Nothing average about Teixeira's hitting

Mark Teixeira hits a two-run home run in the first... — Mark Teixeira hits a two-run home run in the first inning. (July 25, 2011) Credit: David Pokress

By KIMBERLEY A. MARTINkimberley.martin@newsday.comJuly 25, 2011

Even as the balls fly out of the park, his batting average hovers below expectations. It's a temporary trade-off Mark Teixeira has come to accept, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.

Lately, it's been home run or bust for the Yankees' first baseman. But he continues to be productive, even if he's far below the .286 career average he brought into this season.

July hasn't been kind to him, he has said, but he went 2-for-4 with three RBIs Monday night in a 10-3 rout of the Mariners.

Teixeira tattooed a two-run homer off Jason Vargas in the first inning, lofting the ball into the second deck in leftfield to jump-start the offense. With that mammoth swing, he logged only his second homer of the month and tied Curtis Granderson for the team high in home runs (27).

Teixeira followed that with an RBI single into the leftfield corner in the fourth inning that drove in Derek Jeter and gave the Yankees an 8-1 lead. It was one of only four hits in the five-run inning, one marred, from the Mariners' perspective, by defensive ineptitude.

Now, as the Mariners look to snap their 16-game losing streak, Teixeira continues to search for ways to increase his average.

His two hits brought it up from .240 to .243. It may not be much, but it's a step in the right direction for the Yankees' No. 3 hitter, whose on-base percentage of .342 and slugging percentage of .501 also are below the career averages of .377 and .536 he brought into this season.

Since May 19, he has hit 18 home runs and driven in 53 runs in 59 games. But in that same span, he is hitting .233.

"Sometimes you're going to have down years in averages, it's just going to happen," manager Joe Girardi said. "It can be some bad luck sometimes. And if you think about the difference between .270 and .240 or .280 and .250, it's three hits every 100 at-bats. Sometimes that can just be some bad luck.

"He swung the bat great tonight, so I don't have any complaints. He's been extremely productive, his defense was outstanding and we love the way he's playing."