Yankees' Granderson optimistic he'll hit again

BALTIMORE - Curtis Granderson said his recent slump isn't the result of any major mechanical breakdowns.

That would be a concern. His 0-for-17 skid is not.

"As long as you can be in the best position possible consistently day in and day out and get that good feel, things will turn themselves around," Granderson said before last night's game against the Orioles.

Granderson started the season strong, homering in his first at-bat and hitting .313 as recently as April 20 before his current slide dropped him to .231. Granderson, who ended his oh-fer with a second-inning single, compared it to a basketball player or golfer in the zone one day but not the next.

"The next day, everything's the exact same but for some reason he can't make a three-pointer or everything he's hooking or slicing," Granderson said. "I think it's very similar in baseball . . . for whatever reason, sometimes you've got the feel, sometimes you lose it a little bit."

Joe Girardi said of Granderson, "at times he gets the bat head out a little too far," but otherwise the manager isn't worried.

"You have a 1-for-15 early in the season or a 1-for-18, it really affects your numbers dramatically" Girardi said. "You do that in the middle of the season it's not going to change it a whole lot."

Johnson stays at No. 2

Girardi said dropping struggling Nick Johnson out of the No. 2 spot was discussed but ultimately he decided to keep his DH there.

"I think it's important you stick with your guys because you know they're going to come around," Girardi said.

Extra bases

Chan Ho Park saw a doctor in Tampa regarding his slow-to-heal right hamstring but no further problems were diagnosed.