CC Sabathia went down May 11.
They have hit 10 homers since May 14— five of them in one game.
The last Carlos Beltran sighting was May 12. The next one?
After Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Twins, Jacoby Ellsbury finished the second month of the season hitting .228 after batting .312 in the first one. Brian McCann, went 2-for-4 Saturday and hit .227 for May.
Alfonso Soriano swatted two homers in 82 May at-bats. Yangervis Solarte, a savior in April, batted .188 (12-for-64) and needed three hits Saturday to get that high.
Yet, the Yankees are 29-25 and just 2 ½ games back of the AL East-leading Blue Jays.
That’s because a bullpen headed by David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Adam Warren has been terrific and handled perfectly by pitching coach Larry Rothschild and manager Joe Girardi.
Here is a closer look at the past month:
MVP: Dellin Betances
Take all of your money out of the bank. Borrow millions from the local loan shark. Steal from your kids’ piggy bank. And get down on this: Betances’ June won’t be as good as his May.
How could it be? Betances was — and not arguably — the best pitcher in the big leagues during May. And there is no way he can duplicate 28 strikeouts, two walks, two earned runs, nine hits and a 1.04 ERA in 17 ¹/₃ innings.
“Betances was sensational,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said of the Grand Street Campus (Brooklyn) High School product signed by Cesar Presbott in 2006. “Surprised is not an appropriate description. We have dreamed on him for quite some time. We had high hopes, and it’s nice he has arrived.’’
When Shawn Kelley went on the disabled list, he was Girardi’s eighth-inning setup man. When Kelley returns, Girardi would be making a big mistake if Betances doesn’t work the eighth inning.
There are very few pitchers who keep people in their seats or tuned to the TV. Betances was one of them in May.
LVP: Brian McCann
By all accounts, the Yankees adore McCann’s handling of pitchers and attention to detail in meetings, and with the rotation throwing well in the second half of May and the bullpen better, the catcher has to get credit.
Nevertheless, the Yankees dropped $85 million on the left-handed hitter to produce offensively, and he hasn’t — batting .232 with a .672 OPS.
With Beltran out of the lineup, Soriano struggling to find a stroke without playing regularly and Teixeira’s wrist sore, more muscle was needed out of McCann, and it wasn’t provided.
Maybe two doubles, an RBI on Saturday and the weather getting warmer will get McCann going, but it’s been two months, not two weeks, of sluggish hitting.
Looking Ahead
Fifteen of 28 June games are at home, including three of six against the division-leading Blue Jays.
A 10-game, three-city trip opens Friday in Kansas City, moves to Seattle and finishes in Oakland. It ties the longest stretch away from home (July 3-13).
The Yankees expect to get Kelley back this month, but it isn’t clear if Sabathia will return in June. Until Saturday, Michael Pineda looked like he would return from the disabled list soon. Now, that’s not going to happen, so Chase Whitley and Vidal Nuno remain starters until the Yankees find better alternatives.
Soriano Should Play Regularly
There are some Yankees decision makers who believe Alfonso Soriano is a part-time player and they are wrong.
With a lineup that suffers from power outages the streaky Soriano’s muscle is needed. Sure, he is a streaky hitter with a .235 average as May turns into June.
But streaky hitters need to play regularly to get hot. Now that the Yankees are done playing in NL parks where the DH isn’t used, Soriano should get an extended look to see if he gets on a hot streak that could carry a lineup in need of a big boost.
Because Ichiro Suzuki isn’t considered a run producer — Girardi batted him sixth behind John Ryan Murphy Wednesday — Soriano should play right field and DH when he doesn’t.
If Beltran returns — and that is a big IF — Soriano should be the full-time DH.
Game of the Month
May 21: Yankees 4, Cubs 2 (13) (at Wrigley Field)
Going into the ninth inning of a day game against the Cubs the Yankees trailed, 2-0, after scoring a run the previous night. Mark Teixeira singled, Brian McCann walked and Yangervis Solarte singled to load the bases against Hector Rondon to open the inning. Then a throwing error by Darwin Barney led to two runs and tied the score.
Four innings later the Yankees, with the help of pitcher Preston Claiborne’s textbook bunt scored two runs and copped a 4-2 victory that took four hours and 39 minutes to complete.
Five Key Stats
.391/.295: Lefty-swinging Ichiro Suzuki’s splits vs/ lefties/righties.
.356: Yangervis Solarte’s team-leading average with runners in scoring position, among regulars.
14-5: Yankees record in day games. 15-20 at night.
203: Strikeouts by Yankees relievers, which led MLB heading into Saturday, when David Robertson whiffed three in the ninth.
2-22: Yankees record when trailing after eight innings.