MLB

Off the Mark: April’s cruel days vex Teixeira

There are no surprises with Mark Teixeira. Heading into each season, you know what to expect. He’ll bat over .280, hit more than 30 home runs and drive in over 100 runs, while cleaning up every mess at first base with a vacuum on his hand. But for some reason, an anemic April is part of the equation as well.

Teixeira went 0-for-4 in yesterday’s loss to the Angels, with his average becoming nearly invisible to the naked eye — a microscopic .097. His lifetime April average of .245 is 32 points lower than any other month. Teixeira is as familiar with April atrocities as he is with summer success.

“Unfortunately, I’ve been in this position a lot,” said Teixeira, who’s gone hitless in seven games this season. “I don’t know why it is, but I can’t change anything that’s happened the first eight games. You can make excuses ’til the cows come home, and I refuse to.”

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In his first season with the Yankees last year, Teixeira struggled with a .200 average in April. However, playing with the pressures of being a new arrival with the highest expectations, as well as hitting without the protection of then-injured Alex Rodriguez, the first baseman’s troubles were understandable.

Yet, with those hindrances removed, Teixeira’s troubling tradition has reappeared. So, what will he do? Nothing.

“I don’t want to start changing too much because the work that I’ve put in, whatever struggles come early on, it turns around and it turns around really well,” said Teixeira, a .289 career hitter. “I’m not gonna cut down on my swing or try and hit the ball the other way every time up. That’s not me.”

Manager Joe Girardi couldn’t put his finger on the mysterious annual slump.

“If there’s any concern about Tex, it’s that he starts trying too hard,” Girardi said. “If he gets so frustrated that he starts getting out of what he does, that would be my only concern.”

But frustration seemed to be the furthest thing from Teixeira’s mind.

“What happened yesterday or today doesn’t affect anything that happens tomorrow,” Teixeira said. “I’m doing everything I’ve always done, and I trust that plan. It always pays off.”

howard.kussoy@nypost.com