Girardi keeps faith in slumping youngsters
Throughout their first full seasons in the majors, Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge put up numbers that had people running for the record books, whether it was Sanchez breaking the franchise record for homers by a catcher or Judge hitting the most home runs ever by a rookie. But as the Yankees get deeper into October, both young sluggers find themselves in the middle of ugly and ill-timed slumps. Still, though Sanchez is 0-for-11 with eight strikeouts and Judge is 1for-12 with seven whiffs in the Yankees’ last three games, Joe Girardi said his faith in both players is unwavering. “I feel good about them,” the manager said Sunday at Yankee Stadium as the team prepared for Monday’s ALCS Game 3 against the Astros in The Bronx. “We’ve counted on them all year. We believe in them and I think they’re going to come out of it.” He has little choice, since it doesn’t appear that anyone else is coming to save the day — or the series. Regardless, Sanchez and Judge are running out of time to turn their nightmarish postseasons around. Whatever the reason for their struggles, Girardi said he doesn’t believe it’s their inexperience in the playoffs that’s caused them to fall into a funk. The manager acknowledged that players can sometimes be overwhelmed by the situation when they are unaccustomed to the pressures of the playoffs, but doesn’t think that’s the case.
“I’m not so sure that I necessarily feel that with these two guys,” he said. Instead, he has a different theory. “I think it’s the guys they’re going against,’’ Girardi said of the opposing pitchers.
He may have a point, especially in the last two losses.
The Yankee offense pounded Cleveland’s Corey Kluber in Game 5 of the ALDS, but the entire lineup has struggled against Houston’s two elite starters in the ALCS, Dallas Keuchel in Game 1 and Justin Verlander in Game 2.
“I think they made a lot of good pitches,” Girardi said. “Part of it is you can get a little off sometimes. … And when I look at Aaron’s at-bats, I don’t think he hasn’t continued to be patient. Gary’s chased a little bit more. But Gary is a guy that we know that can really, really turn around quick and get locked in. And I feel good about that.”
Judge’s struggles have lasted virtually the entire postseason, with just two hits in 32 plate appearances in the ALDS and the ALCS. He has just one extra-base hit — a double — five walks and 19 strikeouts in those seven games.
Houston manager A.J. Hinch isn’t taking anything for granted, even with both players performing woefully.
“This is a really good offensive team,” Hinch said. “They have big swings. When Judge swings, it’s scary. When Sanchez swings, it’s scary. … Just because there [are] two low-scoring games doesn’t mean there’s bad hitting. It’s just how good the pitching is.”