Kuzul

Tonight the New York Yankees resume play against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field at 7 p.m. after a fifth inning rain out last night.

The Yankees are 4-6 in their last 10 games and look to dump the slump as they send Andy Pettitte to the mound. 10days ago Pettitte threw six innings of two-hit baseball against the Twins.

Additionally, many of the Yankees’ big sluggers have been in a slump lately and they will be looking to rebound.

The last time the Yankees batters faced off against the Twins they battered them for 12 hits and seven runs. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira each went 2-for-4 with one run.

However, this was before both power hitters entered into their current slump, with Teixeira’s batting average going down to .200 and A-Rod’s sitting at .299. Although A-Rod has been improving his average lately, he went 0-4 against the Mets on Sunday, striking out to end the game.

The Yankees need to focus on what they have at hand and not look forward to Granderson’s return on Friday.  

Also looking to get back on track tonight is Mariano Rivera, who hasn’t fared too well in his last few outings. Most notably, he struggled against the Twins when he pitched a third of an inning giving up a home run and two earned runs.  

This is the first time the Yankees have played a game at the newly built Target field.  Game time temperatures are expected to be 75 degrees, with a fair wind blowing out of the park.

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In the last two weeks it seems as though the New York Yankees’ bats have gone to sleep.  After starting the season on a tear and winning series after series the Yankees have recently found themselves in a late May slump.

Mark Teixeira, who is notorious for have a slow start to his season, has gone back into a slump.  After raising his average from .136 in the end of April to .224 against Boston it has since dropped to .209 and doesn’t seem to be coming back up anytime soon.

Also with a 0-4 performance by slugger A-Rod against the Mets on Sunday, signs aren’t looking good for another big bat in New York.

Starting this week, the Yankees are 5.5 games behind Tampa Bay, and just 2.5 games in front of surging Boston who is back on track.  The Yankees desperately need to start hitting again.

A return to the lineup from outfielder Curtis Granderson could help out the Yankees, as he will fill in the two-hole.  This should offer some protection for Teixeira and help him to start hitting again and producing the numbers everyone expects from him.

Don’t forget last year the Yankees started out in a huge slump with a par .500 record at this time of the year.  It wasn’t until the return of A-Rod that the Yankees woke up and made their magical run to the World Series. 

If Granderson can do the same when he returns at the end of this week, the Yankees may be looking at the same situation as they did last year.

Although if they keep on this same slump come a month from now they could be in deep trouble as Tampa Bay is showing no signs of slowing down, and Boston has finally fixed the problems it was having. 

Email: Pm9990@Ship.edu

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com