Let’s get real, Yankees.
The news on Mark Teixeira was ominous Monday night at Yankee Stadium and then the Yankees went out and put on a terrible performance in a 4-2 loss to the dreadful Rangers at Yankee Stadium, the ugliest loss of the year.
Brian Cashman is all in on a pitcher, after 80 percent of the Yankees rotation has been wiped out by injury. That’s a no-brainer.
A struggling Cliff Lee was back on the mound for the Phillies on Monday night, though he was far from sharp, allowing 12 hits and six runs in 5 ²/₃ innings, and could be a Yankee with the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaching.
But efforts like Monday’s, in which the Yankees had as many hits as errors (five), show Cashman also must find a way to land another hitter — and he should make a run at Phillies second baseman Chase Utley.
Teixeira will be down for at least three days with a strained lat. The first baseman, hitless since the All-Star break, admitted the injury has been bothering him for a month. The Yankees could be without their leading home run hitter (17) and RBI man (48) for a while.
For a team that is 21st in slugging percentage with a .379 mark, 19th in on-base percentage at .314 and 19th in OPS at .695, losing Teixeira would be a backbreaker. Without Teixeira, you could kiss goodbye the plan to get Derek Jeter to his final October.
The 50-48 Yankees are lucky to be where they are considering Monday night’s lineup consisted of career minor leaguer Zelous Wheeler at third and the .223-hitting Kelly Johnson at first. Joe Girardi could have put Brian McCann at first, but gave him the night off until McCann pinch hit late.
With Teixeira down, Carlos Beltran must start making some noise at designated hitter. He is batting only .220 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs.
The pickings are slim on the trade market.
Padres third baseman Chase Headley’s name has been floating around forever. Though he is hitting only .229, Headley would be an improvement and it would not take that much to land the switch-hitter.
In July, Headley is hitting .323, having become more aggressive at the plate.
In 65 plate appearances, he has yet to walk. Pitchers are attacking him and he has responded.
The Padres are open for trade business and this could get done. Another name out there that might help would be Minnesota’s Josh Willingham, who is hitting only .209.
Landing Utley, though, would be the best scenario. Brian Roberts is hitting a punchless .242, and made one of the five errors Monday night. Utley is hitting .288 with eight homers and 46 RBIs.
Rookie Shane Greene pitched well but committed three errors. Matt Thornton once again was not the shutdown lefty out of the bullpen. Jeter bounced into a critical double play in the fifth and also made an error.
For the most part the Yankees have been able to get away with a lack of hitting because of the weakness of the competition and mistakes made by opponents, like the Reds not catching McCann’s game-winning popup behind first base Sunday.
Survival in the AL East race will take much more.
This is not the 2009 team that had Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Jeter in his prime, Robinson Cano, Johnny Damon and Nick Swisher.
The Yankees cannot succeed with an offense in 2014 that is so flawed.