle Overbay (.214 this month) into the mix -- may soon be replaced. Curtis Granderson -- twice in his hard-luck season he’s had bones broken by a pitch -- will be back a bit after the All-Star break. So will (the Yankees hope) Derek Jeter, who was cleared on Thursday to resume baseball activities, and possibly A-Rod.
Until that time, Wells continues to fight through the ills of a slump and the winds of change. The New York Daily News reported that Thomas Neal, an outfielder, will be called up from Triple-A to DH against left-handers. The Yankees may need to find out once and for all if Overbay can play the outfield or perhaps also summon switch-hitter Zoilo Almonte from Scranton.
That would leave Wells in a platoon situation -- perhaps a lesser role once Granderson is back.
“You move on,” said Wells, summing up his situation. “That’s part of going through the learning process of this game. You remember what made you successful and not what made you struggle.”
Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC
