Two, the loneliest number. Cause that’s all the Yanks seem to be able to score these days. Rationed to a couple of runs per game. And most of the time that’s just not enough. Here’s how it goes for them right now–down a run, middle of the game, Ichiro gets on first with a bunt single. He steals second and then swipes third and then three different Angels pitchers strike out the next three hitters and Ichiro is stranded.

The final score: Angels 6, Yanks 2. And the bad news is that Mark Teixeira left the game and returned to New York to have his wrist checked. The underlying feeling with Tex is that this year was going to be a ruined. That isn’t the case yet but it’s hard not to have a bad feeling about what the doctor’s will find.

Here’s hitting coach Kevin Long (via Chad Jennings):

“I don’t know that it’s been right since he’s been here, honestly…A big part of his routine is doing tee work, and he hasn’t been able to do that. It definitely affects him from the left side, not the right side. The right side is fine, but the left-handed part where you kind of go like that (bending at the wrist) in the last minute, he’s not able to execute.

“At this point, he’s going to play and do what he thinks he’s capable of doing to help the team. When he feels like that part of it doesn’t get him far enough and doesn’t get him to where he’s able to help the team, he’s going to say something. He did today. … He had a couple pitches where he was like, ‘I should crush those balls, but I’m not able to take my A-swing.’ He said at that point he should probably come out of the game and reevaluate what’s happening.”

[Photo Credit: Matt Malloy]