Do we dare utter the unthinkable? Should Derek Jeter be relieved of his lead-off duties? Pinstripe Alley says it’s time and it was one of a few missed opportunities for New York in their 3-1 loss to the Tigers Monday night.
Pinstripe Alley: Missed Opportunities Abound In Yank’s 3-1 Loss To Tigers
In case you didn’t see the proceedings, Jeter came to the plate in the ninth inning with the bases juiced and one out with the Yankees trailing by two. Detroit’s closer, Jose Valverde, couldn’t throw a strike if his life depended on it. On 2-1, Jeter swung at ball three. He swung at the next pitch too and grounded into a game-ending DP (his second of the game). Oh, he also made a throwing error on a routine play for good measure.
With all that said, the blame can be spread to all the hitters except Granderson (3-3, 2B, BB). Virtually the whole lineup has stopped hitting (0-7 with RISP) and the only reason they scratched across one run was Valverde’s extreme wildness.
Who knows what the problem is? Are all the hitters slumping at the same time? Have they faced two incredible pitchers that made it impossible to score? Is it this thing about not seeing the starting pitchers before? It didn’t help, of course, that A-Rod (calf) and Swisher (forearm) left the game in the sixth after injuries.
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