This Week In Yankees Baseball- Time To Bat Brett Gardner Third

Well, hello there everybody! Welcome to This Week In Yankees Baseball. For The Boys From the Bronx, the reality is setting in. The nearer their destination, the more they´re slip-sliding away.

¨We´re running out of time,¨ Brett Gardner explained, according to MLB.com. Every day that goes by and we don´t win-it makes us one step closer to being home at the end of September. That´s obviously not what we want to do.¨

Aug 11, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner (11) triples in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

So instead of suffering through the Yankees recent losing streak, let´s use this space to suggest a change. Certainly, Jacoby Ellsbury has not blossomed in the third spot overall. So how about switching Gardner and Ellsbury?

Now I get it. Nobody is going to confuse Gardner with past Yankees´ number three hitters. Don Mattingly, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth all brought historic power to the spot. Expecting Gardner to do that is a pipe dream. But Gardner does have their will to win, if not their talent. And let´s face it, Gardy´s spurts of power this season could have resulted in more RBI had he not been leading off. And the Yankees need runs right now, however they can get them.

Who know´s, maybe Ellsbury would suddenly hit his groove if he was back batting first. Sure, Ellsbury has been hitting better of  late and Gardner has cooled off a little. But that´s not an accurate measure of the entire season.

Now, I hear you, the Yanks are going to need more than that. This week, Joe Girardi pointed out that the guys you would expect to be setting the table are doing it, and the guys you would expect to be in the power spots are there. Well, for whatever reason, it is not working.

So maybe it´s time to throw out convention and shake things up a bit. And maybe this is a way to start. What´s the alternative, sitting around and watching the slide? Or, if you prefer, call it desperate measures for desperate times. Call it whatever you want.

But the cold truth is that Derek Jeter´s days are winding down. And if we are going to see him in the post season one more time, something needs to change. For those who are already jumping ship, have a nice swim. But there are others who have a different vision.

How about that!