Yankee Stadium was supposed to set up Giancarlo Stanton to produce career-best power numbers. Instead, the ballpark — or, to be more precise, his struggle there — is holding the hulking slugger back.
Stanton’s problems in the Bronx continued Sunday in a 3-1 victory over the Angels. He struck out four times — the third time he’s done that this year at home — and Yankees fans let him know about their dissatisfaction, booing the slugger.
After his third strikeout, Stanton heard loud groans and sighs. Following his fourth whiff, there were boos — similar to the ones he heard at the height of his struggles in April. It was a rough series for Stanton, who did have a four-hit game at the Stadium to close the last homestand in a win over the A’s on May 13. He also hit safely in all seven games on the ensuing road trip.
But that didn’t carry over. Stanton went hitless in 12 at-bats with seven strikeouts, a season-long trend when batting in his new home. He left six runners on base Sunday.
“I think he struggled a little bit this weekend, no question, with his at-bats and timing-wise,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s probably not seeing the ball great. You continue to work at it.”
Overall, Stanton is hitting a pedestrian .210/.294/.419 with a meager OPS at home of .713. On the road, those numbers are far better: .302/.371/.570 and .941. Of his 65 strikeouts, 38 are at home. He’s also scored four more runs on the road.
“[There’s] nothing I’m alarmed with necessarily,” Boone said.
His numbers, altogether, still remain solid. Stanton, who didn’t make himself available to the media following the win, has 11 home runs, 28 RBIs and an .816 OPS for the season. He’s hitting .282/.352/.577 this month with a .929 OPS, and has helped the Yankees to a stellar 33-16 record.
“These first couple months, he’s been in and out a little bit and just trying to find that good rhythm where he goes on a long streak,” Boone said. “We haven’t seen that yet. He’s also, as much as anyone, one swing away from changing the game. We continue to work with him to try and get him comfortable and locked in and know that he’ll eventually take off.”
But so far, that hasn’t happened. Certainly not at Yankee Stadium.
