TORONTO — Aroldis Chapman arrived late, but finally the Yankees began to win more regularly, and there is cause and effect.
There is also smoke and mirrors.
The Yankees are 13-8 since Chapman returned from his suspension, one of the best marks in the majors. Yet they have barely outscored the opposition in that time, 91-87. They win when Nate Eovaldi, CC Sabathia or Masahiro Tanaka starts well and the firm of Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Chapman protects whatever meager lead the offense supplies.
The Yankees won Sunday in Tampa 2-1 despite managing just one hit (smoke and mirrors). They lost Monday in Toronto 4-2 when they managed five hits — just three hits and zero runs in eight innings against Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada.
This marked the 21st time the Yankees scored two runs or fewer — the most in the AL. You can have Betances, Miller, Chapman and throw in the spirit of Mariano Rivera for good measure and the Yanks are not going to be a playoff team with that kind of offense, not when they also are below par running the bases and on defense.
The Yankees stacked eight lefties against Estrada and had one limp result after another. They were 2-for-13 with men on base, hitless in four shots with runners in scoring position to fall to a major league-worst .212 in such spots.
“When you have two-thirds of your lineup not swinging well, it is hard to score runs,” Joe Girardi said.
And it might be more than two-thirds. There is so little impact in this Bomber-less attack, so much blame up and down the lineup that to pinpoint just one or two culprits would be to exonerate too many of the guilty.
But here is an obvious starting point: When Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira were good last year, so was the Yankee offense. They have been bad this year and, well, for the first time since 1972 the Yanks have scored two runs or fewer 21 times in their first 50 games (as noted by YES researcher Jeff Quagliata). That was the year before the DH was installed. Of course, if your main DH has a .170 average like Rodriguez, what’s the point?
“The good news is we are still in it this year and Tex and I haven’t gotten going,” Rodriguez said. “It would be great to see us get going together. I want to see how good we can be if we are producing.”
Rodriguez is the antithesis of producing, just 1-for-16 with nine strikeouts since he came off the DL and so he did not start the opener in Toronto. Teixeira started after not doing so for five games due to a neck ailment. He went hitless in three at-bats with two strikeouts against Estrada before doubling off relief piñata Drew Storen in the ninth.
He did not say that was a kick-starter. He admits he has not felt right at the plate all season.
Nevertheless, Teixeira said, “I am confident I am going to swing the bat well.”
Last season, amid doubt that either had much left, A-Rod and Teixeira stayed remarkably healthy considering their ages and injury history and delivered 64 homers, 165 RBIs and an .869 OPS. However, the offense collapsed late season with Rodriguez exhausted and Teixeira missing the final six weeks with a fractured shin. And it has picked up miserably where it left off.
The duo went into Monday with a combined .601 OPS, nine homers and 26 RBIs. Their strikeouts are up while their walks and competitive at-bats are down. Rodriguez, 40, already has been to the DL, Teixeira has not, but has had to have cortisone shots to his neck and miss time in two spans this year. Teixeira has not exceeded 123 games since 2011. His body has become his enemy, routinely betraying him.
With Greg Bird (shoulder) out for the season and now even Dustin Ackley (shoulder) possibly joining him, the Yanks have no safety net if Teixeira does not revive. He had 31 homers and a .906 OPS when his season was shut down last August. That feels long ago now.
In Carlos Beltran, the Yanks have a DH alternative to Rodriguez. But that would mean more regular at-bats for Aaron Hicks, who might not be ready for prime time.
Thus, the Yanks will need both Rodriguez and Teixeira to approximate in some form their strong 2015 results. But nearly one-third of the season already is gone and at this time of last season, Teixeira and A-Rod ranked 1-2 on the Yankees in homers and both had an OPS above .900. Now? They rank 1-2 in biggest offensive concerns on a roster saturated with them.
“In order for us to be productive as a team and win consistently, I do think we have to do our thing,” Teixeira said of himself and A-Rod.
So far, there have been few signs of life.
