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Sweeny Says: Homestand Will Be A Big Test For Yankees

By Sweeny Murti
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Some random thoughts heading into the Yanks' longest homestand of the season:

*As well as the Yankees played on the last road trip, this ten-game homestand will tell us a lot more about the Bombers' play of late.

On the 6-and-3 road trip through Oakland, Seattle, and Anaheim the Yanks outscored their opponents 43-23.  Impressive, yes.  But keep in mind that all three teams are ranked among the five worst offensive teams in the American League, and the Yanks were playing them in three pitcher-friendly parks.

The next ten games are against Boston, Cleveland, and Texas—and all three of these teams are ranked among the five best offensive teams in the AL, and the Yanks will play them in hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium.

*Derek Jeter is hoping he can get his 3,000th hit at home, and admitted last week that would probably be the only pressure aspect to it.  But he'll have to get very hot to get there.  Jeter needs 14 hits in 10 games.

Its not impossible—Jeter had 14 hits in 10 games just last month between May 2-12th.  But his average pace since the start of 2010 is slightly more than that, meaning Jeter might have to settle for #3,000 on the road.  Not only that, but also a National League city—the Yankees visit Chicago and Cincinnati June 17-22nd.

When Jeter does get that hit, he will not only be the first Yankee to reach the mark, but he will also be the first New York player of any kind.  Amazing to think that in the entire history of New York baseball, no player wearing a Yankee, Dodger, Giant, or Met jersey has reached 3,000 hits.

*Bartolo Colon has been everything the Yankees needed when Phil Hughes went down.  But everyone keeps asking, "Do you think he can keep this up?"

The answer is no---I don't THINK he can keep it up.  Remember that Colon's stamina is the biggest question against him at age 38 and six years removed from his last full major league season.

The important thing is that Colon has kept the Yankees from fading when they've played one-third of the season with zero contribution from Hughes.

*Speaking of Hughes, he is on the road back, inching closer to a minor league rehab assignment.  Barring setbacks, Hughes might be ready to pitch in the majors again in a month or so, and that would be a huge lift.  Who do they replace in the rotation?  Let's cross that bridge when we come to it.

Meanwhile, don't worry so much about what Hughes's fastball is clocking in these bullpen and batting practice sessions.  Pitchers never have radar guns on them until the actual game situations, so nothing should change here.

The last thing the Yankees want is for Hughes to start pitching conscious of the MPH this early in the process.  Let him get comfortable, let him get back in a game situation where adrenaline factors in, and then you can get a true read on his velocity.

*David Robertson's escapes are becoming legendary, and the Yanks have been fortunate for his presence because of Rafael Soriano's absence.  But Robertson's walks will become troublesome at some point.

Robertson is walking batter at a rate of 6.9 per nine innings.  He's also striking them out at a rate of 14.7 per nine innings.  His strikeout-to-walk ratio has gone down each year since 2009 (2.74 to 2.15 to 2.11).

Robertson has been incredibly important to the bullpen success this year.  But controlling the walks will help him take the next step to becoming a premier setup man and perhaps even—gulp—a future closer.

*Mark Teixeira's home run binge and Robinson Cano's decreased plate discipline have quieted talk from the armchair managers who believe the lineup is better suited having Cano bat third instead of Teixeira.

My contention has been this—as long as Teixeira's on-base percentage is higher than Cano's (and it's nearly 50 points higher at the moment, .365 to .316) I'd like to keep the lineup just the way it is.

Sweeny Murti
Yankees@wfan.com
www.twitter.com/YankeesWFAN

What's your prediction for the Yankees' homestand? Let Sweeny know in the comments below...

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