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The bullets he hits find leather. He hits a ball on the screws and watches it die in the April-May wind. Then there are too many feeble ground balls, harmless pop-ups and stress-free fly balls that don't drop.
Welcome to Hitters' Hell, Jason Giambi's current address.
"The hardest thing is for it not to get into your head," said Giambi, who is toting a .150 average into tonight's action against the Indians. "I have seen a lot of the shift and the ball doesn't carry, so I have to hit line drives and they are pitching me in."
April has turned to May, so it's not early. Giambi has 80 at-bats with 12 hits (five homers), is hitless in 16 at-bats against lefties, and is 2-for-27 (.074) with runners in scoring position. Still, nobody is ready to give up. Not that there are options at first base even with Wilson Betemit a possibility to return from the DL tonight.
"(Hitting coach) Kevin Long and (manager) Joe Girardi believe he will get through it and prove he can still hit," Brian Cashman said yesterday. "He has done everything he has been asked to do and he has stayed healthy. He has earned the opportunity to battle through it."
Betemit played for SWB (Triple-A) last night and could be activated tonight.
Asked if Betemit's return would mean an infielder will be moved, Cashman said that decision hasn't been made. Because Alberto Gonzalez has impressed in the utility infielder role the Yankees would like to keep him.
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Kyle Farnsworth's appeal of a three-game suspension will be heard today. Yankees have their fingers crossed the reliever doesn't get the max. Farnsworth was suspended by Bob Watson for throwing near Manny Ramirez's head on April 17. Farnsworth didn't hit Ramirez and wasn't ejected.
In spring training Farnsworth vowed to have a better year because communication with Joe Torre and Ron Guidry wasn't good last season. So far Farnsworth has backed up his words. In his last nine innings (nine games), last year's mop-up man has allowed two earned runs, five hits, whiffed 10 and issued three walks (one intentionally). The last seven batters he has faced with runners in scoring position are hitless.
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Andy Pettitte watched the Yankees run off three straight wins against the Mariners from the dugout and had a message for his mates: "How about getting the old lefty one."
Pettitte, who opens a three-game series tonight against Indians righty Fausto Carmona at the Stadium, is riding a two-game personal losing streak.
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