YANKEE NOTES
CLEVELAND – Bernie Williams is ready to help the Yankees.
“I feel I can compete,” Williams said last night after finishing a five-game rehab stint with Trenton [Double-A] by drawing three walks and hitting a sacrifice fly. “I am getting my timing back. I feel I can help the team. If I was going to have bad at-bats, they wanted me to have them here. I am going to go out there and let it rip.”
Williams, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee May 27, went 5-for-15 (.333) but never crushed a ball in his five games at Trenton.
While the Yankees went 25-17 since losing Williams on May 22, they will welcome Williams back to the cleanup spot – especially with Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano nursing hand problems. Neither was in the lineup last night, though Jeter did pinch-hit in the ninth inning of the Yanks’ 4-0 loss to the Indians.
“We have had trouble filling the cleanup spot; it hasn’t been a very productive spot for us,” Joe Torre said. “Nobody seemed to look right with Bernie not there.”
Despite the winning record without Williams, the numbers back Torre’s assessment. Eight batters combined to hit a pathetic .208 (32-for-154) with seven homers and 26 RBIs in 42 games.
Jorge Posada, who was 0-for-3 as last night’s cleanup hitter, has gone 9-for-48 (.188) with two homers and nine RBIs. Jason Giambi was 12-for-40 (.300) with four homers and eight RBIs. Ruben Sierra was 8-for-32 (.250) with one homer and seven RBIs. Hideki Matsui was 1-for-10 (.100) with an RBI; Raul Mondesi was 1-for-14 (.071); Robin Ventura was 1-for-4 (.250); Bubba Trammell was 0-for-3 and Todd Zeile was 0-for-3 with an RBI.
* Bullpen help may be on the way in the form of Antonio Osuna, but the Yankees are still looking for a right-hander to set up Mariano Rivera.
Osuna (groin injury) pitched one inning in the Gulf Coast League yesterday and could be another outing away from coming off the DL.
Yankees know they need more than Osuna, however, and the price tag on their No. 1 desire – Ugueth Urbina – has gone down with Seattle declaring its non-interest.
* Jose Contreras threw 75 feet on flat ground for 10 minutes yesterday and Nick Johnson took 30 dry swings and 30 hacks off a batting tee. Johnson is hoping to return by the end of the month.
“If I keep going forward, I think so,” said Johnson, who may soon begin throwing softly.
