Why the Yanks can’t afford to lose Gardner

Brett Gardner was not in the lineup last night. He’d gone for x-rays after getting hit in the forearm on Sunday, but they came back negative. Gardner also reported feeling better, so this doesn’t seem too serious. The Yankees had better hope it’s not. Gardner has been a big part of the Yankees offense. At ESPN, Mark Simon and Katie Sharp break out the bullet points to illustrate exactly what Gardner has done for the team this year. It’s a good list, but they did miss one point: Gardner leads the AL in pitches seen per plate appearances with 4.55. Not bad for a guy who hits for no power.