Back to .500

Adrian Gonzalez has been the Sox best player this year.

Things can change quickly in Major League Baseball. After about forty games played it seems like the Yankees and Red Sox have traded places. At the start of April, it was the Red Sox who were in trouble after starting the season with six consecutive losses. However, as we approach June it appears that the Sox have righted the ship, and its the Yankees who are now facing adversity. The culmination of the role reversal occurred last night when the Red Sox beat the Yankees 7-5 to sweep them at Yankee Stadium. With the win, the Sox reached .500 for the first time this season, and pulled within three games of the first place Tampa Bay Rays. The Sox have climbed back into the hunt with great pitching from Lester (5-1, 3.28 ERA) and Josh Becket (3-1, 1.75 ERA), as well as MVP type play from marquis free agent signing Adrian Gonzalez (.319 BA/ 9 HR/34 RBI's). As the Sox have rebounded, the Yankees continue to slip. The Yankees have lost their last five games and now have a record of 20-18.  Other than Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixiera, and Robinson Cano, many of the Yankees big producers have been struggling at the plate. Mainly Jorge Posada who's hitting .165 which is good enough for lowest in the MLB.

Jorge Posada has the worst batting average in the MLB.

 Tension sprung up after he asked Manger Joe Girardi for a day off after being dropped to ninth in the batting order. That led to even more distractions after Captain Derek Jeter chimed in and defended his teammate. While saying that this trend will continue as we analyze in May is naive. Its hard to ignore the Yankees struggles. With many of their players on the decline at the end of their careers its not a stretch to say that the Yankees might not have the legs to make it to October. Especially since they don't have a dominant starting rotation to make up for the struggling bats in the lineup.