HUGHES DISAPPOINTMENT: Phil Hughes has struck this pose a little too often this season. As play began last night, the Yankees right-hander was tied for American League lead in home runs allowed. (Getty Images)
The Yankees are the NBA team that had a 25-point blowout going late in the third quarter, removed its starters, had the lead evaporate and now — after shutting down its engine — simply can’t get going again.
The Yankees have a month to rediscover their motor or face the Red Sox-ian indignity of blowing a double-digit lead and somehow failing to even make the playoffs in a year with two wild cards per league.
We are quite versed with the macro reasons cited for the Yanks’ decline, namely injury and lack of timely hitting. But, obviously, there are many underlying reasons. Here are two I don’t believe have gotten near enough attention:
HOMERS — Yes, the Yanks’ ability to hit them have been well-documented. But they give them up in bucketfuls, too, especially their rotation.
The Yankees lead the majors in homer differential at plus-48. But in the last 44 games — a 19-25 nose dive — the separation is merely plus-three. And when the Yanks lose a substantial edge in this area their greatest weapon vanishes.
The Yankee rotation has been The Bronx bombed, allowing an MLB-high 125 homers (they permitted 110 all of last year). The Yankee rotation is on a 150-homer pace, a total eclipsed only once in the previous five seasons. The team record of 133 is almost certain to be smashed, though it should be noted the mark was set in 2000 (when the Yanks won the World Series) and tied in 2004 (when they lost the ALCS, albeit in the greatest collapse in franchise history).
Still, the long-ball vulnerability has too regularly flipped Yankee starters from cruising to crushed. That has produced a snowball effect in which the Yanks have too few laugher games, dimmed internal confidence that a starter is ever truly in control and placed a greater burden on the pen.
Phil Hughes is the face of the problem. His 32 homers allowed were tied for the MLB lead. In Yankee history only Ralph Terry (40, 1962), Orlando Hernandez (34, 2000) and Javier Vazquez (33, 2004) have given up more.
But Hughes is not alone here. Ivan Nova (25 homers allowed) also would have challenged the team record had he not gone on the DL. CC Sabathia (18) already has allowed one more homer this year in 74 1/3 fewer innings than last year. Freddy Garcia, with three homers yielded last night in Tampa’s 5-2 triumph, has surrendered as many homers this year (16) as last year, but thrown 47 2/3 innings fewer. David Phelps’ only significant rookie blemish is his homer penchant.
TRIPLES — Raul Ibanez has a team high-tying three triples. He is 40. Alex Rodriguez has 11 steals, three more than any Yankee. He is 37, was on the DL for six weeks and generally runs these days as if he is carrying Robinson Cano on his shoulders.
That Ibanez and A-Rod lead the Yanks in the two traditional speed categories accentuates how one-dimensional their attack is. Now, this is not a homer-bashing exercise. Home runs are good. But the lack of diversity in ways to score has become more overt when power bats such as A-Rod, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson miss extended time or when the Yanks are on the road, where they have 31 fewer homers than in The Bronx.
The Yankee problem is deeper than inability to hit with runners in scoring position (where they are actually mid-pack). They lack variety in getting even more runners into good scoring position (last in the AL in triples, third from last in steals). Also they had scored from first on a double the second-fewest times in the AL and from second on a single the fourth-fewest.
Obviously, the Yankee speed game was hurt by pretty much the nearly season-long absence of Brett Gardner and Eduardo Nunez’s fall back to the minors. But, also, Granderson and Derek Jeter have essentially stopped trying to steal, plus Ichiro Suzuki has lost that extra gear that used to separate him. Strategically, the Yanks feel they are always in scoring position because of their homer ability and, thus, don’t want to risk outs on the bases. But, again, what happens on the road or when some of the power bats are gone or, like recently, when the hits are hard to find?
In addition, the Yanks have essentially gone all-in on power. Their roster is not only older, but filled with extra men like Eric Chavez and Andruw Jones, whose job is to go deep.
And lack of speed also shows in range on the other side of the ball, where the Yanks are among the worst teams in defensive efficiency (turning balls in play into outs). Extra outs mean more opportunities for the opponent to hit homers of its own off that long-ball susceptible Yankee staff.
joel.sherman@nypost.com