Mid-Way Through June, Yankees Enjoying Dominant Month

Added by Gregg Snyder on June 18, 2012.

Ivan Nova has been dominant through three June starts. He became the first AL pitcher to notch nine victories this season.

The New York Yankees are on fire here in early summer. The team has won 13 of it’s 15 games in the month of June, including nine straight victories entering tonight (Monday).

The Yankees starting rotation has been the hottest in all of baseball. So far in the month of June, four of the five starting pitchers have ERA’s under 2.00. The only one above that mark is ace CC Sabathia, who sits at 3.86 through three June starts.

Ivan Nova has been the most dominant this month. Last night, he notched his AL leading ninth victory this season. In three starts this month, Nova is 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA. He has given up just 16 hits and two runs in 22.2 innings pitched. Nova has struck out 15 and walked just three in that span.

Phil Hughes has had a rejuvenation in June. He is also 3-0 in his three starts with a 1.69 ERA. Hughes has given up 16 hits in 21.1 innings while striking out 23.

It seems as though the rotation really began falling into a dominant groove once Andy Pettitte rejoined the club. Pettitte has done his part this month, going 1-0 with a 1.77 ERA in three starts. It’s amazing what Pettitte has been able to do since making his return to baseball.

Even the up and down Hiroki Kuroda has been tough to solve for Yankees opponents. Kuroda is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA through three June starts.

Sabathia takes the mound tonight as the Yankees return home to face the Atlanta Braves. The big lefty watched some video of his last start, a rough game against the Braves. Sabathia said he saw some mechanical issues that he vows to fix tonight and continue the Yankees winning streak.

Offensively, the Yankees are getting mixed results. While the lineup is doing enough to win, they have yet to really have consistent scoring. Luckily, the pitching has been so dominant, the offense has not needed to carry the team.

Robinson Cano has been the hottest hitter in June, batting .333 with two doubles and four home runs. He has driven in eight runners this month as well. Nick Swisher is right behind him at .326 this month, including five doubles and two home runs.

While Curtis Granderson is batting just .250 in June, he has belted three doubles and five home runs while driving in 11 runs. In that same run producing fashion, Alex Rodriguez leads the team with 12 RBI’s in the month of June. He has three home runs despite hitting just .222.

Entering tonight’s contest, the Yankees sit atop the American League East with a 1.5 game lead over Baltimore. New York has the best record in the American League and trail only the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in all of baseball. The Yankees are the first team to reach 10 wins during interleague play this season.

Interleague play concludes with a three game homestand beginning tonight against Atlanta and three games at Citi Field against the Mets over the weekend.