Yankees' Johnson quietly breaks out of slump

Nick Johnson's voice has absolutely no inflection to it. It is so even, so matter-of-fact that it could be piped into workplaces and used as white noise.

Even when talking about the most exciting of afternoons - like the one he had Wednesday when he broke out of a protracted slump with a home run, double and single - the Yankees' designated hitter sounded as though he was reading a page out of his car manual. And in many ways that's a good thing, said manager Joe Girardi.

"He's about as even-keeled as you get," Girardi said after the Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Orioles with a 7-5 win. "Sometimes those guys are a little bit harder to read, but he seemed to be handling [his slump] well because I don't think he would have continued to walk like he did."

Johnson entered the game hitting .134. Though he had been consistently drawing walks, he hadn't hit a home run or had a multi-hit game since April 13.

"It's been a grind," Johnson said of his struggle, "but you just have to keep working."

Johnson drove in two runs on a perfect day at the plate. In addition to his three hits, he walked twice. Johnson's solo home run came in the first inning when he hit an 0-and-1 pitch into the rightfield seats. Suffice it to say he did not run around the bases pumping his hands in the air, but at least one of his teammates thought the home run had to give him a sense of release.

"It was just a matter of time," Nick Swisher said. "You go through stretches sometimes and you wish you could snap your fingers and get out of them. But it doesn't happen. Once you get a couple of knocks on your belt, your mind stays at ease and it's a lot easier to stay confident."

Girardi remained confident that the man the Yankees brought in to be the team's designated hitter was going to start figuring things out at the plate.

"You don't give up on somebody because of a month," Girardi said last Friday after he had brought Jorge Posada in to bat for Johnson. "He's been playing at a high level for a long time."

Johnson said he will continue to approach the plate in May like he did in April, when he hit .138.

Said Johnson: "I'm just trying to go out there with a clear head and focus on the ball."