2nd-worst Yankees offense since 1996 (so far)

Here's the juicy, easy-to-digest number floating around Yankee land today: 0-for-13.

That's how, um, consistent Yankees hitters were Monday night with runners in scoring position in a 6-0 loss to Kansas City. Maybe it was just one bad game?

Nope.

The Yankees have struggled to score runs this season, highlighted by these statlines through 42 games:

- 1-16 record when scoring 3 or less runs.

- Have scored 1 run or less 10 times (0-10), including four shutouts.

- .189 team batting average with the bases loaded, and only 25 RBIs

Watch enough baseball over the years, and there will be a patch when a team is struggling to score runs. It's the nature of a sport that features 162 games crammed into around 185 days.

Through 42 games this season, the Yankees have scored 189 runs which ties them with the Dodgers for eighth place in the majors. That doesn't sound too awful, right? OK, how about this, then: It is the second lowest offensive output for the Yankees through 42 games since Derek Jeter became the starting shortstop in 1996. The Yankees scored 173 runs through the first 42 games in 2008, the one year they missed the playoffs in this time span.

Here's a look at the historical context of the Yankees' offensive struggles thus far.