YANKEE NOTES
ANAHEIM – Robin Ventura never has let numbers define his performance. He didn’t stare at them and smile when going good, and now that his production is off he doesn’t look at the statistics through a frown and wonder how he can raise his batting average, home runs and RBIs.
“You get to this point in your career and it would be pretty nice to win,” the 36-year-old said. “As long as I am doing something productive, then everything is fine.”
Ventura then uttered a sentence the Yankees have their fingers firmly crossed comes true.
“It’s going to be better than it was,” said Ventura, who hit .202 (17-for-84) in June and was at .217 (10-for-46) for July going into last night’s action against the Angels at Edison Field.
The main reason the Yankees hope Ventura is right is that they don’t have many feasible options behind him at third base. Todd Zeile has spent three-plus months collecting rust as a backup corner infielder, and to expect him to take over at third this late in the season wouldn’t be right. Enrique Wilson can play second, short and third, but third is his least favorite and least effective position. Besides, it’s not likely Wilson as an everyday third baseman would be better than Ventura.
As far as what’s available in a trade, the pool is extremely shallow. Baltimore is shopping Tony Batista, but the Yankees aren’t interested. Even if they were, it has been very difficult for the O’s and Yankees to deal with each other thanks to Birds owner Peter Angelos’ severe disliked for the Bombers. The Padres are shopping Mark Loretta, but nobody is nibbling.
Of course, Drew Henson should have been an option by now, but he isn’t even in the picture thanks to another disappointing season at Columbus (Triple-A).
When Joe Torre has talked about veterans who haven’t been playing to their stats, Torre often said he believed the Yankees have something good coming. He did that with Cecil Fielder, Tino Martinez and Chuck Knoblauch. However, Torre isn’t looking for Ventura to get hot and carry the Yankees.
“I don’t think Robin is going to catch fire like Bernie [Williams],” Torre said. “I think Robin is getting to the point where he is more comfortable than he has been for three weeks. He is swinging the bat better and making better contact. I am not necessarily thinking in terms of where he is going to go on a run and carry the ballclub. He is not that type of player. He is more of a steady player.”
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GM Brian Cashman did something yesterday that is difficult to do: He traded a player designated for assignment. Cashman moved righty reliever Dan Miceli to the Astros for a player to be named later or cash. If the Astros waited until next Tuesday there was a good chance Miceli would have been a free agent.
Miceli was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Friday when Nick Johnson came off the disabled list. Acquired from the Indians with outfielder Karim Garcia on June 25, Miceli appeared in seven games without a decision. In 41/3 innings he allowed three earned runs and four hits.
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Roger Clemens (9-7; 4.01) draws RHP John Lackey (7-9; 4.96) tonight, and David Wells (12-3; 3.80) is slated to face RHP Aaron Sele (6-8; 5.17) tomorrow if Wells’ back problem allows him to pitch.
Rotten Robin
Robin Ventura’s recent slide is the opposite of his performance last summer, when his hitting improved in June and July before tailing off in August and September.
Here’s a look at Ventura’s month-by-month performances this season and last:
Month HR RBI Avg. 2003 Month HR RBI Avg.
April 2002 7 17 .253 April 2003 4 11 .270
May 2002 6 20 .222 May 2003 3 10 .300
June 2002 6 21 .299 June 2003 1 13 .202
July 2002 3 22 .273 July 2003 0 3 .217
August 2002 3 7 .229
Sept. 2002 2 6 .206
