Robinson Cano is going to hit.
That is a comment that has surfaced in the Yankees’ clubhouse and on many of their television and radio broadcasts.
Now may be the time for the 25-year-old second baseman to fulfill the prophecy, with the Yankees missing Alex Rodriguez for the next two weeks and Jorge Posada for at least that long.
As April comes to an end tonight against the Tigers (7:05, YES, WCBS), Cano is hitting .155 with two home runs and seven RBIs. He hit one of those homers last night, a bullet into the front row in right field, in the second inning against Kenny Rogers and Detroit in a 6-4 loss in The Bronx. But Cano followed that up with two fly outs to left field and a three-pitch strikeout that ended the game with him as the potential tying run.
“What I’ve seen mostly is that most of [Cano’s] line drives weren’t caught in spring training,” Joe Girardi said. “A lot of those hard-hit balls found holes. He hasn’t had a lot of luck this year, but his at-bats have been really pretty good. The numbers won’t indicate that.”
Cano’s biggest hit of the year came off the bench. With the Yankees tied 7-7 at Tampa on April 14, Cano hit a pinch-hit home run that the Yankees made stand up in an 8-7 victory. Many thought that would be the breakout moment, but since then he has six hits in 49 at-bats.
“Robby is going to be fine,” Rodriguez said after the win over the Rays. “Robby is a great hitter. He’s going to hit well over .300, and probably make the All-Star Game.”
Cano sounds unconcerned with his early struggles and the team’s mediocre start (14-14), comparing it to last year’s miserable start when they were 9-14 heading into May. But that team was not depending on two young starting pitchers who have yet to show the consistent ability to win on the major-league level.
“We’re winning some games,” Cano said. “We’re better than we were last year. I’m not the only one. I was the same way last year.
“I just keep my head up and keep going out there and do my best. If I don’t do it offensively, I’ll just go out there and do it defensively.”
Tonight’s Pitching Matchup:
Yankees: LHP Andy Pettitte (3-2, 3.23) Pettitte put together three solid starts before struggling in Cleveland last time out, giving up four runs over five innings in a 6-4 loss. This will be Pettitte’s second start at home this season, after pitching four straight on the road.
Tigers: RHP Jeremy Bonderman (1-2, 4.28 ERA) Bonderman has struggled with his control this year, which has led to high pitch counts and short outings. He has not made it through the seventh inning yet this season. In his prior start, he went five innings against the Rangers, allowing two runs on two hits, but seven walks. He left after 4 2/3 inning in a game the Tigers won 8-2.
With AP and yankees.com