Gardner finds groove after starting slowly
BALTIMORE — When the Yankees won 17 of 18 games from April 21 to May 9, they did it without much of a contribution from Brett Gardner. That hasn’t been the case with the recent run of six wins in eight tilts the Yankees take into Monday’s doubleheader against the Tigers in Detroit.
Gardner’s 2-for-5 performance in Saturday night’s 8-5 victory over the putrid Orioles at Camden Yards was the latest example the 34-year-old leadoff hitter has put a sluggish first six weeks behind him.
Entering Monday’s twinbill, Gardner is hitting .395 (17for-43) with a .435 on-base percentage and a 1.156 OPS in the past 10 games he started in which the Yankees went 7-3.
“When we won 15 out of 17 or whatever it was, I wasn’t swinging the bat that well. I was getting some walks and stuff. It feels good, my timing is a lot better and I think I am in a good place. I feel a little more dangerous up there, not like I am lost,’’ Gardner said. “The main thing is how the team is playing. When you are winning games, it makes it a whole lot easier. When you are going through a rough stretch and the team is playing well it allows you to focus on the team.’’
When the Yankees won 17 of 18, Gardner started 15 of those games and appeared in 16. However, he hit just .179 (10-for-56) with a .290 on-base percentage and a .540 OPS. He also struck out 14 times.
Despite the dreary numbers, hitting coach Marcus Thames didn’t believe Gardner was buried in Hitters Hell.
“He was still making pitchers work, still putting pressure on the pitchers and I didn’t think he was that far off because he wasn’t chasing pitches,’’ Thames said. “He stayed the course and kept doing the work. I wasn’t worried about it.’’
➤ Outfielder Clint Frazier will be the 26th man for Monday’s doubleheader against the Tigers in Detroit, but isn’t likely to be the only roster move the Yankees make. It’s highly likely righthanded reliever Adam Warren will come off the disabled list at some point in the day.
Frazier was scratched from Triple-A Scranton/WilkesBarre’s lineup Sunday in order to get ready for joining the big-league club. Frazier didn’t get to the big leagues this year until May 15 because of a concussion suffered early in spring training. He appeared in one game on May 19, went 1-for-2 with a double and was optioned to SWB May 20.
In a combined 26 games for Single-A Tampa and SWB, Frazier batted .320 (33-for-103) with six homers and 19 RBIs.
Warren hasn’t faced bigleague hitters since April 20 because of a strained muscle in the back.
“I think there is a chance he could be activated in some way in Detroit,’’ manager Aaron Boone said Sunday about the righthanded reliever.
➤ Gleyber Torres got hit by a pitch on the right wrist Saturday night. But had the Yankees played Sunday against the Orioles, the second baseman would have been in the lineup, according to Boone.