Just enough. That is by how much Alex Rodriguez’s go-ahead, two-run homer cleared the right-field fence in the eighth inning yesterday — symbolic in many ways of the Yankees’ offense this year, too.
They have done enough to win, but not impress. Which is kind of bizarre, because the Yankees actually began yesterday with the majors’ second-most runs. Yet to be around the Yankees daily is to know, as Rodriguez himself said: “We have been carried this year by our starting pitching. Our offense just has been here and there, but not consistent all year.”
Which explains why, at the moment, general manager Brian Cashman is emphasizing acquiring positional depth, not Cliff Lee, in the trade market. Cashman wants to, for example, find a better alternative to near automatic out Ramiro Pena when Rodriguez is the designated hitter, like he was yesterday. The Yankees want to mimic last July’s trade for the versatile Jerry Hairston by acquiring someone such as Ty Wigginton.
The Orioles had a scout at yesterday’s 4-2 Yankees win, though Baltimore does not play Seattle again until August or the Yankees until September. Wigginton would, indeed, be a nice addition, though Baltimore and the Yankees have not been overly keen about trading with one another.
So, for now, I offer another recommendation: Call up Jesus Montero.
“That is not something on our radar,” Cashman said. Translation: Not a prayer.
Cashman does not want to place Montero on the 40-man roster a year before the Yankees must — and expose someone else to the offseason Rule 5 draft. The coaching staff feels integrating a catcher with a staff during a season is incredibly tough, and doing it with a 20-year-old with defensive deficiencies would be much tougher. The development people want Montero to spend a full season at Triple-A to work on those defensive deficiencies.
I get all the complaints, and understand that Montero would not play third when Rodriguez DHs, nor would he enable the Yankees to specifically sit Curtis Granderson against southpaws. But I still believe he can help the overall offense, particularly against lefties.
The Yankees could set a July 31 deadline for Montero to show he can handle the majors or else they will demote him. In that window, Montero might exhibit an ability to stick or, perhaps, make himself even more attractive as a trade chip.
Initially, the Yankees should have Montero catch twice a week (preferably with their most mature starters, Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia, pitching), DH 2-3 times a week and be a bat off the bench otherwise. Would his defense be an issue? Yes. But so is Jorge Posada’s. His passed ball yesterday allowed two runners to move into scoring position before Russell Branyan’s two-run, eighth-inning single tied the score 2-2.
That the score could be tied, however, was the fault of that inconsistent offense. It is one thing to be shut down by strong lefties such as Clayton Kershaw or Lee. But Ryan Rowland-Smith came in 1-7 with a 6.18 ERA and more walks (30) than strikeouts.
Yet, he held the Yankees to two runs in six innings, one coming on a homer by Robinson Cano, who now has the most homers (10) in the majors against southpaws.
Cano is the Yankees’ best bat against lefties, and Rodriguez’s power stroke has awoken recently, but there are too many trouble spots still, including Francisco Cervelli returning to reality with a .177 average in his last 27 games. But Cervelli provides a key to promoting Montero: Last year, out of injury desperation, the Yankees summoned Cervelli. He was hitting just .190 at Double-A, but the Yankees believed he was a better hitter and that proved to be the case in the majors.
Montero, even with a recent hot streak, was hitting just .250 at Triple-A. But no one in the Yankees organization worries about his hitting. I don’t think it is farfetched to believe, batting seventh in this lineup, Montero would offer a potent bat right now.
So why not use the window until the July 31 deadline to experiment to get a clearer view on how much Montero can help the Yankees now — and in the future.