RISPy business: What’s holding up Yankees?

NEW YORK — The Yankees are not hitting when runners are in scoring position. There really isn’t another way to say it. But there are a lot of ways to rationalize it, at least from manager Joe Girardi’s perspective.

First, there’s the idea of approach. The Yankees are leaving a lot of men on base — 47 over five games this homestand, entering play on Thursday — but that, of course, means the Yanks are getting men on base in the first place, which in itself is an encouraging sign. Or, as Girardi put it:

“We’re getting runners on,” he said. “We just need to get them in, and that’s going to change and we’re not going to be talking about this nearly as much.”

Second, there’s the time of year. In April, everything looks magnified. An 0-for-10 slump in August or September might only drop a player’s batting average by a couple of points, but in April that’s the difference between batting .300 and batting .200. This amplifies the struggles to make them worse than they are. Or, as Girardi put it:

“If you drop an 0-for-7 or an 0-for-8, you go two days without getting a hit this time in the season, your average is going to plummet,” he said. “In turn, if you go 5-for-8 this time of the year, your average is going to go …

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