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"Our defense has been OK. We have had some guys who have been out of position. We have people, because of injury, playing places where they don't normally play. The balls that we get to, we are going to be really good at. I think our guys are very professional and they are going to do their job when they get to the ball.”

-- Joe Girardi prior to Wednesday's game against the Royals

Statistically speaking, the Yankees' defense doesn't rate as highly as Girardi's assessment, perhaps because they don't get to as many balls as they should.

By most, if not all, of the advanced defensive metrics, the Yankees rate poorly relative to the other teams in the majors. And though 44 games does not provide enough data to make predictions for the rest of the season, it does allow the ability to assess where some of the trouble spots lie.

We use a combination of measures via Baseball Info Solutions, a company that provides defensive data to teams and media, as well as the Team Defensive Efficiency stat tracked at Baseball Prospectus, and our own batted-ball data.

Those stats are explained in the charts to the right of this piece.

Let's look how the Yankees rate in a number of areas related to these stats.

Gold Glove candidacies for Teixeira, Cano?
Two Yankees defenders are off to good starts this season-- Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano. Each has saved the Yankees three runs this season, and plays like the game-ending stretch at first base and the Web Gem-worthy double play that Teixeira started in Wednesday's win help the statistical cause.

Teixeira ranks second in the majors in GFPs with 27, and his Good Play/Misplay Ratio is 5.4-to-1, the best among anyone in the AL. His offensive struggles and health issues have not hurt his play in the field.

Cano's strength has been in turning the double play as the pivot man. There have been 21 double-play chances in which Cano was the pivot man at second base. The Yankees have turned 17 of them, or 81 percent, the third-best pivot rate in the majors.

Grounded
The Yankees' biggest defensive liability may be their inability to turn ground balls into outs.

Opponents have reached base 30 percent of the time when hitting a ground ball, whether by hit or error.

The chart on the right shows how the Yankees' rate at turning grounders into outs, particularly compared to AL East teams.

Our data shows specifically that the Yankees are getting hurt by ground balls to the left of second base.

Derek Jeter, rates poorly, at -5 Defensive Runs Saved. Alex Rodriguez checks in as having cost the Yankees a run.

Jeter's issue is that a lot of ground balls have scooted through holes usually covered by a major league shortstop. He's made up for that with 11 GFPs and only 6 DM&E. His Good Play/Misplay rate is third-best among shortstops.

On the other hand, Rodriguez, who was one of the best-rated third basemen defensively last season, has only 4 GFPs and 6 DM&E. Last season Rodriguez fared much better, with a 26/17 GFP/DM&E tally.

Outfield Issues
The Yankees miss Brett Gardner, whose play was Gold-Glove worthy last season, but they have other things to worry about in the outfield.

The primary one is that for the second straight season, Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher are not rating well. Combined, they have -8 Defensive Runs Saved (in other words, their defense has cost the Yankees eight runs).

The primary culprit in their bad ratings is that they are yielding hits on balls hit over their heads. Our hit location data charts the Yankees as having allowed 58 batted balls to center field, and the two outfield gaps, that traveled an estimated 350 feet or more and stayed in the ballpark.

Yankees outfielders allowed 26 hits on those balls. The average major league team is allowing 20.

One of the other things that hurts Granderson is that runners have taken 20 extra bases on the 29 times they've had the opportunity to advance (ie: take a base on a sacrifice fly or go first to third/second to home on a single). That’s out of line with the normal rate of advancement on Granderson’s arm (about 50 percent).

Perhaps that, like some of the other things mentioned in this story, will correct in time. They are among those that bear watching over the next 4½ months.

ROYAL PAIN
Same story, different day. The Yankees offensive troubles continued on Monday night in a 6-0 loss to the Royals, marking the first time they were shut out at home by Kansas City since 1999.

The Yankees went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and are now 6-for-72 in their last nine games.

The 13 at-bats without a hit in those situations is the second-most for the Yankees in the last 40 seasons, surpassed only by an 0-for-14 effort in 1990 versus the Twins.

Felipe Paulino pitched his second straight gem against the Yankees, tossing 6⅔ scoreless innings just two weeks after he threw six scoreless innings against the Yankees on May 5. Paulino is the first Royals pitcher ever to have consecutive starts of at least six scoreless innings versus the Yankees.

With the loss and the Red Sox win, the Yankees fell into a tie for last place in the AL East after the game. This is the latest the Yankees have been in last place in the division since June 2008. That also happens to be the last time the Yankees failed to make the playoffs.

A WIN IS A WIN
The losing streak ended but the offensive issues continued as the Yankees squeezed out a 3-2 win against the Royals on Tuesday night. Phil Hughes pitched well, allowing two runs in six innings with seven strikeouts.

Hughes mixed up his pitches, throwing curves and changeups 41 percent of the time, his highest rate of non-fastballs/cutters in a start since 2009. That made his fastball more effective; he threw 80 percent of his heaters for strikes, his highest rate in a start over the last four seasons.

However, Hughes did give up his 11th home run of the season and has now allowed at least one longball in each of his nine starts. That's the second-longest such streak at any point in the season by a Yankee righty, behind a 10-start streak by Jack McDowell in 1995.

A-BOMBS AWAY
The Yankees finally broke out of their offensive slump on Wednesday, beating the Royals 8-3. Andy Pettitte pitched another gem, throwing seven innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts. It is just the third time in his career he's had consecutive games of at least eight strikeouts and two runs or fewer allowed, and the first time since 2003.

Alex Rodriguez hit two homers to lead the offensive outburst, recording his first multi-homer game since May 17, 2011. A-Rod now has 21 homers versus the Royals, passing Bernie Williams for the most by any Yankee against the franchise.

RIDICULOUS YANKEEMETRIC OF THE SERIES
Will Smith allowed five runs on three home runs in 3⅓ innings in his major-league debut against the Yankees on Wednesday.

Smith is the fifth pitcher in the last 90 seasons to allow at least three homers against the Yankees in his first major-league game, and the first to do so since the Tigers' Beiker Graterol in 1999. Smith is the only one of the five to do it in fewer than four innings.

With the Royals starting left-hander Will Smith on Wednesday, Joe Girardi has shifted Mark Texieira into the No. 3 spot in the order.

"Well, you look at what Mark has done as a right-handed hitter, he has been outstanding," Joe Girardi said. "He has done a lot of damage here the three years that we have had him so I just put him there."

This year, Teixeira is hitting .224 with two homers and six RBIs as a righty. As a lefty, he is at .231 with three homers and 14 RBIs. In his career, Teixiera is a .302 hitter as a righty and a .270 batter as lefty.

Since taking the weekend off to rest his persistent cough, Teixeira has batted seventh in the first two games back against righties. Teixeira has batted third three other times this season. Last year, he spent nearly the entire season batting third.

Teixeira plans on abandoning his all-fields approach. He would rather sacrifice his average to hit for more power and drive in more runs. He feels he has been putting too many balls in play and wasting at-bats by not driving the ball.

"That [stinks]," Teixeira said.

So it sounds as if he will be swinging for the fences, average be darned.

"Last year, 39 homers and a low average wasn't good enough," Teixeira said. "I think I'd rather hit 39 home runs than 20 or 15. I would rather drive in 111 runs than 80 so I'm going to be more aggressive."

Teixeira said his new approach, trying to beat the shift and use the whole field more, "hasn't worked."

As for right-handed starters, Girardi isn't ready to commit to Teixeira remaining in the seventh spot.

"We will make that decision Friday," Girardi said.

The guess here is yes, against righties Teixiera will be back batting seventh. Teixeira says it doesn't matter where he hits.

"I don't think that anyone's Hall of Fame plaque says where he hit in the order," Teixeira said.

That's probably true, but you know where Hank Aaron hit.

"I have no idea where Hank Aaron hit," Teixeira said.

Where would you think?

"Third or fourth," Teixeira said.

Back in the day, we all know that if the Yankees were in last place on May 22, George Steinbrenner would be going berserk. His son, Hal Steinbreinner, is a different and seemingly much more patient owner.

Far as anyone can tell, he is not bothering Joe Girardi. It is not even apparent if Baby Boss is in regular contact with Girardi.

The manager was asked if he has heard from ownership.

"I've gotten some texts," Girardi said before Tuesday night's game. "Nothing out of the ordinary. One of them was congratulating Andy [Pettitte] on the day he threw the shutout. But nothing in particular."

Was that from Hal?

"It was Felix [Lopez, who is The Boss' son in-law and an executive vice president in Tampa] congratulating Andy," Girardi said.

Girardi shouldn't feel too bad. ESPN New York left a message for Hal on Tuesday morning and he hasn't called us back yet, either.

Meanwhile Girardi made the case that the 21-21 Yankees are pretty good last-place team.

"We feel we are a much better club than what we've played," Girardi said. "We are in last place but every team in our division is .500 or better. I'm not satisfied where we are, but a lot of times when you think about a last-place team you are thinking about a team that is 20-32 or something like that.

"I think we are a much better team than what we have played."

The Cash Register is a regular feature of the blog in which we chart how former Yankees who were traded away are faring this season.

" Seattle catcher Jesus Montero: Montero's not crushing the ball, but his six home runs and 20 RBIs are definitely helping Seattle's offense. He could be more selective at the plate.

" Seattle starter Hector Noesi: Noesi continues to struggle as a starter. He's 2-4 with a 5.61 ERA. Perhaps he's better suited for bullpen work.

" Arizona pitcher Ian Kennedy: Kennedy has lost four straight decisions and now sits at 3-4 with a 4.47 ERA. He's regressed after last year's outstanding campaign.

" Detroit center fielder Austin Jackson: Jackson has been one of the best center fielders in the game, hitting .331 with a .414 on-base percentage. He's only only struck out 29 times, after fanning no less than 170 in each of his first two seasons in the big leagues.

" Detroit reliever Phil Coke: Coke has struggled this season, pitching to a 4.58 ERA over 17 2/3 innings. He's yielded 18 hits and walked five.

" San Francisco left fielder Melky Cabrera: Another former Yankees outfielder who's raking, Cabrera is hitting .353. He has two home runs and 17 RBIs. Cabrera continues to hit since he left the Bronx in the ill-fated Javier Vazquez deal.

" Miami reliever Mike Dunn: Dunn has been recalled from Triple-A and has given up just one earned run in 2 2/3 innings since returning. He has a 7.56 ERA.

" Boston reliever Mark Melancon: Melancon has been fantastic in Triple-A, giving up just one earned run in 14 innings while striking out 22.

" Pittsburgh pitcher A.J. Burnett: Burnett is 2-2 with a 4.78 ERA, but the question remains: Would he be a better option than Hiroki Kuroda right now?

" San Francisco reliever George Kontos: Kontos is pitching well in Triple-A, giving up just five earned runs over 22 2/3 innings. He has a 1.99 ERA.

The trades

" Montero/Noesi for Michael Pineda/Jose Campos

" Kennedy/Coke/Jackson for Curtis Granderson

" Cabrera/Dunn/Vizcaino for Javier Vazquez/Boone Logan

" Melancon/Jimmy Paredes for Lance Berkman

" Kontos for Chris Stewart

" Burnett for Diego Moreno and Exicardo Cayones

After the top of the seventh inning concluded on Sunday, CC Sabathia raised his glove in frustration on the mound and yelled, the anger of squandering a two-run lead boiling over.

At a time when the Yankees' bats have gone quiet, Sabathia left the mound disappointed he couldn't make a pitch and had now put his team behind a run that it never overcame.

"It was definitely frustrating, I felt like I let the team down," Sabathia said. "Knowing these guys are scratching and clawing and this is a great offense, but it's been tough. To be able to have a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning, it's a ballgame we should win."

While Sabathia pitched well over his seven innings, he put all the blame on himself for failing to hold a lead in the Yankees' 5-2 loss to the Reds. Guarding a 2-0 lead with just nine outs to go, Sabathia yielded three runs in the seventh. He fell to 5-2 with a 3.78 ERA on the year.

"I just blew it," Sabathia said. "I didn't make the pitches I needed to."

For the first six innings, Sabathia cruised against the Reds, carrying a no-hitter through four and only allowing three hits.

In the seventh, a pair of misplaced fastballs and what Sabathia described as "overthrowing" led to his undoing. The lefty overthrowing is when he tries to do too much.

Ryan Ludwick led off the frame with a homer to slice the lead to 2-1, and two batters later Ryan Hannigan tied the game by homering on an 0-2 fastball. It marked just the fifth time in his career Sabathia had allowed an 0-2 homer.

With one on and two outs, Sabathia proceeded to walk three batters, losing battles with Drew Stubbs, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, the final walk driving in the winning run. The count went to 3-2 against Votto and Phillips before each walked.

"Walking Drew Stubbs really hurt," Sabathia said. "Not making pitches and trying to overthrow and do too much and it's probably the time to back off and collect myself and make a good pitch and get out."

While Sabathia blamed himself, his manager believed the offense was more at fault for Sunday's defeat. The lefty gave up just those three runs and six hits.

"He still only gave up three runs, the bottom line is we didn't score a lot of runs again," Joe Girardi said. "That seems to be what we're struggling with right now, our starting pitching has seemed to be a little better and we're struggling to score runs."

Entering the game, Sabathia had thrived as the Yankees' stopper, going 4-0 when following a loss. For six innings, it looked like he would be that stopper once again.

By the end of the seventh, the team was on its way to its fifth loss in six games.

"It's 2-0 in the seventh inning. That should be good enough to win a ballgame, especially with I felt like I was pitching pretty good up to that point," Sabathia said.

Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner is going to have an MRI on Tuesday or Wednesday, and if all goes well he will report to Tampa on Thursday and start swinging a bat. The left fielder has missed 29 games with a right elbow strain.

"I'm anxious. But I'm going to take the mindset with this whole thing that I have to be patient with it and let it heal, whether it's three or four more days or three more weeks," Gardner said. "Hopefully I'll be swinging a bat by the middle-end of the week."

Gardner said the setback he had earlier this month when he tried to return made him realize that he has to be patient with his return. If everything goes according to plan, Gardner would play some rehab games before he returns to the Yankees.

"That's why I'm going down there to hopefully be able to start swinging a bat and if things go well, probably play some games down there and then hopefully meet the team whenever I'm ready," Gardner said. "I don't want to jump too far ahead but hopefully this MRI on Tuesday or Wednesday goes good and I can start swinging the bat."

The left fielder added that he does not feel anything in his elbow during everyday activity, although he notices it when he extends his elbow fully swinging a bat. Gardner has taken swings off a tee, as well as just swinging on his own. He's hitting .321 on the year in just nine games.

"It's not something I really could injure just walking around doing normal everyday stuff," Gardner said. "I'm excited to do it and hopefully get some good news Tuesday or Wednesday and start swinging the bat in not too long."

Recap | Box score | Photos

CC Sabathia blew a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning and the offense struggled once again as the Yankees fell to the Reds, 5-2, Sunday afternoon in the Bronx.

NEEDED MORE: The Yankees have struggled to score runs lately, so when they turn over a 2-0 lead to their ace in the seventh, he has to hold it. Sabathia couldn't do that on Sunday.

Instead, Sabathia served up a pair of solo home runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game, and then walked three straight batters with two outs to force in the go-ahead run. The lefty did not appear to be pleased with home umpire Tony Randazzo, throwing his glove up in the air as he left the mound. Sabathia gave up three runs over seven and fell to 5-2 on the year.

Sabathia didn't pitch bad, as he was more than serviceable on the day, but the Yankees needed him to be better than he was. When the Yankees are just nine outs away from victory and have Sabathia on the mound protecting a two-run lead, those are games they need to win.

WHERE ARE YOU?: Send out a search party, because the Yankees' bats are lost. The Yankees managed just two runs on Sunday, the 16th time this season they've scored less than four runs in a game. Yes, they were facing Cincinnati stud Johnny Cueto, but this offense simply can't put together a string of hits and consistently pressure opposing teams.

RAUL COMES THROUGH: For as bad as the offense has been, where would the Yankees be right now without Raul Ibanez? The right fielder comes through with clutch hits, and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 27. He's been everything they've wanted and more after signing him in the offseason.

In a scoreless game in the sixth, Ibanez blasted his eighth home run of the year into the right-field seats to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. The hit also came with a runner in scoring position, an area the Yankees have struggled mightily in this year.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: Andrew Marchand and I will have pieces on Alex Rodriguez's struggles, Sabathia's outing and other news from the clubhouse.

UP NEXT: The Yankees begin a three-game set against Kansas City on Monday. Hiroki Kuroda (3-5, 4.50) will try to rebound from a disastrous outing in Toronto when he pitches against Felipe Paulino (1-1, 1.93) at 7:05 p.m. The Yankees are 2-2 versus the Royals this year.

Left fielder Brett Gardner will probably start swinging a bat on Thursday, according to manager Joe Girardi. The Yankees do not believe that Gardner's injured right elbow is completely healed yet as he looks to make his return from the disabled list.

"We just feels that he's probably going to have to go until Thursday before he can do it," Girardi said. "We're just not comfortable right where he's at right now to do it."

Gardner has been on the disabled list retroactive to April 18 with a right elbow strain and has missed 29 games. He tried to return earlier in May, but aggravated the injury. The manager thinks Gardner would need a couple of rehab games before he returns.

"Gardy is younger, it shouldn't take that long, as long as he has no setbacks," Girardi said. "The key is to getting him over that hump to where he doesn't have a setback and when he does come back in a sense, you kind of have to build up to where he could play in a game. Hopefully it wouldn't be long."

Gardner is scheduled to see the doctor Sunday but was unaware that the Yankees were not going to let him swing before Thursday. He had hoped to be able to return by the weekend if everything went right, but this new schedule makes that goal perhaps unrealistic.

"It feels good but I haven't picked up a bat," Gardner said of his elbow.

The Yanks, losers of four of five, turn to one of the few constants in their world to right the ship -- CC Sabathia.

Sabathia will take the ball on Sunday afternoon against righty Johnny Cueto in an enticing matchup.

Sabathia is 5-0 with a 3.77 ERA, and Cueto is 4-1 with a 1.89 ERA.

While most of the Yankees' starters haven't performed any near where Joe Girardi's expectations are (the inconsistencies of Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and Hiroki Kuroda come to mind), Sabathia has been a rock.

He's lost just once in his last 10 decisions. That defeat came in his last start -- last Tuesday in Baltimore.

Based on what Sabathia's done so far against the Reds, he should be able to bounce back with a win on Sunday afternoon.

In 11 career starts against Cincinnati, he's 4-1 with a 2.33 ERA.

Sabathia's also had plenty of success in daytime starts. Since signing with the Yanks in 2009, the big lefty is 21-7 with a 3.08 ERA. He trails Detroit's Justin Verlander (26) and Philadelphia's Roy Halladay (23) in day-time wins over that span.

UP NOW: Matt Ehalt takes a look at the Yanks' failed comeback on Saturday and has an item on Alex Rodriguez's struggles. I wrote about Ivan Nova's frustration following a 12-strikeout performance.

ON DECK: Andrew Marchand and Ehalt will be in the Bronx later this morning to provide the latest news coming out of the Yankees clubhouse.

IN THE HOLE: The Yanks wrap up their three-game series against the Reds on Sunday afternoon as Sabathia faces Cueto.

QUESTION OF THE DAY? We know Sabathia will pitch well. Do the Yankees have enough pitching around Sabathia to contend?

Left fielder Brett Gardner is going to see the doctor on Sunday and hopes to receive clearance to start swinging soon. Gardner has been on the disabled list retroactive to April 18 with a right elbow strain and has missed 29 games.

"I've been resting it and doing all the rehab and all the treatment they want me to do and everything else is really good," Gardner said after the Yankees' 6-5 to the Cincinnati Reds. "As soon as that elbow gets right, I start hitting and I should be a couple days away."

Gardner had been scheduled to return earlier this month, but then he aggravated the elbow again. He believes he tried to return too early. The left fielder is now hoping that he will be able to return at the end of next week. The Yankees start a nine-game road trip on Friday.

"That'd be great," Gardner said. "If I could start swinging here in the next couple of days, I'll be ready by next weekend for sure."

CHAPMAN IMPRESSES: The Yankees got their first look at Reds reliever Aroldis Chapman and he was as good as advertised, striking out two in a scoreless inning.

"The kid's got a great arm, no doubt about it," manager Joe Girardi said.

Chapman handled the Yankees' top bats, striking out lefties Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano before retiring Alex Rodriguez on a pop to short. Chapman has not given up an earned run in 21 1/3 innings to start the season.

"You don't see lefties that throw 100 miles per hour," Rodriguez said. "He gave me a good pitch to hit, put a good swing on it and just hit it straight up. Pretty electric."

OTHER NOTES: The Yankees are now 20-5 when they score at least four runs. ... They still own the best interleague winning percentage at .594. ... The 15 strikeouts by the pitching staff matched a season high. ... They have committed an error in four straight games. ... Two of Russell Martin's five hits at Yankee Stadium are homers.

Alex Rodriguez has some catching up to do.

The third baseman said after Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds that he is extremely confident he's going to produce the numbers he expects to by the end of this season.

Unless Rodriguez is aiming low this year, he's going to have to produce better than he has during the team's first 40 games. He has just five home runs and 15 RBIs, with less than 25 percent of his hits going for extra bases.

"I'm in a good place, my body feels good," Rodriguez said after an 0-for-4 day. "Working very hard with [hitting coach] Kevin Long every day. My numbers are going to be there at the end of the day and there's no question about it.

"The thing is we have put it to work right away because the team needs victories. Our offense, our coaches, our players, they expect a lot of from me and I'll be there."

While Rodriguez has been able to hit for average and get on base, the power he once flashed in pinstripes is at an all-time low. He has not homered in his last 40 at-bats, and is slugging just .410. That would be his lowest slugging percentage since 1995.

In his second at-bat on Saturday, Rodriguez nearly swatted his sixth home run, but his deep drive to right-center was tracked down in front of the 385-foot sign. The third baseman heard boos after making outs during the day.

"I hit that pretty well. I thought it was perhaps a home run," Rodriguez said. "You have to worry about the process. Had a good swing there, had a good swing against [Aroldis] Chapman (in the eighth) and nothing to show for it. I'll come back tomorrow ready to swing again."

Rodriguez said he trusts in the process that's been established by Long, and feels fine physically. He hasn't played 140 games since 2007, but has played in 39 of the team's first 40 games. His teammates don't seem concerned about him.

"We know he's one of our big boppers, there's no doubt about it," right fielder Nick Swisher said. "His BP's been great. That guy is a machine, he works his tail off and like they say, the harder you work the luckier it is."

Unless Rodriguez heats up, he's on pace for what would be his worst season in which he plays a majority of the team's games. His current numbers would project for 20 home run and 61 RBIs. In last year's injury-shortened year, he managed to drive in 62 runs.

"I think we're in a good place right now," Rodriguez said. "I think one of the things I'm working on is to improve the ratio of ground balls to fly balls. Been putting the ball on the ground just a little too much. Past two or three days I've been much better so I'm very encouraged."

The one hit that could have changed it all never came.

The Yankees once again came up small in the biggest moments of a game on Saturday, failing with runners in scoring position repeatedly in their 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

In the ninth inning, with the potential tying and winning runs on base, the Yanks couldn't deliver the big hit on two occasions, as they fell for the fourth time in five games. All told they were 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position in the game.

"We just didn't get the last hit we needed to put them away," manager Joe Girardi said. "It's good we're able to come back but it's frustrating you get so close and you lose."

In their last 55 at-bats with runners in scoring position, the Yankees have just five hits. The team did manage to snap a 0-for-22 slump with a pair of knocks in the ninth inning, but it couldn't deliver the one extra hit to complete the three-run rally.

The Yankees had been just 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position before Nick Swisher and Jayson Nix each drove in a run to slice Cincinnati's lead to 6-5. With men on first and second with one out, Derek Jeter grounded into a fielder's choice, and Curtis Granderson ended the game with a grounder to first with men on second and third.

The Yankees are batting .231 with runners in scoring position on the season, which ranks them among the bottom-third of the American League.

"Any time there are guys in scoring positions you want to get the job done. Really don't think about numbers when you're up there hitting. Trying to get a good pitch," catcher Russell Martin said. "As of late, we just haven't been getting the job done but it just takes one day for that to change. We have great hitters on this team throughout the lineup so I don't think it's going to stay this way for too much longer."

Girardi mentioned that it's easy for his team to start pressing with the lack of results in these situations. Being asked about it constantly is a daily reminder, and once the game comes, there have not been the results to make the frustrations disappear.

Third baseman Alex Rodriguez said he thought the team did better on Saturday, and wants the offense to start focusing on scoring at least four runs a game. He stressed staying focused and having quality at-bats.

"I think everyone just tries to pick everybody up," Rodriguez said. "I'm very proud of the way guys went out today and swung the bats and we had a strong finish there in the eighth and ninth. Overall, hitting is contagious and guys are probably putting a little bit of pressure on."

Ivan Nova didn't want to talk about his career-high 12 strikeouts on Saturday.

"I don't care about strikeouts," he said. "I don't like the way I'm pitching right now, I'm making a lot of mistakes."

The 45,302 on hand in the Bronx could attest to that.

Despite having strikeout stuff, Nova gave up five runs on seven hits over six innings in the Yankees' 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. His biggest mistake came in the top of the fifth, when he hung a slider to Joey Votto. The Reds slugger deposited it into the right field seats to give the Reds a 5-2 lead.

Nova was left with the loss after the Yankees' ninth-inning rally fell short.

He has just one win in his last five starts, but Joe Girardi isn't ready to panic. The manager said Nova's struggles resulted from poor location on a handful of pitches.

"He made a mistake to Votto. He left a ball up that he could handle," Girardi said. "It always comes down to a couple inches here and there ... and that's what costs you."

Nova wiggled in and out of trouble early, thanks to his swing-and-miss stuff.

He walked two in the first and then allowed an RBI single to Brandon Phillips, but struck out the next two Cincinnati hitters to get out of the inning.

In the second, Nova went strikeout, double, strikeout, double, strikeout. The end result was another run on the board for the Reds.

"He didn't have a lot of luck on his side today," Girardi said. "Some balls, we almost got to [but] we didn't. But I thought that he threw the ball pretty decent."

Decent is an apt description of Nova's first four innings. But he struggled in the fifth.

Nova game up three hits in the frame -- the last of which was Votto's home run.

But the 25-year-old never lost his stuff. In fact, he fanned three Reds over his final two innings.

Afterward, Nova said it was "frustrating" to have 12 strikeouts but still struggle to retire hitters.

He didn't blame his shortcomings on the ankle injury he suffered Monday in Baltimore.

"It feels fine," he said.

So what was the issue?

Over his last five starts (6.90 ERA), Nova hasn't looked like the pitcher who went 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA last year and was given the ball in Game 5 of the ALDS.

"I've got to go back to work and try to find a way to make the right pitch," said Nova, who is now 4-2 with a 5.69 ERA this season. "I've got to go back to what I was doing last year."

Recap | Box score | Photos

WHAT IT MEANS: The Yankees' ninth-inning rally fell one hit short on Saturday afternoon.

After RBI singles from Nick Swisher and Jayson Nix pulled the Yanks within one run of the Reds, Derek Jeter grounded into a force-out and Curtis Granderson followed with a weak roller to first base to close out New York's 6-5 loss.

THE BAD: Ivan Nova had an up-and-down outing on Saturday. His injured right ankle seemed fine. But his slider hurt him.

Nova had a career-high 12 strikeouts against the Reds, but gave up seven hits and five runs in six innings, including a three-run homer from Joey Votto.

Votto smoked a slider into the right-center field seats to give the Reds a 5-2 lead in the fifth.

DAVID? D'OH: What started out as a nice play by David Phelps ended in disaster for the Yankees.

The first two batters Phelps faced in the eighth reached base. Todd Frazier then attempted to lay down a sacrifice to get the runners over. But Phelps caught it on a fly and then tried to throw out Jay Bruce at first base.

Phelps' throw sailed wide, allowing Brandon Phillips to advance from second to third. Phillips scored on Mike Costanzo's sacrifice fly to give the Reds a 6-3 lead.

Flame-thrower Aroldis Chapman came in for the eighth inning and blew away the Yankees, striking out Robinson Cano and Granderson and getting Alex Rodriguez to pop out meekly to shallow left-center.

A-ROD'S POWER OUTAGE: Rodriguez went 0-for-4. He now has just one home run in his last 84 at-bats.

THE GOOD: Russell Martin homered in the third inning (his fourth of the year) and Nix hit one in the fifth inning, his second of the season.

GOOD RISP DAY: The Yankees went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position on Saturday -- with both hits coming in the ninth inning. They have just five hits in their last 55 at-bats in such situations.

Some of New York's biggest run producers -- A-Rod, Mark Teixeira, Cano and Granderson -- are all hitting under .230 with runners in scoring position.

WHAT'S NEXT: CC Sabathia takes on the Reds in the finale of this three-game set. Sabathia is 4-1 with a 2.33 ERA against the Reds. He's also 21-7 in day games as a Yankee.