Yankees can't live with dead corners
HOUSTON — The coffin corners can’t continue. To truly understand the difference between the Yankees and Astros, just take a peek at the corner infielders Sunday at Minute Maid Park. The Astros had Yuli Gurriel at first base, batting eighth, and Marwin Gonzalez, batting seventh, at third base.
Gurriel produced a home run and three hits while Gonzalez managed a tworun home run in the second off Luis Severino that put the mighty Astros on their way to a Texas-sized 8-1 blowout of the Yankees and victories in two of the three games in the series.
Severino, who has been so impressive, lasted only 5 ¹/3 innings and surrendered seven extra-base hits to Houston. Gonzalez is hitting .313 with a careerhigh 14 home runs and Gurriel is batting .292 with 10 homers, the eighth Astro to reach 10 home runs this season.
While the Astros were as hot as the 93-degree temperature outside the park, the Yankees’ corners are cold and so is the team. The Yankees have lost 14 of the last 19 games as they have fallen three games behind the Red Sox in the AL East.
The Yankees had Chris Carter at first base and Chase Headley at third. Carter’s struggles at this point are off the charts, a complete collapse from last season when he managed to hit 41 home runs for the Brewers.
Carter struck out three more times Sunday and owns a stunning 76 Ks on the season with only 37 hits over 179 at-bats.
With the Greg Bird rightankle-bruise situation growing murkier by the day, the Yankees have no one to turn to at first. Perhaps they can give catcher Austin Romine more time.
“I’ve played [Romine] some there,’’ Joe Girardi explained after the loss. “I mean we’ll look at things all the time, but [Carter] is the guy with the most experience that we have right now.’’
Girardi said Bird is still not “deemed ready to play’’ and there is no date for Bird to be back.
The Yankees cannot continue to run Carter onto the field with these struggles. You cannot start every game with guaranteed strikeouts in your batting order. Injuries have wreaked havoc at first base and Carter has been thrust into a much bigger role than anticipated.
Carter is attempting to remain positive.
“I’m going to keep working, and go from there,’’ Carter said. “I felt pretty good this series. I’m still working to get more consistent.’’
Headley believes he is coming around, telling The Post, “The last couple weeks I felt pretty good,’’ he said. “This series, I have to tip my cap, they pitched me pretty tough. They made pitches over and over and over. It was frustrating this series, but I think I’m in a pretty good spot and I think I’m swinging better.’’ The Yankees could use it. The huge hole at first only sheds more light on Headley’s issues at third. If the Yankees were getting some production, anything at all from Carter, it would not look so bad for Headley. Headley did double in the ninth off reliever Ashur Tolliver and Carter followed with a broken-bat single to right to score the Yankees’ only run. Tolliver then walked Rob Refsnyder and was out of the game.
Carter is batting .207 with eight home runs and Headley is hitting .250 with only four home runs.
Again, you could live with Headley’s numbers at third if first base wasn’t such a lost cause at this point.
First and third base are your power positions in the infield, cornerstones of the offense, they cannot be headstones.
All teams are not the Astros, of course, and the Yankees at 43-37 have been much more successful than anyone thought coming into the season. That was shown with five Yankees being named to the All-Star team Sunday. Aaron Judge is a starter. Starlin Castro, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino and Dellin Betances are all going to Miami, too.
Some offense from the corners in the infield would make a difference. There must be more balance. This can’t continue.