Idle time no help to Yankee hitters

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During the six-month regular season, there were just 20 days in which the Yankees didn’t play a game, including rainouts and the four-day All-Star break. But since the end of the regular season three weeks ago, the team has had 12 days off, including Saturday, when Game 6 of the American League Championship Series was postponed due to inclement weather.

And since baseball is a game that relies on rhythm and timing to be played well, excess down time could be one reason so many Yankee hitters are slumping. Mark Teixeira, who led the American League in home runs and RBIs during the regular season, is batting .171 with just two extra-base hits and four RBIs in the postseason. Robinson Cano, a .320 hitter during the summer, is batting .212 in the playoffs, and Johnny Damon, who has homered twice in the ALCS, is still hitting just .211 in the postseason, 71 points below his regular-season mark.

And then there’s Nick Swisher, who hit .249 with with 29 homers and 82 RBIs during the summer but is batting .103 with 10 strikeouts in 29 playoff at-bats.

‘Each guy is different. It could be harmful. It could be helpful,’ Yankee Manager Joe Girardi said of the extra rest. ‘You are really not going to know. One thing you know is, certain guys react different to different circumstances. I don’t know if it helps our guys, hurts our guys. Only time will tell.’

-- Kevin Baxter