Andy Pettitte heads to the mound to try and stop a five-game losing streak for the Yankees against the Minnesota Twins. Pettitte has not been very sharp recently, with his ERA now sitting at 4.22. In five June starts, Pettitte was 1-3 with a 4.83 ERA. With the offense scuffling as much as it is, the pitchers need to be better, and that includes Andy. Pettitte will almost certainly pass Whitey Ford for the Yankees' leader in strikeouts, as he trails Ford by only one heading into tonight's game.
Too Much Of Nothing Lineup: Gardner 8, Nix 6, Cano 4, Wells 9, Hafner DH, Almonte 7, Overbay 3, Stewart 2, Adams 5, Pettitte 1. #yankees
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughSL) July 1, 2013
Jayson Nix batting second has been a common feature for most of the season, but he has only hit .196/.281/.314 in his last 14 games. Batting between the Yankees' only two good hitters is not a place Nix should be batting right now. Unfortunately, with so many holes in the lineup, there aren't a ton of choices. Vernon Wells is still batting cleanup because Joe Girardi is a masochist.
Wells, Robinson Cano, and Travis Hafner are the only Yankees who have ever faced Twins starter Scott Diamond. Cano is 1-2 with a triple against the left-hander, Hafner is 2-6 against Diamond in his career, and Wells has one single in three-at bats. Any time this offense goes up against a lefty, it has the potential to be ugly.
#Yankees#MLBDraft fans asking about Aaron Judge, nothing has changed. Slot offer is still sitting there for him to sign. He wants more.
— K. Levine-Flandrup (@YankeesDraft) July 1, 2013
Aaron Judge is the lone draftee in the Yankees' first 17 picks from last month to have not yet signed. He wants more money than the slot value dictates, which is not something the team gave either of the other first round picks, Eric Jagielo or Ian Clarkin. As a college junior, Judge does have the option of returning to school, but the Yankees saved money with some of their other picks like John Murphy, so it seems unlikely that a deal won't happen at some point.
More from Pinstriped Bible:
MLB Trade Deadline: Where do the Yankees need to upgrade the most?
MLB Trade Deadline: Should the Yankees be buyers or sellers?
MLB Trade Rumors and the Yankees: Konerko, Hart, Hughes, Utley